1
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Sansalone G, Wroe S, Coates G, Attard MRG, Fruciano C. Unexpectedly uneven distribution of functional trade-offs explains cranial morphological diversity in carnivores. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3275. [PMID: 38627430 PMCID: PMC11021405 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47620-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho-functional landscape modelling on the cranium of 132 carnivore species, we focused on the macroevolutionary effects of the trade-off between bite force and bite velocity. Here, we show that rates of evolution in form (morphology) are decoupled from rates of evolution in function. Further, we found theoretical morphologies optimising for velocity to be more diverse, while a much smaller phenotypic space was occupied by shapes optimising force. This pattern of differential representation of different functions in theoretical morphological space was highly correlated with patterns of actual morphological disparity. We hypothesise that many-to-one mapping of cranium shape on function may prevent the detection of direct relationships between form and function. As comparatively only few morphologies optimise bite force, species optimising this function may be less abundant because they are less likely to evolve. This, in turn, may explain why certain clades are less variable than others. Given the ubiquity of functional trade-offs in biological systems, these patterns may be general and may help to explain the unevenness of morphological and functional diversity across the tree of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Sansalone
- Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (CNR-IRBIM), National Research Council, Via S. Raineri 4, 98122, Messina, Italy.
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213D, 41125, Modena, Italy.
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Geoffrey Coates
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Marie R G Attard
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, CB3 0ET, Cambridge, UK
| | - Carmelo Fruciano
- Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (CNR-IRBIM), National Research Council, Via S. Raineri 4, 98122, Messina, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy.
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, via Androne 81, 95124, Catania, Italy.
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2
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Janis CM. Who was the real sabertooth predator: Thylacosmilus or Thylacoleo? Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38597514 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Sabertoothed mammalian predators, all now extinct, were almost exclusively feloid carnivorans (Eutheria, Placentalia): here a couple of extinct metatherian predators are considered in comparison with the placental sabertooths. Thylacosmilus (the "marsupial sabertooth") and Thylacoleo (the "marsupial lion") were both relatively large (puma-sized) carnivores of the Plio-Pleistocene in the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina and Australia, respectively). Both carnivores have captured the public imagination, especially as predators that were somehow analogous to northern placental forms. But a more detailed consideration of their morphology shows that neither can be simply analogized with its supposed placental counterpart. While Thylacosmilus did indeed have saber-like canines, many aspects of its anatomy show that it could not have killed prey in the manner proposed for the sabertoothed felids such as Smilodon. Rather than being an active predator, it may have been a specialized scavenger, using the hypertrophied canines to open carcasses, and perhaps deployed a large tongue to extract the innards. Thylacoleo lacked canines, and its supposedly "caniniform" incisors could not have acted like a felid's canines. Nevertheless, while its mode of dispatching its prey remains a subject for debate, it was clearly a powerful predator, likely to be capable of bringing down prey bigger than itself while hunting alone. In that regard, it may have filled the ecomorphological role proposed for placental sabertooths, and so despite the lack of canines can be nominated as the true "marsupial sabertooth" out of the two extinct taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Janis
- Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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3
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Mitchell DR, Potter S, Eldridge MDB, Martin M, Weisbecker V. Functionally mediated cranial allometry evidenced in a genus of rock-wallabies. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240045. [PMID: 38531413 PMCID: PMC10965333 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In assessments of skeletal variation, allometry (disproportionate change of shape with size) is often corrected to examine size-independent variation for hypotheses relating to function. However, size-related trade-offs in functional demands may themselves be an underestimated driver of mammalian cranial diversity. Here, we use geometric morphometrics alongside dental measurements to assess craniodental allometry in the rock-wallaby genus Petrogale (all 17 species, 370 individuals). We identified functional aspects of evolutionary allometry that can be both extensions of, and correlated negatively with, static or ontogenetic allometric patterns. Regarding constraints, larger species tended to have relatively smaller braincases and more posterior orbits, the former of which might represent a constraint on jaw muscle anatomy. However, they also tended to have more anterior dentition and smaller posterior zygomatic arches, both of which support the hypothesis of relaxed bite force demands and accommodation of different selective pressures that favour facial elongation. By contrast, two dwarf species had stouter crania with divergent dental adaptations that together suggest increased relative bite force capacity. This likely allows them to feed on forage that is mechanically similar to that consumed by larger relatives. Our results highlight a need for nuanced considerations of allometric patterns in future research of mammalian cranial diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Rex Mitchell
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Sally Potter
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Mark D. B. Eldridge
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - Meg Martin
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
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4
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Dougill G, Brassey CA, Starostin EL, Andrews H, Kitchener A, van der Heijden GHM, Goss VGA, Grant RA. Describing whisker morphology of the Carnivora. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21628. [PMID: 37585221 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
One of the largest ecological transitions in carnivoran evolution was the shift from terrestrial to aquatic lifestyles, which has driven morphological diversity in skulls and other skeletal structures. In this paper, we investigate the association between those lifestyles and whisker morphology. However, comparing whisker morphology over a range of species is challenging since the number of whiskers and their positions on the mystacial pads vary between species. Also, each whisker will be at a different stage of growth and may have incurred damage due to wear and tear. Identifying a way to easily capture whisker morphology in a small number of whisker samples would be beneficial. Here, we describe individual and species variation in whisker morphology from two-dimensional scans in red fox, European otter and grey seal. A comparison of long, caudal whiskers shows inter-species differences most clearly. We go on to describe global whisker shape in 24 species of carnivorans, using linear approximations of curvature and taper, as well as traditional morphometric methods. We also qualitatively examine surface texture, or the presence of scales, using scanning electron micrographs. We show that gross whisker shape is highly conserved, with whisker curvature and taper obeying simple linear relationships with length. However, measures of whisker base radius, length, and maybe even curvature, can vary between species and substrate preferences. Specifically, the aquatic species in our sample have thicker, shorter whiskers that are smoother, with less scales present than those of terrestrial species. We suggest that these thicker whiskers may be stiffer and able to maintain their shape and position during underwater sensing, but being stiffer may also increase wear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Dougill
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Charlotte A Brassey
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Eugene L Starostin
- School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hayley Andrews
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Kitchener
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Gert H M van der Heijden
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Victor G A Goss
- School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK
| | - Robyn A Grant
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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5
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Dickinson E, Young MW, Granatosky MC. In vivo
bite force in lovebirds (
Agapornis roseicollis
, Psittaciformes) and their relative biting performance among birds. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Dickinson
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury NY USA
| | - M. W. Young
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury NY USA
| | - M. C. Granatosky
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury NY USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Old Westbury NY USA
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6
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Newton AH. Marsupials and Multi-Omics: Establishing New Comparative Models of Neural Crest Patterning and Craniofacial Development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:941168. [PMID: 35813210 PMCID: PMC9260703 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.941168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies across vertebrates have revealed significant insights into the processes that drive craniofacial morphogenesis, yet we still know little about how distinct facial morphologies are patterned during development. Studies largely point to evolution in GRNs of cranial progenitor cell types such as neural crest cells, as the major driver underlying adaptive cranial shapes. However, this hypothesis requires further validation, particularly within suitable models amenable to manipulation. By utilizing comparative models between related species, we can begin to disentangle complex developmental systems and identify the origin of species-specific patterning. Mammals present excellent evolutionary examples to scrutinize how these differences arise, as sister clades of eutherians and marsupials possess suitable divergence times, conserved cranial anatomies, modular evolutionary patterns, and distinct developmental heterochrony in their NCC behaviours and craniofacial patterning. In this review, I lend perspectives into the current state of mammalian craniofacial biology and discuss the importance of establishing a new marsupial model, the fat-tailed dunnart, for comparative research. Through detailed comparisons with the mouse, we can begin to decipher mammalian conserved, and species-specific processes and their contribution to craniofacial patterning and shape disparity. Recent advances in single-cell multi-omics allow high-resolution investigations into the cellular and molecular basis of key developmental processes. As such, I discuss how comparative evolutionary application of these tools can provide detailed insights into complex cellular behaviours and expression dynamics underlying adaptive craniofacial evolution. Though in its infancy, the field of "comparative evo-devo-omics" presents unparalleled opportunities to precisely uncover how phenotypic differences arise during development.
