1
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Bhat MS, Cullen TM. Growth and life history of freshwater chelydrid turtles (Testudines: Cryptodira): A bone histological approach. J Anat 2024. [PMID: 39169639 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The current study examines the growth pattern and lifestyle habits of the freshwater snapping turtles Chelydra and Macrochelys based on limb bone histology. Femora, humeri, and tibiae of 25 individuals selected from a range of ontogenetic stages were assessed to determine inter-element and intraskeletal histological variation. Osteohistological assessment of multiple elements is consistent with overall moderate growth rates as revealed by the dominance of parallel-fibered bone. However, the growth was cyclical as shown by deposition of multiple lines of arrested growths in the compacta. It appears that the bone tissue of C. serpentina is more variable through ontogeny with intermittent higher growth rates. M. temminckii appears to grow more slowly than C. serpentina possessing compact and thick cortices in accordance with their larger size. Overall, vascularization decreases through ontogeny with humeri and femora being well-vascularized in both species. Contrarily, epipodials are poorly vascularized, though simple longitudinal and radial canals are present, suggesting differences in growth patterns when compared with associated diaphyseal sections. The tibiae were found to be the least remodeled of the limb bones and therefore better suited for skeletochronology for snapping turtles. Intra-elementally, femora and humeri preserved higher cortical vascularity ventrally, suggestive of faster relative growth. We hypothesize that the differential growth pattern in limb bones of snapping turtles may relate to differential functional constraints, where forelimbs are operational in swimming while the hindlimbs provide stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Shafi Bhat
- Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Thomas M Cullen
- Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
- Auburn University Museum of Natural History, Auburn, Alabama, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Myhrvold NP, Baumgart SL, Vidal D, Fish FE, Henderson DM, Saitta ET, Sereno PC. Diving dinosaurs? Caveats on the use of bone compactness and pFDA for inferring lifestyle. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298957. [PMID: 38446841 PMCID: PMC10917332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The lifestyle of spinosaurid dinosaurs has been a topic of lively debate ever since the unveiling of important new skeletal parts for Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in 2014 and 2020. Disparate lifestyles for this taxon have been proposed in the literature; some have argued that it was semiaquatic to varying degrees, hunting fish from the margins of water bodies, or perhaps while wading or swimming on the surface; others suggest that it was a fully aquatic underwater pursuit predator. The various proposals are based on equally disparate lines of evidence. A recent study by Fabbri and coworkers sought to resolve this matter by applying the statistical method of phylogenetic flexible discriminant analysis to femur and rib bone diameters and a bone microanatomy metric called global bone compactness. From their statistical analyses of datasets based on a wide range of extant and extinct taxa, they concluded that two spinosaurid dinosaurs (S. aegyptiacus, Baryonyx walkeri) were fully submerged "subaqueous foragers," whereas a third spinosaurid (Suchomimus tenerensis) remained a terrestrial predator. We performed a thorough reexamination of the datasets, analyses, and methodological assumptions on which those conclusions were based, which reveals substantial problems in each of these areas. In the datasets of exemplar taxa, we found unsupported categorization of taxon lifestyle, inconsistent inclusion and exclusion of taxa, and inappropriate choice of taxa and independent variables. We also explored the effects of uncontrolled sources of variation in estimates of bone compactness that arise from biological factors and measurement error. We found that the ability to draw quantitative conclusions is limited when taxa are represented by single data points with potentially large intrinsic variability. The results of our analysis of the statistical method show that it has low accuracy when applied to these datasets and that the data distributions do not meet fundamental assumptions of the method. These findings not only invalidate the conclusions of the particular analysis of Fabbri et al. but also have important implications for future quantitative uses of bone compactness and discriminant analysis in paleontology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie L. Baumgart
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Daniel Vidal
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Física Matemática y de Fluidos, Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, UNED, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Frank E. Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Evan T. Saitta
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Paul C. Sereno
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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3
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Klein N, Sander PM, Liu J, Druckenmiller P, Metz ET, Kelley NP, Scheyer TM. Comparative bone histology of two thalattosaurians (Diapsida: Thalattosauria): Askeptosaurus italicus from the Alpine Triassic (Middle Triassic) and a Thalattosauroidea indet. from the Carnian of Oregon (Late Triassic). SWISS JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY 2023; 142:15. [PMID: 37601161 PMCID: PMC10432342 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00277-3] [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: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Here, we present the first bone histological and microanatomical study of thalattosaurians, an enigmatic group among Triassic marine reptiles. Two taxa of thalattosaurians, the askeptosauroid Askeptosaurus italicus and one as yet undescribed thalattosauroid, are examined. Both taxa have a rather different microanatomy, tissue type, and growth pattern. Askeptosaurus italicus from the late Anisian middle Besano Formation of the southern Alpine Triassic shows very compact tissue in vertebrae, rib, a gastralium, and femora, and all bones are without medullary cavities. The tissue shows moderate to low vascularization, dominated by highly organized and very coarse parallel-fibred bone, resembling interwoven tissue. Vascularization is dominated by simple longitudinal vascular canals, except for the larger femur of Askeptosaurus, where simple vascular canals dominate in a radial arrangement. Growth marks stratify the cortex of femora. The vertebrae and humeri from the undescribed thalattosauroid from the late Carnian of Oregon have primary and secondary cancellous bone, resulting in an overall low bone compactness. Two dorsal vertebral centra show dominantly secondary trabeculae, whereas a caudal vertebral centrum shows much primary trabecular bone, globuli ossei, and cartilage, indicating an earlier ontogenetic stage of the specimens or paedomorphosis. The humeri of the thalattosauroid show large, simple vascular canals that are dominantly radially oriented in a scaffold of woven and loosely organized parallel-fibred tissue. Few of the simple vascular canals are thinly but only incompletely lined by parallel-fibered tissue. In the Oregon material, changes in growth rate are only indicated by changes in vascular organization but no distinct growth marks were identified. The compact bone of Askeptosaurus is best comparable to some pachypleurosaurs, whereas its combination of tissue and vascularity is similar to eosauropterygians in general, except for the coarse nature of its parallel-fibred tissue. The cancellous bone of the Oregon thalattosauroid resembles what is documented in ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. However, in contrast to these its tissue does not consist of fibro-lamellar bone type. Tissue types of both thalattosaurian taxa indicate rather different growth rates and growth patterns, associated with different life history strategies. The microanatomy reflects different life styles that fit to the different environments in which they had been found (intraplatform basin vs. open marine). Both thalattosaurian taxa differ from each other but in sum also from all other marine reptile taxa studied so far. Thalattosaurian bone histology documents once more that bone histology provides for certain groups (i.e., Triassic Diapsida) only a poor phylogenetic signal and is more influenced by exogenous factors. Differences in lifestyle, life history traits, and growth rate and pattern enabled all these Triassic marine reptiles to live contemporaneously in the same habitat managing to avoid substantial competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Klein
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Nußallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - P. M. Sander