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7
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Takenaka R, Clay SM, Yoo S, Hlusko LJ. Conserved and Taxon-Specific Patterns of Phenotypic Modularity in the Mammalian Dentition. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac017. [PMID: 35709132 PMCID: PMC9191923 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous genotype:phenotype mapping of the mouse and primate dentition revealed the presence of pre- and post-canine modules in mice and anthropoid primates, as well as molar and premolar submodules in anthropoid primates. We estimated phenotypic correlation matrices for species that sample broadly across Mammalia to test the hypothesis that these modules exist across a broader range of taxa and thereby represent a conserved mammalian trait. We calculated phenotypic correlation matrices from linear dental measurements of 419 individual specimens representing 5 species from 4 mammalian orders: Artiodactyla (Odocoileus hemionus), Carnivora (Canis latrans and Ursus americanus), Didelphimorphia (Didelphis virginiana), and Primates (Colobus guereza). Our results based on hierarchical clustering indicate a generally higher correlation within incisors and among post-canine teeth. However, the post-canine phenotypic correlation matrices do not consistently exhibit the premolar and molar submodularity observed in anthropoid primates. Additionally, we find evidence of sex differences in the Odocoileus phenotypic correlation matrices: Males of this species exhibit overall higher inter-trait correlations compared to females. Our overall findings support the interpretation that incisors and post-canine dentition represent different phenotypic modules, and that this architecture may be a conserved trait for mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sunwoo Yoo
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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8
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Burtt AA, DeSantis LRG. Exploring durophagy among modern gray wolves from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with dental microwear texture analysis. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda A. Burtt
- Anthropology Department Indiana University Bloomington IN USA
| | - Larisa R. G. DeSantis
- Department of Biological Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN USA
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9
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The Cranial Morphospace of Extant Marsupials. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09589-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Conith AJ, Meagher MA, Dumont ER. The influence of divergent reproductive strategies in shaping modularity and morphological evolution in mammalian jaws. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:164-179. [PMID: 34624153 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Marsupial neonates are born at an earlier developmental stage than placental mammals, but the rapid development of their forelimbs and cranial skeleton allows them to climb to the pouch, begin suckling and complete their development ex utero. The mechanical environment in which marsupial neonates develop is vastly different from that of placental neonates, which exhibit a more protracted development of oral muscles and bones. This difference in reproductive strategy has been theorized to constrain morphological evolution in the oral region of marsupials. Here, we use 3D morphometrics to characterize one of these oral bones, the lower jaw (dentary), and assess modularity (pattern of covariation among traits), morphological disparity and rates of morphological evolution in two clades of carnivorous mammals: the marsupial Dasyuromorphia and placental fissiped Carnivora. We find that dasyuromorph dentaries have fewer modules than carnivorans and exhibit tight covariation between the angular and coronoid processes, the primary attachment sites for jaw-closing muscles. This pattern of modularity may result from the uniform action of muscles on the developing mandible during suckling. Carnivorans are free from this constraint and exhibit a pattern of modularity that more strongly reflects genetic and developmental signals of trait covariation. Alongside differences in modularity, carnivorans exhibit greater disparity and faster rates of morphological evolution compared with dasyuromorphs. Taken together, this suggests dasyuromorphs have retained a signal of trait covariation that reflects the outsized influence of muscular force during early development, a feature that may have impacted the ability of marsupial carnivores to explore specialized regions of morphospace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Conith
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Molly A Meagher
- Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Dumont
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, USA
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11
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Gálvez-López E, Kilbourne B, Cox PG. Cranial shape variation in mink: Separating two highly similar species. J Anat 2021; 240:210-225. [PMID: 34569054 PMCID: PMC8742963 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
European and American minks (Mustela lutreola and Neovison vison, respectively) are very similar in their ecology, behavior, and morphology. However, the American mink is a generalist predator and seems to adapt better to anthropized environments, allowing it to outcompete the European mink in areas where it has been introduced, threatening the survival of the native species. To assess whether morphological differences may be contributing to the success of the American mink relative to the European mink, we analyzed shape variation in the cranium of both species using 3D geometric morphometrics. A set of 38 landmarks and 107 semilandmarks was used to study shape variation between and within species, and to assess how differences in size factored into that variation. Sexual dimorphism in both size and shape was also studied. Significant differences between species were found in cranial shape, but not in size. Relative to American mink, European mink have a shorter facial region with a rounder forehead and wider orbits, a longer neurocranium with less developed crests and processes, and an antero-medially placed tympanic bullae with an anteriorly expanded cranial border. Within species, size-related sexual dimorphism is highly significant, but sexual dimorphism in shape is only significant in American mink, not in European mink. Additionally, two trends common to both species were discovered, one related to allometric changes and another to sexual size dimorphism. Shape changes related to increasing size can be subdivided into two, probably related, groups: increased muscle force and growth. The first group somewhat parallels the differences between both mink species, while the second group of traits includes an anterodorsal expansion of the face, and the neurocranium shifting from a globous shape in small individuals to a dorsoventrally flattened ellipse in the largest ones. Finally, the sexual dimorphism trend, while also accounting for differences in muscle force, seems to be related to the observed dietary differences between males and females. Overall, differences between species and sexes, and shape changes with increasing size, seem to mainly relate to differences in masticatory-muscle volume and therefore muscle force and bite force, which, in turn, relate to a wider range of potential prey (bigger prey, tougher shells). Thus, muscle force (and dietary range) would be larger in American mink than in European mink, in males than in females, and in larger individuals than in smaller ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloy Gálvez-López
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Brandon Kilbourne
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philip G Cox
- PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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12
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Melstrom KM, Angielczyk KD, Ritterbush KA, Irmis RB. The limits of convergence: the roles of phylogeny and dietary ecology in shaping non-avian amniote crania. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:202145. [PMID: 34540239 PMCID: PMC8441121 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.202145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Cranial morphology is remarkably varied in living amniotes and the diversity of shapes is thought to correspond with feeding ecology, a relationship repeatedly demonstrated at smaller phylogenetic scales, but one that remains untested across amniote phylogeny. Using a combination of morphometric methods, we investigate the links between phylogenetic relationships, diet and skull shape in an expansive dataset of extant toothed amniotes: mammals, lepidosaurs and crocodylians. We find that both phylogeny and dietary ecology have statistically significant effects on cranial shape. The three major clades largely partition morphospace with limited overlap. Dietary generalists often occupy clade-specific central regions of morphospace. Some parallel changes in cranial shape occur in clades with distinct evolutionary histories but similar diets. However, members of a given clade often present distinct cranial shape solutions for a given diet, and the vast majority of species retain the unique aspects of their ancestral skull plan, underscoring the limits of morphological convergence due to ecology in amniotes. These data demonstrate that certain cranial shapes may provide functional advantages suited to particular dietary ecologies, but accounting for both phylogenetic history and ecology can provide a more nuanced approach to inferring the ecology and functional morphology of cryptic or extinct amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keegan M. Melstrom
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 W Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0102, USA
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1214, USA
| | - Kenneth D. Angielczyk
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA
| | - Kathleen A. Ritterbush
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0102, USA
| | - Randall B. Irmis
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0102, USA
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1214, USA
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13