- Department of Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Nußallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei, 230009 China
| | - J. Liu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, 193 Tunxi Road, Hefei, 230009 China
| | - P. Druckenmiller
- University of Alaska Museum, 1962 Yukon Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
- Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1930 Yukon Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
| | - E. T. Metz
- Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, 600 W Kagy Blvd., Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - N. P. Kelley
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240 USA
| | - T. M. Scheyer
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
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4
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Li Q, Liu J, Klein N, Nakajima Y, Sander PM. Puberty in a Mesozoic reptile. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00748-0. [PMID: 37352853 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The histology of bone can be preserved virtually unaltered for hundreds of millions of years in fossils from all environments and all vertebrate taxa, giving rise to the flourishing field of paleohistology.1 The shafts of long bones are formed by the apposition of periosteal bone tissue, similar to the growth of wood, and preserve, an often cyclical, record of the growth of the individual and events in its life history. One such event is sexual maturation or puberty, during which hormonal changes transform the juvenile into a sexually mature adult. Puberty has been well studied in humans and some other living vertebrates. Here, we describe puberty in Keichousaurus, a small sexually dimorphic and live-bearing marine reptile from Middle Triassic rocks of SW China, about 240 million years old. Using a combination of bone histology and morphology, we detected puberty2 as one of the four life stages (the others being fetus, juvenile, and adult). Adult Keichousaurus males have a more robust humerus than females, with pronounced muscle attachment sites and a triangular shaft cross section. Midshaft sections of the humeri of the males show the transition from the rounded juvenile cross section to the triangular adult cross section, as reflected in the contour of the growth marks. This shape change is produced by differential bone apposition of the periosteum, presumably triggered by sex hormones, as in humans,3 and influenced by changes in loading regime during puberty. This is the first report of puberty in a fossil amniote.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- Division of Geology, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jun Liu
- Division of Geology, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Nicole Klein
- Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Yasuhisa Nakajima
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Tokyo City University, Tokyo 1588557, Japan
| | - P Martin Sander
- Division of Geology, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China; Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany; The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
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5
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Gônet J, Bardin J, Girondot M, Hutchinson JR, Laurin M. Locomotor and postural diversity among reptiles viewed through the prism of femoral microanatomy: Palaeobiological implications for some Permian and Mesozoic taxa. J Anat 2023; 242:891-916. [PMID: 36807199 PMCID: PMC10093171 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13833] [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: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The water-to-land transition by the first tetrapod vertebrates represents a key stage in their evolution. Selection pressures exerted by this new environment on animals led to the emergence of new locomotor and postural strategies that favoured access to different ecological niches and contributed to their evolutionary success. Today, amniotes show great locomotor and postural diversity, particularly among Reptilia, whose extant representatives include parasagittally locomoting erect and crouched bipeds (birds), sub-parasagittal 'semi-erect' quadrupeds (crocodylians) and sprawling quadrupeds (squamates and turtles). But the different steps leading to such diversity remain enigmatic and the type of locomotion adopted by many extinct species raises questions. This is notably the case of certain Triassic taxa such as Euparkeria and Marasuchus. The exploration of the bone microanatomy in reptiles could help to overcome these uncertainties. Indeed, this locomotor and postural diversity is accompanied by great microanatomical disparity. On land, the bones of the appendicular skeleton support the weight of the body and are subject to multiple constraints that partly shape their external and internal morphology. Here we show how microanatomical parameters measured in cross-section, such as bone compactness or the position of the medullocortical transition, can be related to locomotion. We hypothesised that this could be due to variations in cortical thickness. Using statistical methods that take phylogeny into account (phylogenetic flexible discriminant analyses), we develop different models of locomotion from a sample of femur cross-sections from 51 reptile species. We use these models to infer locomotion and posture in 7 extinct reptile taxa for which they remain debated or not fully clear. Our models produced reliable inferences for taxa that preceded and followed the quadruped/biped and sprawling/erect transitions, notably within the Captorhinidae and Dinosauria. For taxa contemporary with these transitions, such as Terrestrisuchus and Marasuchus, the inferences are more questionable. We use linear models to investigate the effect of body mass and functional ecology on our inference models. We show that body mass seems to significantly impact our model predictions in most cases, unlike the functional ecology. Finally, we illustrate how taphonomic processes can impact certain microanatomical parameters, especially the eccentricity of the section, while addressing some other potential limitations of our methods. Our study provides insight into the evolution of enigmatic locomotion in various early reptiles. Our models and methods could be used by palaeontologists to infer the locomotion and posture in other extinct reptile taxa, especially when considered in combination with other lines of evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Gônet
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Jérémie Bardin
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Marc Girondot
- Laboratoire écologie, systématique et évolution, UMR 8079, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Orsay, France
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Hatfield, UK
| | - Michel Laurin
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
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6
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Wilson LE. Rapid growth in Late Cretaceous sea turtles reveals life history strategies similar to extant leatherbacks. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14864. [PMID: 36793890 PMCID: PMC9924133 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern sea turtle long bone osteohistology has been surprisingly well-studied, as it is used to understand sea turtle growth and the timing of life history events, thus informing conservation decisions. Previous histologic studies reveal two distinct bone growth patterns in extant sea turtle taxa, with Dermochelys (leatherbacks) growing faster than the cheloniids (all other living sea turtles). Dermochelys also has a unique life history compared to other sea turtles (large size, elevated metabolism, broad biogeographic distribution, etc.) that is likely linked to bone growth strategies. Despite the abundance of data on modern sea turtle bone growth, extinct sea turtle osteohistology is virtually unstudied. Here, long bone microstructure of the large, Cretaceous sea turtle Protostega gigas is examined to better understand its life history. Humeral and femoral analysis reveals bone microstructure patterns similar to Dermochelys with variable but sustained rapid growth through early ontogeny. Similarities between Progostegea and Dermochelys osteohistology suggest similar life history strategies like elevated metabolic rates with rapid growth to large body size and sexual maturity. Comparison to the more basal protostegid Desmatochelys indicates elevated growth rates are not present throughout the entire Protostegidae, but evolved in larger and more derived taxa, possibly in response to Late Cretaceous ecological changes. Given the uncertainties in the phylogenetic placement of the Protostegidae, these results either support convergent evolution towards rapid growth and elevated metabolism in both derived protostegids and dermochelyids, or a close evolutionary relationship between the two taxa. Better understanding the evolution and diversity of sea turtle life history strategies during the Late Cretaceous greenhouse climate can also impact current sea turtle conservation decisions.
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Gônet J, Bardin J, Girondot M, Hutchinson JR, Laurin M. Unravelling the postural diversity of mammals: Contribution of humeral cross-sections to palaeobiological inferences. J MAMM EVOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-023-09652-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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8
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Pereyra ME. Comparative postcranial osteohistology and bone histovariability of aquatic and terrestrial turtles: the case of the South American
Phrynops hilarii
,
Hydromedusa tectifera
(Pleurodira, Chelidae), and
Chelonoidis chilensis
(Cryptodira, Testudinidae). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 306:1304-1322. [PMID: 36469456 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This article presents a detailed comparative analysis of the bone microstructure of three extant species of South American turtles. The main histological characteristics of postcranial bones are identified, as well as the intraskeletal, ontogenetic and interspecific variation between aquatic and terrestrial species. For this purpose, thin sections of postcranial bones (seventh cervical vertebra, coracoid, scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, ischium, ilium, pubis, femur, tibia, and fibula) of juvenile and adult specimens of aquatic (Phrynops hilarii and Hydromedusa tectifera) and terrestrial (Chelonoidis chilensis) turtles were analyzed. Bone histology revealed an intraskeletal variation of the microanatomical and microstructural organization in these turtles. The cortical bone is composed of poorly vascularized lamellar and parallel-fibered bone tissue interrupted with lines of arrested growth (LAGs), reflecting a cyclical slow growth rate throughout these turtles' life. Although in the adult specimens a growth rate decrease was observed, none of them have reached somatic maturity. The juvenile and the adult of Chelonoidis chilensis, unlike the aquatic species studied, presented a higher vascularization in their bones, which could imply a faster growth rate in this land specie. The number of LAGs was higher in the stylopodial and zeugopodial bones, which would make these elements suitable for approximate age estimations. Pectoral and pelvic girdle bones also exhibited a good record of LAGs. The information here obtained on extant species represents a powerful tool for the interpretation of paleobiological traits present in closely related fossil forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eugenia Pereyra
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata‐Unidades de Investigación Anexo II, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo Universidad Nacional de La Plata Buenos Aires Argentina
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Bader C, Böhmer C, Abou M, Houssaye A. How does bone microanatomy and musculature covary? An investigation in the forelimb of two species of martens (Martes foina, Martes martes). J Anat 2022; 241:145-167. [PMID: 35266144 PMCID: PMC9178392 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13645] [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: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The long bones and associated musculature play a prominent role in the support and movement of the body and are expected to reflect the associated mechanical demands. But in addition to the functional response to adaptive changes, the conjoined effects of phylogenetic, structural and developmental constraints also shape the animal's body. In order to minimise the effect of the aforementioned constraints and to reveal the biomechanical adaptations in the musculoskeletal system to locomotor mode, we here study the forelimb of two closely related martens: the arboreal pine marten (Martes martes) and the more terrestrial stone marten (Martes foina), focusing on their forelimb muscle anatomy and long bone microanatomy; and, especially, on their covariation. To do so, we quantified muscle data and bone microanatomical parameters and created 3D and 2D maps of the cortical thickness distribution for the three long bones of the forelimb. We then analysed the covariation of muscle and bone data, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our results reveal that species-specific muscular adaptations are not clearly reflected in the microanatomy of the bones. Yet, we observe a global thickening of the bone cortex in the radius and ulna of the more arboreal pine marten, as well a stronger flexor muscle inserting on its elbow. We attribute these differences to variation in their locomotor modes. Analyses of our 2D maps revealed a shift of cortical thickness distribution pattern linked to ontogeny, rather than species-specific patterns. We found that although intraspecific variation is not negligible, species distinction was possible when taking muscular and bone microanatomical data into consideration. Results of our covariation analyses suggest that the muscle-bone correlation is linked to ontogeny rather than to muscular strength at zones of insertion. Indeed, if we find a correlation between cortical thickness distribution and the strength of some muscles in the humerus, that is not the case for the others and in the radius and ulna. Cortical thickness distribution appears rather linked to bone contact zones and ligament insertions in the radius and ulna, and to some extent in the humerus. We conclude that inference on muscle from bone microanatomy is possible only for certain muscles in the humerus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Bader
- Département Adaptations du VivantUMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
| | - Christine Böhmer
- Département Adaptations du VivantUMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Zoological InstituteChristian‐Albrechts‐Universität zu KielKielGermany
| | - Maroua Abou
- Département Adaptations du VivantUMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Adaptations du VivantUMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
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10
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Nakajima Y, Shigeta Y, Houssaye A, Zakharov YD, Popov AM, Sander PM. Early Triassic ichthyopterygian fossils from the Russian Far East. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5546. [PMID: 35365703 PMCID: PMC8976075 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09481-6] [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: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ichthyopterygia is a major clade of reptiles that colonized the ocean after the end-Permian mass extinction, with the oldest fossil records found in early Spathian substage (late Olenekian, late Early Triassic) strata in the western USA. Here, we describe reptilian remains found in situ in the early Spathian Neocolumbites insignis ammonoid zone of South Primorye in the Russian Far East. Specimen NSM PV 23854 comprises fragmentary axial elements exhibiting a combination of morphological characteristics typical of Ichthyopterygia. The cylindrical centra suggest that the specimen represents a basal ichthyopterygian, and its size is comparable to that of Utatsusaurus. Specimen NSM PV 24995 is represented by a single limb bone, which is tentatively identified as an ichthyopterygian humerus. With a body length of approximately 5 m estimated from the humeral length, NSM PV 24995 represents one of the largest specimens of early Spathian marine reptiles known to date. Such size variation among the earliest ichthyopterygians might suggest an explosive diversification in size immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction. Both vertebrae and humerus specimens exhibit an extremely cancellous inner structure, suggesting a high degree of aquatic adaptation in ichthyopterygians, despite their short history of evolution in the ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhisa Nakajima
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Tokyo City University, 1-28-1 Tamazutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158-8557, Japan.