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Milne AO, Muchlinski MN, Orton LD, Sullivan MS, Grant RA. Comparing vibrissal morphology and infraorbital foramen area in pinnipeds. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:556-567. [PMID: 34076956 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Pinniped vibrissae are well-adapted to sensing in an aquatic environment, by being morphologically diverse and more sensitive than those of terrestrial species. However, it is both challenging and time-consuming to measure vibrissal sensitivity in many species. In terrestrial species, the infraorbital foramen (IOF) area is associated with vibrissal sensitivity and increases with vibrissal number. While pinnipeds are thought to have large IOF areas, this has not yet been systematically measured before. We investigated vibrissal morphology, IOF area, and skull size in 16 species of pinniped and 12 terrestrial Carnivora species. Pinnipeds had significantly larger skulls and IOF areas, longer vibrissae, and fewer vibrissae than the other Carnivora species. IOF area and vibrissal number were correlated in Pinnipeds, just as they are in terrestrial mammals. However, despite pinnipeds having significantly fewer vibrissae than other Carnivora species, their IOF area was not smaller, which might be due to pinnipeds having vibrissae that are innervated more. We propose that investigating normalized IOF area per vibrissa will offer an alternative way to approximate gross individual vibrissal sensitivity in pinnipeds and other mammalian species. Our data show that many species of pinniped, and some species of felids, are likely to have strongly innervated individual vibrissae, since they have high values of normalized IOF area per vibrissa. We suggest that species that hunt moving prey items in the dark will have more sensitive and specialized vibrissae, especially as they have to integrate between individual vibrissal signals to calculate the direction of moving prey during hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyx O Milne
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK.,Events Team, Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool, UK
| | | | - Llwyd D Orton
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Matthew S Sullivan
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Robyn A Grant
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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14
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Grant RA, Goss VGA. What can whiskers tell us about mammalian evolution, behaviour, and ecology? Mamm Rev 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robyn A. Grant
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University John Dalton Building, Chester Street ManchesterM1 5GDUK
| | - Victor G. A. Goss
- School of Engineering London South Bank University Borough Road LondonSE1 0AAUK
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15
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Rovinsky DS, Evans AR, Adams JW. Functional ecological convergence between the thylacine and small prey-focused canids. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:58. [PMID: 33882837 PMCID: PMC8059158 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01788-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Morphological convergence is a fundamental aspect of evolution, allowing for inference of the biology and ecology of extinct species by comparison with the form and function of living species as analogues. The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the iconic recently extinct marsupial, is considered a classic example of convergent evolution with the distantly related placental wolf or dog, though almost nothing is actually known regarding its ecology. This lack of data leads to questions regarding the degree of convergence with, and the similarity of, the functional ecology of the thylacine and the wolf/dog. Here, we examined the cranium of the thylacine using 3D geometric morphometrics and two quantitative tests of convergence to more precisely determine convergent analogues, within a phylogenetically informed dataset of 56 comparative species across 12 families of marsupial and placental faunivorous mammals. Using this dataset, we investigated patterns of correlation between cranial shape and diet, phylogeny, and relative prey size across these terrestrial faunivores. RESULTS We find a correlation between cranial, facial, and neurocranial shape and the ratio of prey-to-predator body mass, though neurocranial shape may not correlate with prey size within marsupials. The thylacine was found to group with predators that routinely take prey smaller than 45% of their own body mass, not with predators that take subequal-sized or larger prey. Both convergence tests find significant levels of convergence between the thylacine and the African jackals and South American 'foxes', with lesser support for the coyote and red fox. We find little support for convergence between the thylacine and the wolf or dog. CONCLUSIONS Our study finds little support for a wolf/dog-like functional ecology in the thylacine, with it instead being most similar to mid-sized canids such as African jackals and South American 'foxes' that mainly take prey less than half their size. This work suggests that concepts of convergence should extend beyond superficial similarity, and broader comparisons can lead to false interpretations of functional ecology. The thylacine was a predator of small to mid-sized prey, not a big-game specialist like the placental wolf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglass S Rovinsky
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Justin W Adams
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Tse YT, Calede JJM. Quantifying the link between craniodental morphology and diet in the Soricidae using geometric morphometrics. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Dietary adaptations have often been associated with heightened taxonomic diversity. Yet, one of the most species-rich mammalian families, the Soricidae, is often considered to be ecologically and morphologically relatively homogenous. Here, we use geometric morphometrics to capture skull and dentary morphology in a broad sample of shrew species and test the hypothesis that morphological variation among shrew species reflects adaptations to food hardness. Our analyses demonstrate that morphology is associated with dietary ecology. Species that consume hard food items are larger and have specific morphological adaptions including an anteroposteriorly expanded parietal, an anteroposteriorly short and dorsoventrally tall rostrum, a mediolaterally wide palate, buccolingually wide cheek teeth, a large coronoid process and a dorsoventrally short jaw joint. The masseter muscle does not appear to play an important role in the strong bite force of shrews and the dentary is a better indicator of ecology than the skull. Our phylogenetic flexible discriminant function analysis suggests that the evolutionary history of shrews has shaped their morphology, canalizing dietary adaptations and enabling functional equivalence whereby different morphologies achieve similar dietary performances. Our work makes possible future studies of niche partitioning among sympatric species as well as the investigation of the diet of extinct soricids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen Ting Tse
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, OH, USA
- The Ohio State University at Marion, Marion, Ohio, OH, USA
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Heading for higher ground: Developmental origins and evolutionary diversification of the amniote face. Curr Top Dev Biol 2021; 141:241-277. [PMID: 33602490 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Amniotes, a clade of terrestrial vertebrates, which includes all of the descendants of the last common ancestor of the reptiles (including dinosaurs and birds) and mammals, is one of the most successful group of animals on our planet. In addition to having an egg equipped with an amnion, an adaptation to lay eggs on land, amniotes possess a number of other major morphological characteristics. Chief among them is the amniote skull, which can be classified into several major types distinguished by the presence and number of temporal fenestrae (windows) in the posterior part. Amniotes evolved from ancestors who possessed a skull composed of a complex mosaic of small bones separated by sutures. Changes in skull composition underlie much of the large-scale evolution of amniotes with many lineages showing a trend in reduction of cranial elements known as the "Williston's Law." The skull of amniotes is also arranged into a set of modules of closely co-evolving bones as revealed by modularity and integration tests. One of the most consistently recovered and at the same time most versatile modules is the "face," anatomically defined as the anterior portion of the head. The faces of amniotes display extraordinary amount of variation, with many adaptive radiations showing parallel tendencies in facial scaling, e.g., changes in length or width. This review explores the natural history of the amniote face and discusses how a better understanding of its anatomy and developmental biology helps to explain the outstanding scale of adaptive facial diversity. We propose a model for facial evolution in the amniotes, based on the differential rate of cranial neural crest cell proliferation and the timing of their skeletal differentiation.
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Ontogenetic origins of cranial convergence between the extinct marsupial thylacine and placental gray wolf. Commun Biol 2021; 4:51. [PMID: 33420327 PMCID: PMC7794302 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01569-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic convergence, describing the independent evolution of similar characteristics, offers unique insights into how natural selection influences developmental and molecular processes to generate shared adaptations. The extinct marsupial thylacine and placental gray wolf represent one of the most extraordinary cases of convergent evolution in mammals, sharing striking cranial similarities despite 160 million years of independent evolution. We digitally reconstructed their cranial ontogeny from birth to adulthood to examine how and when convergence arises through patterns of allometry, mosaicism, modularity, and integration. We find the thylacine and wolf crania develop along nearly parallel growth trajectories, despite lineage-specific constraints and heterochrony in timing of ossification. These constraints were found to enforce distinct cranial modularity and integration patterns during development, which were unable to explain their adult convergence. Instead, we identify a developmental origin for their convergent cranial morphologies through patterns of mosaic evolution, occurring within bone groups sharing conserved embryonic tissue origins. Interestingly, these patterns are accompanied by homoplasy in gene regulatory networks associated with neural crest cells, critical for skull patterning. Together, our findings establish empirical links between adaptive phenotypic and genotypic convergence and provides a digital resource for further investigations into the developmental basis of mammalian evolution.