| | - Yasunari Shigeta
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0005, Japan
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier CP-55, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Yuri D Zakharov
- Far Eastern Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Far Eastern Branch, Stoletiya Prospect 159, Vladivostok, Russia, 690022
| | - Alexander M Popov
- Far Eastern Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Far Eastern Branch, Stoletiya Prospect 159, Vladivostok, Russia, 690022
| | - P Martin Sander
- Section Paleontology, Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
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11
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Bhat MS, Shelton CD, Chinsamy A. Inter-element variation in the bone histology of Anteosaurus (Dinocephalia, Anteosauridae) from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin of South Africa. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12082. [PMID: 34589298 PMCID: PMC8434808 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12082] [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: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its abundance in the Permian fossil record of South Africa, little is known about the life history of Anteosaurus. Here we examine the bone microstructure of multiple skeletal elements of Anteosaurus from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin. The bone histology of Anteosaurus magnificus reveals that the cortex is composed of highly vascularized, uninterrupted fibrolamellar bone tissue surrounding the inner spongy medullary region. However, the histology of two ribs and a previously described femur of another Anteosaurus taxon revealed an interrupted growth pattern with lines of arrested growth and peripheral rest lines occurring in the compacta, indicating periodic pauses in growth possibly linked to the slowing down of growth during maturity. Given that the fibula of the same individual has well-vascularised fibrolamellar bone tissue without any growth marks in the cortex; this suggests variation in skeletal growth. Based on our histological results, three growth dynamic stages are deduced for the genus Anteosaurus: (i) the earliest growth stage is represented by the predominance of highly vascularized, uninterrupted fibrolamellar bone tissue in the inner cortex, which suggests rapid periosteal bone deposition during early ontogeny; (ii) the next stage of growth shows periodic interruptions in the bone deposition as indicated by the deposition of lines of arrested growth; (iii) the third stage shows the development of lamellar bone tissue with rest lines in the peripheral part of the cortex suggesting a slowing down of growth prior to death. Most of the skeletal elements are characterized by thick bone walls, extensive secondary reconstruction and the complete infilling of the medullary cavity. However, the radius and a previously studied femur have open medullary cavities with struts of bony trabeculae. Based on histologic structures and comparisons with extant taxa, it is likely that Anteosaurus may have been more terrestrial as its osteology point towards terrestriality, but it may have occasionally inhabited ephemeral pools like modern semi-aquatic Hippopotamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Shafi Bhat
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Christen D Shelton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Natural History Department, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey, United States.,Biology/Mathematics & Physical Science Departments, Rogers State University, Claremore, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Anusuya Chinsamy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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12
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Adrian B, Smith HF, Noto CR, Grossman A. An early bothremydid from the Arlington Archosaur Site of Texas. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9555. [PMID: 34017016 PMCID: PMC8137945 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88905-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Four turtle taxa are previously documented from the Cenomanian Arlington Archosaur Site (AAS) of the Lewisville Formation (Woodbine Group) in Texas. Herein, we describe a new side-necked turtle (Pleurodira), Pleurochayah appalachius gen. et sp. nov., which is a basal member of the Bothremydidae. Pleurochayah appalachius gen. et sp. nov. shares synapomorphic characters with other bothremydids, including shared traits with Kurmademydini and Cearachelyini, but has a unique combination of skull and shell traits. The new taxon is significant because it is the oldest crown pleurodiran turtle from North America and Laurasia, predating bothremynines Algorachelus peregrinus and Paiutemys tibert from Europe and North America respectively. This discovery also documents the oldest evidence of dispersal of crown Pleurodira from Gondwana to Laurasia. Pleurochayah appalachius gen. et sp. nov. is compared to previously described fossil pleurodires, placed in a modified phylogenetic analysis of pelomedusoid turtles, and discussed in the context of pleurodiran distribution in the mid-Cretaceous. Its unique combination of characters demonstrates marine adaptation and dispersal capability among basal bothremydids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Adrian
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA.
| | - Heather F Smith
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - Christopher R Noto
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, USA
| | - Aryeh Grossman
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
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13
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Xie M, Gol'din P, Herdina AN, Estefa J, Medvedeva EV, Li L, Newton PT, Kotova S, Shavkuta B, Saxena A, Shumate LT, Metscher BD, Großschmidt K, Nishimori S, Akovantseva A, Usanova AP, Kurenkova AD, Kumar A, Arregui IL, Tafforeau P, Fried K, Carlström M, Simon A, Gasser C, Kronenberg HM, Bastepe M, Cooper KL, Timashev P, Sanchez S, Adameyko I, Eriksson A, Chagin AS. Secondary ossification center induces and protects growth plate structure. eLife 2020; 9:55212. [PMID: 33063669 PMCID: PMC7581430 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth plate and articular cartilage constitute a single anatomical entity early in development but later separate into two distinct structures by the secondary ossification center (SOC). The reason for such separation remains unknown. We found that evolutionarily SOC appears in animals conquering the land - amniotes. Analysis of the ossification pattern in mammals with specialized extremities (whales, bats, jerboa) revealed that SOC development correlates with the extent of mechanical loads. Mathematical modeling revealed that SOC reduces mechanical stress within the growth plate. Functional experiments revealed the high vulnerability of hypertrophic chondrocytes to mechanical stress and showed that SOC protects these cells from apoptosis caused by extensive loading. Atomic force microscopy showed that hypertrophic chondrocytes are the least mechanically stiff cells within the growth plate. Altogether, these findings suggest that SOC has evolved to protect the hypertrophic chondrocytes from the high mechanical stress encountered in the terrestrial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Xie
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pavel Gol'din
- Department of Evolutionary Morphology, Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of NAS of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Anna Nele Herdina
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Division of Anatomy, MIC, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jordi Estefa
- Science for Life Laboratory and Uppsala University, Subdepartment of Evolution and Development, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ekaterina V Medvedeva
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Phillip T Newton
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden
| | - Svetlana Kotova
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Boris Shavkuta
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Aditya Saxena
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Lauren T Shumate
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Brian D Metscher
- Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl Großschmidt
- Bone and Biomaterials Research, Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shigeki Nishimori
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Anastasia Akovantseva
- Institute of Photonic Technologies, Research center "Crystallography and Photonics", Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Anna P Usanova