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Michaud M, Veron G, Fabre AC. Phenotypic integration in feliform carnivores: Covariation patterns and disparity in hypercarnivores versus generalists. Evolution 2020; 74:2681-2702. [PMID: 33085081 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The skeleton is a complex arrangement of anatomical structures that covary to various degrees depending on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Among the Feliformia, many species are characterized by predator lifestyles providing a unique opportunity to investigate the impact of highly specialized hypercarnivorous diet on phenotypic integration and shape diversity. To do so, we compared the shape of the skull, mandible, humerus, and femur of species in relation to their feeding strategies (hypercarnivorous vs. generalist species) and prey preference (predators of small vs. large prey) using three-dimensional geometric morphometric techniques. Our results highlight different degrees of morphological integration in the Feliformia depending on the functional implication of the anatomical structure, with an overall higher covariation of structures in hypercarnivorous species. The skull and the forelimb are not integrated in generalist species, whereas they are integrated in hypercarnivores. These results can potentially be explained by the different feeding strategies of these species. Contrary to our expectations, hypercarnivores display a higher disparity for the skull than generalist species. This is probably due to the fact that a specialization toward high-meat diet could be achieved through various phenotypes. Finally, humeri and femora display shape variations depending on relative prey size preference. Large species feeding on large prey tend to have robust long bones due to higher biomechanical constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot Michaud
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, 75231 cedex 05, France
| | - Géraldine Veron
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, 75231 cedex 05, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
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21
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Amador LI, Giannini NP. Evolution of diet in extant marsupials: emergent patterns from a broad phylogenetic perspective. Mamm Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucila I. Amador
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (UEL: FML‐CONICET) Miguel Lillo 251 TucumánC.P. 4000Argentina
| | - Norberto P. Giannini
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (UEL: FML‐CONICET) Miguel Lillo 251 TucumánC.P. 4000Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT) Miguel Lillo 205 TucumánC.P. 4000Argentina
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology Department of Mammalogy American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Central Park West at 79th Street New York NY10024USA
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Engelman RK, Flynn JJ, Wyss AR, Croft DA. Eomakhaira molossus, A New Saber-Toothed Sparassodont (Metatheria: Thylacosmilinae) from the Early Oligocene (?Tinguirirican) Cachapoal Locality, Andean Main Range, Chile. AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 2020. [DOI: 10.1206/3957.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - John J. Flynn
- Division of Paleontology and Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History
| | - André R. Wyss
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
| | - Darin A. Croft
- Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
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M Janis C, Figueirido B, DeSantis L, Lautenschlager S. An eye for a tooth: Thylacosmilus was not a marsupial "saber-tooth predator". PeerJ 2020; 8:e9346. [PMID: 32617190 PMCID: PMC7323715 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Saber-toothed mammals, now all extinct, were cats or “cat-like” forms with enlarged, blade-like upper canines, proposed as specialists in taking large prey. During the last 66 Ma, the saber-tooth ecomorph has evolved convergently at least in five different mammalian lineages across both marsupials and placentals. Indeed, Thylacosmilus atrox, the so-called “marsupial saber-tooth,” is often considered as a classic example of convergence with placental saber-tooth cats such as Smilodon fatalis. However, despite its superficial similarity to saber-toothed placentals, T. atrox lacks many of the critical anatomical features related to their inferred predatory behavior—that of employing their enlarged canines in a killing head strike. Methods Here we follow a multi-proxy approach using canonical correspondence analysis of discrete traits, biomechanical models of skull function using Finite Element Analysis, and 3D dental microwear texture analysis of upper and lower postcanine teeth, to investigate the degree of evolutionary convergence between T. atrox and placental saber-tooths, including S. fatalis. Results Correspondence analysis shows that the craniodental features of T. atrox are divergent from those of placental saber-tooths. Biomechanical analyses indicate a superior ability of T. atrox to placental saber-tooths in pulling back with the canines, with the unique lateral ridge of the canines adding strength to this function. The dental microwear of T. atrox indicates a soft diet, resembling that of the meat-specializing cheetah, but its blunted gross dental wear is not indicative of shearing meat. Conclusions Our results indicate that despite its impressive canines, the “marsupial saber-tooth” was not the ecological analogue of placental saber-tooths, and likely did not use its canines to dispatch its prey. This oft-cited example of convergence requires reconsideration, and T. atrox may have had a unique type of ecology among mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Janis
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Borja Figueirido
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Larisa DeSantis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America.,Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Stephan Lautenschlager
- School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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24
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Li Y, Ruta M, Wills MA. Craniodental and Postcranial Characters of Non-Avian Dinosauria Often Imply Different Trees. Syst Biol 2020; 69:638-659. [PMID: 31769837 PMCID: PMC7302058 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing importance of molecular sequence data, morphology still makes an important contribution to resolving the phylogeny of many groups, and is the only source of data for most fossils. Most systematists sample morphological characters as broadly as possible on the principle of total evidence. However, it is not uncommon for sampling to be focused on particular aspects of anatomy, either because characters therein are believed to be more informative, or because preservation biases restrict what is available. Empirically, the optimal trees from partitions of morphological data sets often represent significantly different hypotheses of relationships. Previous work on hard-part versus soft-part characters across animal phyla revealed significant differences in about a half of sampled studies. Similarly, studies of the craniodental versus postcranial characters of vertebrates revealed significantly different trees in about one-third of cases, with the highest rates observed in non-avian dinosaurs. We test whether this is a generality here with a much larger sample of 81 published data matrices across all major dinosaur groups. Using the incongruence length difference test and two variants of the incongruence relationship difference test, we found significant incongruence in about 50% of cases. Incongruence is not uniformly distributed across major dinosaur clades, being highest (63%) in Theropoda and lowest (25%) in Thyreophora. As in previous studies, our partition tests show some sensitivity to matrix dimensions and the amount and distribution of missing entries. Levels of homoplasy and retained synapomorphy are similar between partitions, such that incongruence must partly reflect differences in patterns of homoplasy between partitions, which may itself be a function of modularity and mosaic evolution. Finally, we implement new tests to determine which partition yields trees most similar to those from the entire matrix. Despite no bias across dinosaurs overall, there are striking differences between major groups. The craniodental characters of Ornithischia and the postcranial characters of Saurischia yield trees most similar to the "total evidence" trees derived from the entire matrix. Trees from these same character partitions also tend to be most stratigraphically congruent: a mutual consilience suggesting that those partitions yield more accurate trees. [Dinosauria; homoplasy; partition homogeneity.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Li
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Marcello Ruta
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Matthew A Wills
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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Xafis A, Saarinen J, Bastl K, Nagel D, Grímsson F. Palaeodietary traits of large mammals from the middle Miocene of Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina). PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS 2020; 100:457-477. [PMID: 32647552 PMCID: PMC7320953 DOI: 10.1007/s12549-020-00435-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent excavations at the Gračanica coal mine (Bugojno Basin, Bosnia-Herzegovina) have unearthed numerous skeletal parts of fossil vertebrates, including a noteworthy collection of mammalian remains. Previous palaeoecological investigations of the Dinarides Lake System were established using stratigraphical, palaeofloral, and malacological data. However, large mammal remains have so far not been used to reconstruct the terrestrial palaeoenvironment of this important fossil ecosystem. Here, the palaeodietary preferences of large mammals were investigated, using a multiproxy approach by employing dental microwear and dental mesowear analysis, in order to provide new perspectives on the terrestrial palaeoecology of the Dinarides Lake System. The dental microwear of all available adult mammalian teeth was analysed. Dental mesowear analysis was employed for ungulate and proboscidean taxa, using mesowear scores and mesowear angles, respectively. The analysis reveals the presence of browsing, "dirty browsing", and mixed-feeding herbivorous taxa, with seasonal fruit, or even grass intake. Additionally, the analysis of the carnivores suggests the presence of hyaena- and cheetah-like hypercarnivores, as well as generalists. The palaeodietary traits of the fossil mammals suggest a closed canopy-like environment, which is supported by the fossil plant assemblage. Palaeopalynological data confirm the omnipresence of fleshy fruit-bearing plants, herbaceous taxa, as well as grasses, which justifies the seasonal fruit browsing, the common "dirty browsing", and the occasional grazing behaviour visualized for some of the fossil mammals from Gračanica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Xafis
- Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Juha Saarinen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katharina Bastl
- Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Research Group Aerobiology and Pollen Information, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Nagel
- Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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Serio C, Raia P, Meloro C. Locomotory Adaptations in 3D Humerus Geometry of Xenarthra: Testing for Convergence. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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Benevento GL, Benson RBJ, Friedman M. Patterns of mammalian jaw ecomorphological disparity during the Mesozoic/Cenozoic transition. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190347. [PMID: 31039714 PMCID: PMC6532522 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The radiation of mammals after the Cretaceous/Palaeogene (K/Pg) boundary was a major event in the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems. Multiple studies point to increases in maximum body size and body size disparity, but patterns of disparity for other traits are less clear owing to a focus on different indices and subclades. We conducted an inclusive comparison of jaw functional disparity from the Early Jurassic-latest Eocene, using six mechanically relevant mandibular ratios for 256 species representing all major groups. Jaw functional disparity across all mammals was low throughout much of the Mesozoic and remained low across the K/Pg boundary. Nevertheless, the K/Pg boundary was characterized by a pronounced pattern of turnover and replacement, entailing a substantial reduction of non-therian and stem-therian disparity, alongside a marked increase in that of therians. Total mammal disparity exceeded its Mesozoic maximum for the first time during the Eocene, when therian mammals began exploring previously unoccupied regions of function space. This delay in the rise of jaw functional disparity until the Eocene probably reflects the duration of evolutionary recovery after the K/Pg mass extinction event. This contrasts with the more rapid expansion of maximum body size, which occurred in the Palaeocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Louise Benevento
- 1 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3AN , UK.,2 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston , Birmingham B15 2TT , UK
| | - Roger B J Benson
- 1 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3AN , UK
| | - Matt Friedman
- 1 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 3AN , UK.,3 Museum of Paleontology and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan , 1105 N University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 , USA
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Newton AH, Pask AJ. CHD9 upregulates RUNX2 and has a potential role in skeletal evolution. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2020; 21:27. [PMID: 32295522 PMCID: PMC7161146 DOI: 10.1186/s12860-020-00270-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in gene regulation are widely recognized as an important driver of adaptive phenotypic evolution. However, the specific molecular mechanisms that underpin such changes are still poorly understood. Chromatin state plays an essential role in gene regulation, by influencing the accessibility of coding loci to the transcriptional machinery. Changes in the function of chromatin remodellers are therefore strong candidates to drive changes in gene expression associated with phenotypic adaptation. Here, we identify amino acid homoplasies in the chromatin remodeller CHD9, shared between the extinct marsupial thylacine and eutherian wolf which show remarkable skull convergence. CHD9 is involved in osteogenesis, though its role in the process is still poorly understood. We examine whether CHD9 is able to regulate the expression of osteogenic target genes and examine the function of a key substitution in the CHD9 DNA binding domain. RESULTS We examined whether CHD9 was able to upregulate its osteogenic target genes, RUNX2, Osteocalcin (OC) and ALP in HEK293T cells. We found that overexpression of CHD9 upregulated RUNX2, the master regulator of osteoblast cell fate, but not the downstream genes OC or ALP, supporting the idea that CHD9 regulates osteogenic progenitors rather than terminal osteoblasts. We also found that the evolutionary substitution in the CHD9 DNA binding domain does not alter protein secondary structure, but was able to drive a small but insignificant increase in RUNX2 activation. Finally, CHD9 was unable to activate an episomal RUNX2 promoter-reporter construct, suggesting that CHD9 requires the full chromatin complement for its function. CONCLUSIONS We provide new evidence to the role of CHD9 in osteogenic differentiation through its newly observed ability to upregulate the expression of RUNX2. Though we were unable to identify significant functional consequences of the evolutionary substitution in HEK293T cells, our study provides important steps forward in the functional investigation of protein homoplasy and its role in developmental processes. Mutations in coding genes may be a mechanism for driving adaptive changes in gene expression, and their validation is essential towards determining the functional consequences of evolutionary homoplasy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel H Newton
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Andrew J Pask
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Functional morphology of the jaw adductor muscles in the Canidae. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 303:2878-2903. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Shi B, Wang Y, Gong L, Chang Y, Liu T, Zhao X, Lin A, Feng J, Jiang T. Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat ( Ia io; Vespertilionidae). Front Zool 2020; 17:8. [PMID: 32206076 PMCID: PMC7082990 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-020-00354-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Genetic and ecological factors influence morphology, and morphology is compatible with function. The morphology and bite performance of skulls of bats show a number of characteristic feeding adaptations. The great evening bat, Ia io (Thomas, 1902), eats both insects and birds (Thabah et al. J Mammal 88: 728-735, 2007), and as such, it is considered to represent a case of dietary niche expansion from insects to birds. How the skull morphology or bite force in I. io are related to the expanded diet (that is, birds) remains unknown. We used three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the skulls and measurements of bite force and diets from I. io and 13 other species of sympatric or closely related bat species to investigate the characteristics and the correlation of skull morphology and bite force to diets. Results Significant differences in skull morphology and bite force among species and diets were observed in this study. Similar to the carnivorous bats, bird-eaters (I. io) differed significantly from insectivorous bats; I. io had a larger skull size, taller crania, wider zygomatic arches, shorter but robust mandibles, and larger bite force than the insectivores. The skull morphology of bats was significantly associated with bite force whether controlling for phylogeny or not, but no significant correlations were found between diets and the skulls, or between diets and residual bite force, after controlling for phylogeny. Conclusions These results indicated that skull morphology was independent of diet, and phylogeny had a greater impact on skull morphology than diet in these species. The changes in skull size and morphology have led to variation in bite force, and finally different bat species feeding on different foods. In conclusion, I. io has a larger skull size, robust mandibles, shortened dentitions, longer coronoid processes, expanded angular processes, low condyles, and taller cranial sagittal crests, and wider zygomatic arches that provide this species with mechanical advantages; their greater bite force may help them use larger and hard-bodied birds as a dietary component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biye Shi
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Yuze Wang
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Lixin Gong
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Yang Chang
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Tong Liu
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Xin Zhao
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Aiqing Lin
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
| | - Jiang Feng
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,3College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118 China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China.,2Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117 China
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A new, fast method to search for morphological convergence with shape data. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0226949. [PMID: 31881075 PMCID: PMC6934287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphological convergence is an intensely studied macroevolutionary phenomenon. It refers to the morphological resemblance between phylogenetically distant taxa. Currently available methods to explore evolutionary convergence either: rely on the analysis of the phenotypic resemblance between sister clades as compared to their ancestor, fit different evolutionary regimes to different parts of the tree to see whether the same regime explains phenotypic evolution in phylogenetically distant clades, or assess deviations from the congruence between phylogenetic and phenotypic distances. We introduce a new test for morphological convergence working directly with non-ultrametric (i.e. paleontological) as well as ultrametric phylogenies and multivariate data. The method (developed as the function search.conv within the R package RRphylo) tests whether unrelated clades are morphologically more similar to each other than expected by their phylogenetic distance. It additionally permits using known phenotypes as the most recent common ancestors of clades, taking full advantage of fossil information. We assessed the power of search.conv and the incidence of false positives by means of simulations, and then applied it to three well-known and long-discussed cases of (purported) morphological convergence: the evolution of grazing adaptation in the mandible of ungulates with high-crowned molars, the evolution of mandibular shape in sabertooth cats, and the evolution of discrete ecomorphs among anoles of Caribbean islands. The search.conv method was found to be powerful, correctly identifying simulated cases of convergent morphological evolution in 95% of the cases. Type I error rate is as low as 4–6%. We found search.conv is some three orders of magnitude faster than a competing method for testing convergence.