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | | | - Anoop Kumar
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Kaj Fried
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Carlström
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - András Simon
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christian Gasser
- Department of Solid Mechanics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henry M Kronenberg
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Murat Bastepe
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Kimberly L Cooper
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Peter Timashev
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Institute of Photonic Technologies, Research center "Crystallography and Photonics", Moscow, Russian Federation.,Chemistry Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1-3, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Sophie Sanchez
- Science for Life Laboratory and Uppsala University, Subdepartment of Evolution and Development, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala, Sweden.,European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France.,Sorbonne Université - CR2P - MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, Paris, France
| | - Igor Adameyko
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Neuroimmunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anders Eriksson
- Department of Mechanics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrei S Chagin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russian Federation
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14
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Cadena EA, Scheyer TM, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Sánchez R, Aguilera-Socorro OA, Vanegas A, Pardo M, Hansen DM, Sánchez-Villagra MR. The anatomy, paleobiology, and evolutionary relationships of the largest extinct side-necked turtle. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaay4593. [PMID: 32095528 PMCID: PMC7015691 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay4593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite being among the largest turtles that ever lived, the biology and systematics of Stupendemys geographicus remain largely unknown because of scant, fragmentary finds. We describe exceptional specimens and new localities of S. geographicus from the Miocene of Venezuela and Colombia. We document the largest shell reported for any extant or extinct turtle, with a carapace length of 2.40 m and estimated mass of 1.145 kg, almost 100 times the size of its closest living relative, the Amazon river turtle Peltocephalus dumerilianus, and twice that of the largest extant turtle, the marine leatherback Dermochelys coriacea. The new specimens greatly increase knowledge of the biology and evolution of this iconic species. Our findings suggest the existence of a single giant turtle species across the northern Neotropics, but with two shell morphotypes, suggestive of sexual dimorphism. Bite marks and punctured bones indicate interactions with large caimans that also inhabited the northern Neotropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- E.-A. Cadena
- Universidad del Rosario, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Grupo de Investigación Paleontología Neotropical Tradicional y Molecular (PaleoNeo), Bogotá, Colombia
- Corresponding author.
| | - T. M. Scheyer
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - R. Sánchez
- Museo de Paleontológico de Urumaco, Alcadía de Urumaco, Urumaco, Venezuela
| | - O. A Aguilera-Socorro
- Laboratorio de Paleoecologia e Mudanças Globais, Campus de Gragoatá, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - A. Vanegas
- Vigias del Patrimonio de la Tatacoa, La Victoria, Huila, Colombia
| | - M. Pardo
- Museo Geológico José Royo y Gómez, Servicio Geológico Colombiano, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - D. M. Hansen
- Zoological Museum and the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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15
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Botha AE, Botha J. Ontogenetic and inter-elemental osteohistological variability in the leopard tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8030. [PMID: 31871831 PMCID: PMC6924341 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Testudines are a group of reptiles characterized by the presence of a shell covered by keratinous shields. Stigmochelys pardalis is the most widely distributed terrestrial testudine in southern Africa. Although relatively common with some life history traits being well known, the growth of this species has yet to be studied in any detail. The bone microanatomy of this clade differs from that found in other amniotes, where terrestrial species tend to display characteristics normally seen in aquatic species and vice versa. A detailed histological analysis of the limb bones of S. pardalis reveals extensive variation through ontogeny. Cortical bone becomes increasingly thicker through ontogeny and is finally resorbed in the late sub-adult stage, resulting in a thin cortex and a large infilled medullary cavity. The predominant bone tissues are parallel-fibred and lamellar-zonal for the forelimbs and hind limbs respectively. The oldest individual displayed an External Fundamental System indicating that the growth rate had decreased substantially by this stage. Variability is prevalent between the forelimb and hind limb as well as between early and late sub-adults Forelimb elements exhibit characteristics such as faster growing parallel-fibered bone tissue, slightly higher vascularization and a predominance of annuli over Lines of Arrested Growth (LAG) compared to the hind limb which exhibits poorly vascularized, slower growing lamellar-zonal bone interrupted by LAGs. These differences indicate that the forelimb grew more rapidly than the hind limb, possibly due to the method of locomotion seen in terrestrial species. The extensive bone resorption that occurs from the early sub-adult stage destroys much of the primary cortex and results in a significantly different ratio of inner and outer bone diameter (p = 3.59 × 10--5; df = 28.04) as well as compactness (p = 2.91 × 10--5; df = 31.27) between early and late sub-adults. The extensive bone resorption seen also destroys the ecological signal and infers an aquatic lifestyle for this species despite it being clearly terrestrial. This supports the results of other studies that have found that using bone microanatomy to determine lifestyle in testudines does not produce accurate results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Edward Botha
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
| | - Jennifer Botha
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.,Department of Karoo Palaeontology, National Museum, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
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16
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Houssaye A, Prévoteau J. What about limb long bone nutrient canal(s)? - a 3D investigation in mammals. J Anat 2019; 236:510-521. [PMID: 31820454 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The nutrient arteries, located in the long bone diaphysis, are the major blood supply to long bones, especially during the early phases of growth and ossification. Their intersection with the central axis of the medullary area corresponds to the ossification center, and their opening on the outer bone surface to the nutrient foramen. Nutrient arteries/foramen have essentially been analyzed in humans, and only to a much lesser extent in a few mammals. Some studies have taken measurements of the nutrient foramen; others have investigated the shape and orientation of the nutrient canals, although only partially. No studies have analyzed the nutrient canal in three dimensions inside the bone and the relationships between nutrient foramen, nutrient canal, growth, and physiology require further investigation. The current study proposes to investigate in three dimensions the shape of the nutrient canal in stylopod bones of various mammals. Qualitative and quantitative parameters are defined to discuss the diversity in, for example, morphology, orientation, and diameter encountered, resorting to two different datasets to maximize differences within mammals and then analyze variation within morphologically and phylogenetically closer taxa. This study highlights a strong intraspecific variation for various parameters, with limited biological signal, but also shows trends. It notably provides evidence that canals are generally more numerous and relatively thinner in less elongated bones. Moreover, it shows that the growth center is located distally in the humerus and proximally in the femur, and that the canals are essentially oriented towards the faster growing end, so that the nutrient foramen does not indicate the location of the growth center. This result seems general in mammals but cannot be generalized outside of Mammalia. Further analyses of the features of nutrient arteries in reptiles are required to make comparisons with the trends observed in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jocerand Prévoteau