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32
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Mitchell DR. The anatomy of a crushing bite: The specialised cranial mechanics of a giant extinct kangaroo. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221287. [PMID: 31509570 PMCID: PMC6738596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Sthenurinae were a diverse subfamily of short-faced kangaroos that arose in the Miocene and diversified during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Many species possessed skull morphologies that were relatively structurally reinforced with bone, suggesting that they were adapted to incorporate particularly resistant foods into their diets. However, the functional roles of many unique, robust features of the sthenurine cranium are not yet clearly defined. Here, the finite element method is applied to conduct a comprehensive analysis of unilateral biting along the cheek tooth battery of a well-represented sthenurine, Simosthenurus occidentalis. The results are compared with those of an extant species considered to be of most similar ecology and cranial proportions to this species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The simulations reveal that the cranium of S. occidentalis could produce and withstand comparatively high forces during unilateral biting. Its greatly expanded zygomatic arches potentially housed enlarged zygomaticomandibularis muscles, shown here to reduce the risk of dislocation of the temporomandibular joint during biting with the rear of a broad, extensive cheek tooth row. This may also be a function of the zygomaticomandibularis in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), another species known to exhibit an enlarged zygomatic arch and hypertrophy of this muscle. Furthermore, the expanded frontal plates of the S. occidentalis cranium form broad arches of bone with the braincase and deepened maxillae that each extend from the anterior tooth rows to their opposing jaw joints. These arches are demonstrated here to be a key feature in resisting high torsional forces during unilateral premolar biting on large, resistant food items. This supports the notion that S. occidentalis fed thick, lignified vegetation directly to the cheek teeth in a similar manner to that described for the giant panda when crushing mature bamboo culms.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Rex Mitchell
- Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Vander Linden A, Campbell KM, Bryar EK, Santana SE. Head‐turning morphologies: Evolution of shape diversity in the mammalian atlas–axis complex. Evolution 2019; 73:2060-2071. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Abby Vander Linden
- Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts
| | | | - Erin K. Bryar
- Department of Biology University of Washington Seattle Washington
| | - Sharlene E. Santana
- Department of Biology University of Washington Seattle Washington
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Seattle Washington
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Mitchell DR, Sherratt E, Ledogar JA, Wroe S. The biomechanics of foraging determines face length among kangaroos and their relatives. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0845. [PMID: 29925620 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing body size is accompanied by facial elongation across a number of mammalian taxa. This trend forms the basis of a proposed evolutionary rule, cranial evolutionary allometry (CREA). However, facial length has also been widely associated with the varying mechanical resistance of foods. Here, we combine geometric morphometrics and computational biomechanical analyses to determine whether evolutionary allometry or feeding ecology have been dominant influences on facial elongation across 16 species of kangaroos and relatives (Macropodiformes). We found no support for an allometric trend. Nor was craniofacial morphology strictly defined by dietary categories, but rather associated with a combination of the mechanical properties of vegetation types and cropping behaviours used to access them. Among species examined here, shorter muzzles coincided with known diets of tough, resistant plant tissues, accessed via active slicing by the anterior dentition. This morphology consistently resulted in increased mechanical efficiency and decreased bone deformation during incisor biting. Longer muzzles, by contrast, aligned with softer foods or feeding behaviours invoking cervical musculature that circumvent the need for hard biting. These findings point to a potential for craniofacial morphology to predict feeding ecology in macropodiforms, which may be useful for species management planning and for inferring palaeoecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Rex Mitchell
- Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Emma Sherratt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Justin A Ledogar
- Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
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35
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Álvarez-Carretero S, Goswami A, Yang Z, Dos Reis M. Bayesian Estimation of Species Divergence Times Using Correlated Quantitative Characters. Syst Biol 2019; 68:967-986. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Discrete morphological data have been widely used to study species evolution, but the use of quantitative (or continuous) morphological characters is less common. Here, we implement a Bayesian method to estimate species divergence times using quantitative characters. Quantitative character evolution is modeled using Brownian diffusion with character correlation and character variation within populations. Through simulations, we demonstrate that ignoring the population variation (or population “noise”) and the correlation among characters leads to biased estimates of divergence times and rate, especially if the correlation and population noise are high. We apply our new method to the analysis of quantitative characters (cranium landmarks) and molecular data from carnivoran mammals. Our results show that time estimates are affected by whether the correlations and population noise are accounted for or ignored in the analysis. The estimates are also affected by the type of data analyzed, with analyses of morphological characters only, molecular data only, or a combination of both; showing noticeable differences among the time estimates. Rate variation of morphological characters among the carnivoran species appears to be very high, with Bayesian model selection indicating that the independent-rates model fits the morphological data better than the autocorrelated-rates model. We suggest that using morphological continuous characters, together with molecular data, can bring a new perspective to the study of species evolution. Our new model is implemented in the MCMCtree computer program for Bayesian inference of divergence times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Álvarez-Carretero
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5DB, UK
| | - Ziheng Yang
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Mario Dos Reis
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
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36
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Mitchell DR, Sherratt E, Sansalone G, Ledogar JA, Flavel RJ, Wroe S. Feeding Biomechanics Influences Craniofacial Morphology at the Subspecies Scale among Australian Pademelons (Macropodidae: Thylogale). J MAMM EVOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-018-9455-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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37
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Muchlinski MN, Wible JR, Corfe I, Sullivan M, Grant RA. Good Vibrations: The Evolution of Whisking in Small Mammals. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 303:89-99. [PMID: 30332721 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
While most mammals have whiskers, some tactile specialists-mainly small, nocturnal, and arboreal species-can actively move their whiskers in a symmetrical, cyclic movement called whisking. Whisking enables mammals to rapidly, tactually scan their environment to efficiently guide locomotion and foraging in complex habitats. The muscle architecture that enables whisking is preserved from marsupials to primates, prompting researchers to suggest that a common ancestor might have had moveable whiskers. Studying the evolution of whisker touch sensing is difficult, and we suggest that measuring an aspect of skull morphology that correlates with whisking would enable comparisons between extinct and extant mammals. We find that whisking mammals have larger infraorbital foramen (IOF) areas, which indicates larger infraorbital nerves and an increase in sensory acuity. While this relationship is quite variable and IOF area cannot be used to solely predict the presence of whisking, whisking mammals all have large IOF areas. Generally, this pattern holds true regardless of an animal's substrate preferences or activity patterns. Data from fossil mammals and ancestral character state reconstruction and tracing techniques for extant mammals suggest that whisking is not the ancestral state for therian mammals. Instead, whisking appears to have evolved independently as many as seven times across the clades Marsupialia, Afrosoricida, Eulipotyphla, and Rodentia, with Xenarthra the only placental superordinal clade lacking whisking species. However, the term whisking only captures symmetrical and rhythmic movements of the whiskers, rather than all possible whisker movements, and early mammals may still have had moveable whiskers. Anat Rec, 2018. © 2018 American Association for Anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena N Muchlinski
- Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - John R Wible
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Ian Corfe
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew Sullivan
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Robyn A Grant
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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38
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Taverne M, Fabre AC, Herbin M, Herrel A, Peigné S, Lacroux C, Lowie A, Pagès F, Theil JC, Böhmer C. Convergence in the functional properties of forelimb muscles in carnivorans: adaptations to an arboreal lifestyle? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Taverne
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Marc Herbin
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Peigné
- UMR 7207 – CR2P, CNRS/MNHN, Département Origines et Evolution, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Camille Lacroux
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien Lowie
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Fanny Pagès
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Theil
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
| | - Christine Böhmer
- UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Adaptations du Vivant, rue Buffon, Paris, France
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Usui K, Tokita M. Creating diversity in mammalian facial morphology: a review of potential developmental mechanisms. EvoDevo 2018; 9:15. [PMID: 29946416 PMCID: PMC6003202 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-018-0103-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals (class Mammalia) have evolved diverse craniofacial morphology to adapt to a wide range of ecological niches. However, the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying the diversification of mammalian craniofacial morphology remain largely unknown. In this paper, we focus on the facial length and orofacial clefts of mammals and deduce potential mechanisms that produced diversity in mammalian facial morphology. Small-scale changes in facial morphology from the common ancestor, such as slight changes in facial length and the evolution of the midline cleft in some lineages of bats, could be attributed to heterochrony in facial bone ossification. In contrast, large-scale changes of facial morphology from the common ancestor, such as a truncated, widened face as well as the evolution of the bilateral cleft possessed by some bat species, could be brought about by changes in growth and patterning of the facial primordium (the facial processes) at the early stages of embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Usui
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, 2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510 Japan
| | - Masayoshi Tokita
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, 2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510 Japan
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40
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Michaud M, Veron G, Peignè S, Blin A, Fabre AC. Are phenotypic disparity and rate of morphological evolution correlated with ecological diversity in Carnivora? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Michaud
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Paris Cedex, France
| | - Gèraldine Veron
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Paris Cedex, France
| | - Stèphane Peignè
- Centre de recherche sur la paléobiodiversité et les paléoenvironnements, UMR 7207 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Paris, France
| | - Amandine Blin
- Outils et Méthodes de la Systématique Intégrative, OMSI – UMS 2700 CNRS MNHN, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris Cedex, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 MECADEV, CNRS/MNHN, rue Buffon, Paris, France
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41
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Newton AH, Spoutil F, Prochazka J, Black JR, Medlock K, Paddle RN, Knitlova M, Hipsley CA, Pask AJ. Letting the 'cat' out of the bag: pouch young development of the extinct Tasmanian tiger revealed by X-ray computed tomography. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171914. [PMID: 29515893 PMCID: PMC5830782 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
The Tasmanian tiger or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was an iconic Australian marsupial predator that was hunted to extinction in the early 1900s. Despite sharing striking similarities with canids, they failed to evolve many of the specialized anatomical features that characterize carnivorous placental mammals. These evolutionary limitations are thought to arise from functional constraints associated with the marsupial mode of reproduction, in which otherwise highly altricial young use their well-developed forelimbs to climb to the pouch and mouth to suckle. Here we present the first three-dimensional digital developmental series of the thylacine throughout its pouch life using X-ray computed tomography on all known ethanol-preserved specimens. Based on detailed skeletal measurements, we refine the species growth curve to improve age estimates for the individuals. Comparison of allometric growth trends in the appendicular skeleton (fore- and hindlimbs) with that of other placental and marsupial mammals revealed that despite their unique adult morphologies, thylacines retained a generalized early marsupial ontogeny. Our approach also revealed mislabelled specimens that possessed large epipubic bones (vestigial in thylacine) and differing vertebral numbers. All of our generated CT models are publicly available, preserving their developmental morphology and providing a novel digital resource for future studies of this unique marsupial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel H. Newton
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Museum, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Frantisek Spoutil
- Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Prague, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Prochazka
- Czech Centre for Phenogenomics, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Prague, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jay R. Black
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Robert N. Paddle
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Christy A. Hipsley
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Museum, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew J. Pask
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Museum, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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42
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Feigin CY, Newton AH, Doronina L, Schmitz J, Hipsley CA, Mitchell KJ, Gower G, Llamas B, Soubrier J, Heider TN, Menzies BR, Cooper A, O'Neill RJ, Pask AJ. Genome of the Tasmanian tiger provides insights into the evolution and demography of an extinct marsupial carnivore. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 2:182-192. [PMID: 29230027 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0417-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The Tasmanian tiger or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was the largest carnivorous Australian marsupial to survive into the modern era. Despite last sharing a common ancestor with the eutherian canids ~160 million years ago, their phenotypic resemblance is considered the most striking example of convergent evolution in mammals. The last known thylacine died in captivity in 1936 and many aspects of the evolutionary history of this unique marsupial apex predator remain unknown. Here we have sequenced the genome of a preserved thylacine pouch young specimen to clarify the phylogenetic position of the thylacine within the carnivorous marsupials, reconstruct its historical demography and examine the genetic basis of its convergence with canids. Retroposon insertion patterns placed the thylacine as the basal lineage in Dasyuromorphia and suggest incomplete lineage sorting in early dasyuromorphs. Demographic analysis indicated a long-term decline in genetic diversity starting well before the arrival of humans in Australia. In spite of their extraordinary phenotypic convergence, comparative genomic analyses demonstrated that amino acid homoplasies between the thylacine and canids are largely consistent with neutral evolution. Furthermore, the genes and pathways targeted by positive selection differ markedly between these species. Together, these findings support models of adaptive convergence driven primarily by cis-regulatory evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Y Feigin
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Axel H Newton
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Liliya Doronina
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jürgen Schmitz
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christy A Hipsley
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kieren J Mitchell
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Graham Gower
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Bastien Llamas
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Julien Soubrier
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Thomas N Heider
- Institute for Systems Genomics and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Brandon R Menzies
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alan Cooper
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Rachel J O'Neill
- Institute for Systems Genomics and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Andrew J Pask
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. .,Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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43
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Serb JM, Sherratt E, Alejandrino A, Adams DC. Phylogenetic convergence and multiple shell shape optima for gliding scallops (Bivalvia: Pectinidae). J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1736-1747. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. M. Serb
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
| | - E. Sherratt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
- Department of Genetics and Evolution School of Biological Sciences The University of Adelaide Adelaide SA Australia
| | - A. Alejandrino
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
- Department of Biology Whittier College Whittier CA USA
| | - D. C. Adams
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
- Department of Statistics Iowa State University Ames IA USA
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Newton AH, Feigin CY, Pask AJ. RUNX2 repeat variation does not drive craniofacial diversity in marsupials. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:110. [PMID: 28472940 PMCID: PMC5418715 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0955-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is a transcription factor essential for skeletal development. Variation within the RUNX2 polyglutamine / polyalanine (QA) repeat is correlated with facial length within orders of placental mammals and is suggested to be a major driver of craniofacial diversity. However, it is not known if this correlation exists outside of the placental mammals. RESULTS Here we examined the correlation between the RUNX2 QA repeat ratio and facial length in the naturally evolving sister group to the placental mammals, the marsupials. Marsupials have a diverse range of facial lengths similar to that seen in placental mammals. Despite their diversity there was almost no variation seen in the RUNX2 QA repeat across individuals spanning the entire marsupial infraclass. The extreme conservation of the marsupial RUNX2 QA repeat indicates it is under strong purifying selection. Despite this, we observed an unexpectedly high level of repeat purity. CONCLUSIONS Unlike within orders of placental mammals, RUNX2 repeat variation cannot drive craniofacial diversity in marsupials. We propose conservation of the marsupial RUNX2 QA repeat is driven by the constraint of accelerated ossification of the anterior skeleton to facilitate life in the pouch. Thus, marsupials must utilize alternate pathways to placental mammals to drive craniofacial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel H. Newton
- The School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia
| | - Charles Y. Feigin
- The School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia
| | - Andrew J. Pask
- The School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia