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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17
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Bhat MS, Chinsamy A, Parkington J. Long bone histology of
Chersina angulata
: Interelement variation and life history data. J Morphol 2019; 280:1881-1899. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Shafi Bhat
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - Anusuya Chinsamy
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - John Parkington
- Department of ArchaeologyUniversity of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
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18
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Schoch RR, Klein N, Scheyer TM, Sues HD. Microanatomy of the stem-turtle Pappochelys rosinae indicates a predominantly fossorial mode of life and clarifies early steps in the evolution of the shell. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10430. [PMID: 31320733 PMCID: PMC6639533 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46762-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike any other tetrapod, turtles form their dorsal bony shell (carapace) not from osteoderms, but by contribution of the ribs and vertebrae that expand into the dermis to form plate-like shell components. Although this was known from embryological studies in extant turtles, important steps in this evolutionary sequence have recently been highlighted by the Triassic taxa Pappochelys, Eorhynchochelys and Odontochelys, and the Permian Eunotosaurus. The discovery of Pappochelys shed light on the origin of the ventral bony shell (plastron), which formed from enlarged gastralia. A major question is whether the turtle shell evolved in the context of a terrestrial or aquatic environment. Whereas Odontochelys was controversially interpreted as aquatic, a terrestrial origin of turtles was proposed based on evidence of fossorial adaptations in Eunotosaurus. We report palaeohistological data for Pappochelys, a taxon that exemplifies earlier evolutionary stages in the formation of the bony shell than Odontochelys. Bone histological evidence reveals (1) evolutionary changes in bone microstructure in ribs and gastralia approaching the turtle condition and (2) evidence for a predominantly amphibious or fossorial mode of life in Pappochelys, which support the hypothesis that crucial steps in the evolution of the shell occurred in a terrestrial rather than fully aquatic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer R Schoch
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Nicole Klein
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, D-70191, Stuttgart, Germany
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Paläontologie, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Torsten M Scheyer
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Hans-Dieter Sues
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 121, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
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19
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Dickson BV, Pierce SE. Functional performance of turtle humerus shape across an ecological adaptive landscape. Evolution 2019; 73:1265-1277. [PMID: 31008517 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The concept of the adaptive landscape has been invaluable to evolutionary biologists for visualizing the dynamics of selection and adaptation, and is increasingly being used to study morpho-functional data. Here, we construct adaptive landscapes to explore functional trade-offs associated with variation in humerus morphology among turtles adapted to three different locomotor environments: marine, semiaquatic, and terrestrial. Humerus shape from 40 species of cryptodire turtles was quantified using a pseudolandmark approach. Hypothetical shapes were extracted in a grid across morphospace and four functional traits (strength, stride length, mechanical advantage, and hydrodynamics) measured on those shapes. Quantitative trait modeling was used to construct adaptive landscapes that optimize the functional traits for each of the three locomotor ecologies. Our data show that turtles living in different environments have statistically different humeral shapes. The optimum adaptive landscape for each ecology is defined by a different combination of performance trade-offs, with turtle species clustering around their respective adaptive peak. Further, species adhere to pareto fronts between marine-semiaquatic and semiaquatic-terrestrial optima, but not between marine-terrestrial. Our study demonstrates the utility of adaptive landscapes in informing the link between form, function, and ecological adaptation, and establishes a framework for reconstructing turtle ecological evolution using isolated humeri from the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake V Dickson
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
| | - Stephanie E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
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20
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Pereyra ME, Bona P, Cerda IA, Desántolo B. Osteohistological correlates of muscular attachment in terrestrial and freshwater Testudines. J Anat 2019; 234:875-898. [PMID: 30901084 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Sharpey's fibers are considered the anatomical structures integrated to the muscles. Since these fibers leave marks at the microscopic level, their presence and distribution are used as evidence of muscle attachment in extinct and extant forms. In recent years, studies have been focusing on muscle-bone and tendon-bone interaction mostly on mammals. The main objective of this work is to contribute to the morphological and histological knowledge of muscle attachment in other amniotes, such as reptiles, and their variation related to different locomotor habits. In this way, a study was performed on terrestrial and aquatic turtles. The musculature related to the movement of the humerus, and pectoral girdle in Chelonoidis chilensis, Phrynops hilarii and Hydromedusa tectifera was analyzed. Dissections were performed mapping the origins and insertions of each muscle and undecalcified thin sections were performed in specific muscular attachment sites. We found some differences which were not previously reported, related to the insertion of the m. pectoralis, the m. coracobrachialis magnus and the origin of the m. tractor radii. The osteohistology revealed the presence of Sharpey's fibers in the cortex of all the bone elements analyzed. Patterns were established in relation to the orientation and density of Sharpey's fibers, which were used for the categorization of each muscle attachment site. The comparative micro-anatomical study of these areas did not reveal any important differences between terrestrial and freshwater turtles in muscles involved with the rotation, abduction and adduction of the humerus. In this way, the preliminary results suggest an absence of correlation between the distribution and density of Sharpey's fibers between different habitat forms, at least in the bones and species analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Pereyra
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata (Unidad de Investigación Anexo), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Paula Bona
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata (Unidad de Investigación Anexo), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio Alejandro Cerda
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro y Museo Carlos Ameghino, CONICET, Cipolletti, Argentina
| | - Bárbara Desántolo
- Cátedra de Citología, Histología y Embriología A, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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21
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Houssaye A, Botton-Divet L. From land to water: evolutionary changes in long bone microanatomy of otters (Mammalia: Mustelidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Département Adaptations du vivant, Paris, France
| | - Léo Botton-Divet
- UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Département Adaptations du vivant, Paris, France
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22