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Spiekman SNF, Werneburg I. Patterns in the bony skull development of marsupials: high variation in onset of ossification and conserved regions of bone contact. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43197. [PMID: 28233826 PMCID: PMC5324120 DOI: 10.1038/srep43197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Development in marsupials is specialized towards an extremely short gestation and highly altricial newborns. As a result, marsupial neonates display morphological adaptations at birth related to functional constraints. However, little is known about the variability of marsupial skull development and its relation to morphological diversity. We studied bony skull development in five marsupial species. The relative timing of the onset of ossification was compared to literature data and the ossification sequence of the marsupial ancestor was reconstructed using squared-change parsimony. The high range of variation in the onset of ossification meant that no patterns could be observed that differentiate species. This finding challenges traditional studies concentrating on the onset of ossification as a marker for phylogeny or as a functional proxy. Our study presents observations on the developmental timing of cranial bone-to-bone contacts and their evolutionary implications. Although certain bone contacts display high levels of variation, connections of early and late development are quite conserved and informative. Bones that surround the oral cavity are generally the first to connect and the bones of the occipital region are among the last. We conclude that bone contact is preferable over onset of ossification for studying cranial bone development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan N. F. Spiekman
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) at Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, the Netherlands
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- and Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ingmar Werneburg
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- and Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) at Eberhard Karls Universität, Sigwartstraße 10, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
- Eberhard Karls Universität, Hölderlinstraße 12, room: 308g, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Solé F, Ladevèze S. Evolution of the hypercarnivorous dentition in mammals (Metatheria,Eutheria) and its bearing on the development of tribosphenic molars. Evol Dev 2017; 19:56-68. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Floréal Solé
- Evo-Devo of Vertebrate Dentition; Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon; Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon; Université de Lyon; UCBL 1 CNRS, Lyon France
| | - Sandrine Ladevèze
- Centre de Recherche sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207); Sorbonne Universités MNHN CNRS UPMC-Paris6; Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle; 57 rue Cuvier CP 38 F-75005 Paris France
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Wilson GP, Ekdale EG, Hoganson JW, Calede JJ, Vander Linden A. A large carnivorous mammal from the Late Cretaceous and the North American origin of marsupials. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13734. [PMID: 27929063 PMCID: PMC5155139 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Marsupial mammal relatives (stem metatherians) from the Mesozoic Era (252-66 million years ago) are mostly known from isolated teeth and fragmentary jaws. Here we report on the first near-complete skull remains of a North American Late Cretaceous metatherian, the stagodontid Didelphodon vorax. Our phylogenetic analysis indicates that marsupials or their closest relatives evolved in North America, as part of a Late Cretaceous diversification of metatherians, and later dispersed to South America. In addition to being the largest known Mesozoic therian mammal (node-based clade of eutherians and metatherians), Didelphodon vorax has a high estimated bite force and other craniomandibular and dental features that suggest it is the earliest known therian to invade a durophagous predator-scavenger niche. Our results broaden the scope of the ecomorphological diversification of Mesozoic mammals to include therian lineages that, in this case, were linked to the origin and evolution of marsupials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P. Wilson
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Eric G. Ekdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182, USA
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, California 92101, USA
| | - John W. Hoganson
- North Dakota Geological Survey, Bismarck, North Dakota 58505, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Calede
- Department of Biology and Burke Museum, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Abby Vander Linden
- Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
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48
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Penrose F, Kemp GJ, Jeffery N. Scaling and Accommodation of Jaw Adductor Muscles in Canidae. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 299:951-66. [PMID: 27103346 PMCID: PMC5084800 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The masticatory apparatus amongst closely related carnivoran species raises intriguing questions about the interplay between allometry, function, and phylogeny in defining interspecific variations of cranial morphology. Here we describe the gross structure of the jaw adductor muscles of several species of canid, and then examine how the muscles are scaled across the range of body sizes, phylogenies, and trophic groups. We also consider how the muscles are accommodated on the skull, and how this is influenced by differences of endocranial size. Data were collected for a suite of morphological metrics, including body mass, endocranial volume, and muscle masses and we used geometric morphometric shape analysis to reveal associated form changes. We find that all jaw adductor muscles scale isometrically against body mass, regardless of phylogeny or trophic group, but that endocranial volume scales with negative allometry against body mass. These findings suggest that head shape is partly influenced by the need to house isometrically scaling muscles on a neurocranium scaling with negative allometry. Principal component analysis suggests that skull shape changes, such as the relatively wide zygomatic arches and large sagittal crests seen in species with higher body masses, allow the skull to accommodate a relative enlargement of the jaw adductors compared with the endocranium. Anat Rec, 299:951-966, 2016. © 2016 The Authors The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay Penrose
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic DiseaseDepartment of Musculoskeletal Biology and the MRCArthritis Research UK Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
- School of Veterinary ScienceDepartment of Veterinary Preclinical ScienceUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
| | - Graham J. Kemp
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic DiseaseDepartment of Musculoskeletal Biology and the MRCArthritis Research UK Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
| | - Nathan Jeffery
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic DiseaseDepartment of Musculoskeletal Biology and the MRCArthritis Research UK Centre for Integrated Research into Musculoskeletal Ageing (CIMA)University of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
- Human Anatomy Resource CentreUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
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Goswami A, Randau M, Polly PD, Weisbecker V, Bennett CV, Hautier L, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Do Developmental Constraints and High Integration Limit the Evolution of the Marsupial Oral Apparatus? Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:404-15. [PMID: 27260858 PMCID: PMC4990707 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental constraints can have significant influence on the magnitude and direction of evolutionary change, and many studies have demonstrated that these effects are manifested on macroevolutionary scales. Phenotypic integration, or the strong interactions among traits, has been similarly invoked as a major influence on morphological variation, and many studies have demonstrated that trait integration changes through ontogeny, in many cases decreasing with age. Here, we unify these perspectives in a case study of the ontogeny of the mammalian cranium, focusing on a comparison between marsupials and placentals. Marsupials are born at an extremely altricial state, requiring, in most cases, the use of the forelimbs to climb to the pouch, and, in all cases, an extended period of continuous suckling, during which most of their development occurs. Previous work has shown that marsupials are less disparate in adult cranial form than are placentals, particularly in the oral apparatus, and in forelimb ontogeny and adult morphology, presumably due to functional selection pressures on these two systems during early postnatal development. Using phenotypic trajectory analysis to quantify prenatal and early postnatal cranial ontogeny in 10 species of therian mammals, we demonstrate that this pattern of limited variation is also apparent in the development of the oral apparatus of marsupials, relative to placentals, but not in the skull more generally. Combined with the observation that marsupials show extremely high integration of the oral apparatus in early postnatal ontogeny, while other cranial regions show similar levels of integration to that observed in placentals, we suggest that high integration may compound the effects of the functional constraints for continuous suckling to ultimately limit the ontogenetic and adult disparity of the marsupial oral apparatus throughout their evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- *Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marcela Randau
- *Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - P David Polly
- Department of Geological Sciences, 1001 E. 10th Street, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- School of Biological Sciences, Goddard Building 8, University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Australia
| | - C Verity Bennett
- *Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l'Èvolution de Montpellier (CNRS, UM, IRD, EPHE), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier, Cedex 5 , France
| | - Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006, Zürich, Switzerland
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Peterson T, Müller GB. Phenotypic Novelty in EvoDevo: The Distinction Between Continuous and Discontinuous Variation and Its Importance in Evolutionary Theory. Evol Biol 2016; 43:314-335. [PMID: 27512237 PMCID: PMC4960286 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-016-9372-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The introduction of novel phenotypic structures is one of the most significant aspects of organismal evolution. Yet the concept of evolutionary novelty is used with drastically different connotations in various fields of research, and debate exists about whether novelties represent features that are distinct from standard forms of phenotypic variation. This article contrasts four separate uses for novelty in genetics, population genetics, morphology, and behavioral science, before establishing how novelties are used in evolutionary developmental biology (EvoDevo). In particular, it is detailed how an EvoDevo-specific research approach to novelty produces insight distinct from other fields, gives the concept explanatory power with predictive capacities, and brings new consequences to evolutionary theory. This includes the outlining of research strategies that draw attention to productive areas of inquiry, such as threshold dynamics in development. It is argued that an EvoDevo-based approach to novelty is inherently mechanistic, treats the phenotype as an agent with generative potential, and prompts a distinction between continuous and discontinuous variation in evolutionary theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Peterson
- Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerd B. Müller
- Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- The KLI Institute, Martinstrasse 12, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
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