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Houssaye A, Taverne M, Cornette R. 3D quantitative comparative analysis of long bone diaphysis variations in microanatomy and cross-sectional geometry. J Anat 2018; 232:836-849. [PMID: 29411354 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Long bone inner structure and cross-sectional geometry display a strong functional signal, leading to convergences, and are widely analyzed in comparative anatomy at small and large taxonomic scales. Long bone microanatomical studies have essentially been conducted on transverse sections but also on a few longitudinal ones. Recent studies highlighted the interest in analyzing variations of the inner structure along the diaphysis using a qualitative as well as a quantitative approach. With the development of microtomography, it has become possible to study three-dimensional (3D) bone microanatomy and, in more detail, the form-function relationships of these features. This study focused on the selection of quantitative parameters to describe in detail the cross-sectional shape changes and distribution of the osseous tissue along the diaphysis. Two-dimensional (2D) virtual transverse sections were also performed in the two usual reference planes and results were compared with those obtained based on the whole diaphysis analysis. The sample consisted in 14 humeri and 14 femora of various mammalian taxa that are essentially terrestrial. Comparative quantitative analyses between different datasets made it possible to highlight the parameters that are strongly impacted by size and phylogeny and the redundant ones, and thus to estimate their relevance for use in form-function analyses. The analysis illustrated that results based on 2D transverse sections are similar for both sectional planes; thus if a strong bias exists when mixing sections from the two reference planes in the same analysis, it would not problematic to use either one plane or the other in comparative studies. However, this may no longer hold for taxa showing a much stronger variation in bone microstructure along the diaphysis. Finally, the analysis demonstrated the significant contribution of the parameters describing variations along the diaphysis, and thus the interest in performing 3D analyses; this should be even more fruitful for heterogeneous diaphyses. In addition, covariation analyses showed that there is a strong interest in removing the size effect to access the differences in the microstructure of the humerus and femur. This methodological study provides a reference for future quantitative analyses on long bone inner structure and should make it possible, through a detailed knowledge of each descriptive parameter, to better interpret results from the multivariate analyses associated with these studies. This will have direct implications for studies in vertebrate anatomy, but also in paleontology and anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Maxime Taverne
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- UMR CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE 7205, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
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Wintrich T, Hayashi S, Houssaye A, Nakajima Y, Sander PM. A Triassic plesiosaurian skeleton and bone histology inform on evolution of a unique body plan. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701144. [PMID: 29242826 PMCID: PMC5729018 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Secondary marine adaptation is a major pattern in amniote evolution, accompanied by specific bone histological adaptations. In the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction, diverse marine reptiles evolved early in the Triassic. Plesiosauria is the most diverse and one of the longest-lived clades of marine reptiles, but its bone histology is least known among the major marine amniote clades. Plesiosaurians had a unique and puzzling body plan, sporting four evenly shaped pointed flippers and (in most clades) a small head on a long, stiffened neck. The flippers were used as hydrofoils in underwater flight. A wide temporal, morphological, and morphometric gap separates plesiosaurians from their closest relatives (basal pistosaurs, Bobosaurus). For nearly two centuries, plesiosaurians were thought to appear suddenly in the earliest Jurassic after the end-Triassic extinctions. We describe the first Triassic plesiosaurian, from the Rhaetian of Germany, and compare its long bone histology to that of later plesiosaurians sampled for this study. The new taxon is recovered as a basal member of the Pliosauridae, revealing that diversification of plesiosaurians was a Triassic event and that several lineages must have crossed into the Jurassic. Plesiosaurian histology is strikingly uniform and different from stem sauropterygians. Histology suggests the concurrent evolution of fast growth and an elevated metabolic rate as an adaptation to cruising and efficient foraging in the open sea. The new specimen corroborates the hypothesis that open ocean life of plesiosaurians facilitated their survival of the end-Triassic extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Wintrich
- Bereich Paläontologie, Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Shoji Hayashi
- Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 546-0034, Japan
- Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Départment Adaptations du Vivant, 57 rue Cuvier CP-55, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Yasuhisa Nakajima
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - P. Martin Sander
- Bereich Paläontologie, Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
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Houssaye A, Martin Sander P, Klein N. Adaptive Patterns in Aquatic Amniote Bone Microanatomy-More Complex than Previously Thought. Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:1349-1369. [PMID: 27794536 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous amniote groups adapted to an aquatic life. This change of habitat naturally led to numerous convergences. The various adaptive traits vary depending on the degree of adaptation to an aquatic life, notably between shallow water taxa still able to occasionally locomote on land and open-marine forms totally independent from the terrestrial environment, but also between surface swimmers and deep divers. As a consequence, despite convergences, there is a high diversity within aquatic amniotes in e.g., shape, size, physiology, swimming mode. Bone microanatomy is considered to be strongly associated with bone biomechanics and is thus a powerful tool to understand bone adaptation to functional constraints and to make functional inferences on extinct taxa. Two opposing major microanatomical specializations have been described in aquatic amniotes, referred to as bone mass increase and a spongious organization, respectively. They are assumed to be essentially linked with the hydrostatic or hydrodynamic control of buoyancy and body trim and with swimming abilities and velocity. However, between extremes in these specializations, a wide range of intermediary patterns occurs. The present study provides a state-of-the-art review of these inner bone adaptations in semi-aquatic and aquatic amniotes. The analysis of the various microanatomical patterns observed in long bones, vertebrae, and ribs of a large sample of (semi-)aquatic extant and extinct amniotes reveals the wide diversity in microanatomical patterns and the variation in combination of these different patterns within a single skeleton. This enables us to discuss the link between microanatomical features and habitat, swimming abilities, and thus functional requirements in the context of amniote adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- *Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier CP-55, Paris 75000, France;
| | - P Martin Sander
- Division of Paleontology, Steinmann-Institute, University of Bonn, Nußallee 8, Bonn 53115, Germany
| | - Nicole Klein
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, Stuttgart 70191, Germany
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Canoville A, de Buffrénil V, Laurin M. Microanatomical diversity of amniote ribs: an exploratory quantitative study. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Canoville
- Bonn University; Steinmann Institute for Geology; Mineralogy and Paleontology; Nußallee 8 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Vivian de Buffrénil
- CR2P; Centre de Recherches sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements; Sorbonne Universités; CNRS/MNHN/UPMC; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Bâtiment de Géologie; Case postale 48, 43 rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05 Paris France
| | - Michel Laurin
- CR2P; Centre de Recherches sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements; Sorbonne Universités; CNRS/MNHN/UPMC; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Bâtiment de Géologie; Case postale 48, 43 rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05 Paris France
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26
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Hyperspecialization in Some South American Endemic Ungulates Revealed by Long Bone Microstructure. J MAMM EVOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-015-9312-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Kolb C, Scheyer TM, Veitschegger K, Forasiepi AM, Amson E, Van der Geer AAE, Van den Hoek Ostende LW, Hayashi S, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Mammalian bone palaeohistology: a survey and new data with emphasis on island forms. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1358. [PMID: 26528418 PMCID: PMC4627922 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The interest in mammalian palaeohistology has increased dramatically in the last two decades. Starting in 1849 via descriptive approaches, it has been demonstrated that bone tissue and vascularisation types correlate with several biological variables such as ontogenetic stage, growth rate, and ecology. Mammalian bone displays a large variety of bone tissues and vascularisation patterns reaching from lamellar or parallel-fibred to fibrolamellar or woven-fibred bone, depending on taxon and individual age. Here we systematically review the knowledge and methods on cynodont and mammalian bone microstructure as well as palaeohistology and discuss potential future research fields and techniques. We present new data on the bone microstructure of two extant marsupial species and of several extinct continental and island placental mammals. Extant marsupials display mainly parallel-fibred primary bone with radial and oblique but mainly longitudinal vascular canals. Three juvenile specimens of the dwarf island hippopotamid Hippopotamus minor from the Late Pleistocene of Cyprus show reticular to plexiform fibrolamellar bone. The island murid Mikrotia magna from the Late Miocene of Gargano, Italy displays parallel-fibred primary bone with reticular vascularisation and strong remodelling in the middle part of the cortex. Leithia sp., the dormouse from the Pleistocene of Sicily, is characterised by a primary bone cortex consisting of lamellar bone and a high amount of compact coarse cancellous bone. The bone cortex of the fossil continental lagomorph Prolagus oeningensis and three fossil species of insular Prolagus displays mainly parallel-fibred primary bone and reticular, radial as well as longitudinal vascularisation. Typical for large mammals, secondary bone in the giant rhinocerotoid Paraceratherium sp. from the Late Oligocene of Turkey is represented by dense Haversian bone. The skeletochronological features of Sinomegaceros yabei, a large-sized deer from the Pleistocene of Japan closely related to Megaloceros, indicate a high growth rate. These examples and the synthesis of existing data show the potential of bone microstructure to reveal essential information on life history evolution. The bone tissue and the skeletochronological data of the sampled island species suggest the presence of various modes of bone histological modification and mammalian life history evolution on islands to depend on factors of island evolution such as island size, distance from mainland, climate, phylogeny, and time of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kolb
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Torsten M Scheyer
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Kristof Veitschegger
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Analia M Forasiepi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, Centro Científico y Tecnológico , Mendoza , Argentina
| | - Eli Amson
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Alexandra A E Van der Geer
- Department of Geology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center , Leiden , The Netherlands ; Department of Historical Geology and Palaeontology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , Zografou , Greece
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Houssaye A, Waskow K, Hayashi S, Cornette R, Lee AH, Hutchinson JR. Biomechanical evolution of solid bones in large animals: a microanatomical investigation. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179, CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; 57 rue Cuvier, CP-55 Paris 75000 France
| | - Katja Waskow
- Steinmann Institut für Geologie; Mineralogie und Paläontologie; Universität Bonn; Nussallee 8 Bonn 53115 Germany
| | - Shoji Hayashi
- Osaka Museum of Natural History; Higashi-sumiyoshi-ku Osaka 546-0034 Japan
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- UMR CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE 7205; Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB); Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; 45 rue Buffon Paris 75005 France
| | - Andrew H. Lee
- Department of Anatomy; Midwestern University; 19555 N 59th Avenue Glendale AZ 85308 USA
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; Structure and Motion Laboratory; The Royal Veterinary College; Hawkshead Lane Hatfield AL9 7TA UK
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Natchev N, Tzankov N, Werneburg I, Heiss E. Feeding behaviour in a 'basal' tortoise provides insights on the transitional feeding mode at the dawn of modern land turtle evolution. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1172. [PMID: 26339550 PMCID: PMC4558077 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost all extant testudinids are highly associated with terrestrial habitats and the few tortoises with high affinity to aquatic environments are found within the genus Manouria. Manouria belongs to a clade which forms a sister taxon to all remaining tortoises and is suitable as a model for studying evolutionary transitions within modern turtles. We analysed the feeding behaviour of Manouria emys and due to its phylogenetic position, we hypothesise that the species might have retained some ancestral features associated with an aquatic lifestyle. We tested whether M. emys is able to feed both in aquatic and terrestrial environments. In fact, M. emys repetitively tried to reach submerged food items in water, but always failed to grasp them—no suction feeding mechanism was applied. When feeding on land, M. emys showed another peculiar behaviour; it grasped food items by its jaws—a behaviour typical for aquatic or semiaquatic turtles—and not by the tongue as generally accepted as the typical feeding mode in all tortoises studied so far. In M. emys, the hyolingual complex remained retracted during all food uptake sequences, but the food transport was entirely lingual based. The kinematical profiles significantly differed from those described for other tortoises and from those proposed from the general models on the function of the feeding systems in lower tetrapods. We conclude that the feeding behaviour of M. emys might reflect a remnant of the primordial condition expected in the aquatic ancestor of the tortoises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Natchev
- Department of Integrative Zoology, Vienna University , Vienna , Austria ; Faculty of Natural Science, Shumen University , Shumen , Bulgaria
| | - Nikolay Tzankov
- Section Vertebrates, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences , Sofia , Bulgaria
| | - Ingmar Werneburg
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- & Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Berlin , Germany ; Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Berlin , Germany
| | - Egon Heiss
- Institute of Systematic Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena , Jena , Germany
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30
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Houssaye A. Advances in vertebrate palaeohistology: recent progress, discoveries, and new approaches. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie; Universität Bonn; Nussallee 8 53115 Bonn Germany
- Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; 57 rue Cuvier CP-55 75000 Paris France
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31
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Scheyer TM, Danilov IG, Sukhanov VB, Syromyatnikova EV. The shell bone histology of fossil and extant marine turtles revisited. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Torsten M. Scheyer
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum; Universität Zürich; Karl Schmid-Strasse 4 CH-8006 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Igor G. Danilov
- Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Universitetskaya Emb., 1 St. Petersburg 199034 Russia
| | - Vladimir B. Sukhanov
- Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Profsoyuznaya Str. 123 Moscow 117997 Russia
| | - Elena V. Syromyatnikova
- Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Universitetskaya Emb., 1 St. Petersburg 199034 Russia
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