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Ekhator C, Varshney A, Young MW, Tanis D, Granatosky MC, Diaz RE, Molnar JL. Locomotor characteristics of the ground-walking chameleon Brookesia superciliaris. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 339:602-614. [PMID: 37260090 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the locomotor characteristics of early diverging ground-walking chameleons (members of the genera Brookesia, Rhampholeon, Palleon, and Rieppeleon) can help to explain how their unique morphology is adapted to fit their environment and mode of life. However, nearly all quantitative studies of chameleon locomotion thus far have focused on the larger "true arboreal" chameleons. We investigated kinematics and spatiotemporal gait characteristics of the Brown Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) on different substrates and compared them with true arboreal chameleons, nonchameleon lizards, and other small arboreal animals. Brookesia exhibits a combination of locomotor traits, some of which are traditionally arboreal, others more terrestrial, and a few that are very unusual. Like other chameleons, Brookesia moved more slowly on narrow dowels than on broad planks (simulating arboreal and terrestrial substrates, respectively), and its speed was primarily regulated by stride frequency rather than stride length. While Brookesia exhibits the traditionally arboreal trait of a high degree of humeral protraction at the beginning of stance, unlike most arboreal tetrapods, it uses smaller shoulder and hip excursions on narrower substrates, possibly reflecting its more terrestrial habits. When moving at very slow speeds, Brookesia often adopts an unusual footfall pattern, lateral-sequence lateral-couplets. Because Brookesia is a member of one of the earliest-diverging groups of chameleons, its locomotion may provide a good model for an intermediate stage in the evolution of arboreal chameleons. Thus, the transition to a fully arboreal way of life in "true arboreal" chameleons may have involved changes in spatiotemporal and kinematic characteristics as well as morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chukwuyem Ekhator
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | | | - Melody W Young
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Daniel Tanis
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Michael C Granatosky
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Raul E Diaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Julia L Molnar
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
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Molnar J, Watanabe A. Morphological and functional regionalization of trunk vertebrae as an adaptation for arboreal locomotion in chameleons. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221509. [PMID: 36998764 PMCID: PMC10049746 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Regionalization of the vertebral column can help animals adapt to different kinds of locomotion, including arboreal locomotion. Although functional axial regionalization has been described in both chameleons and arboreal mammals, no morphological basis for this functional regionalization in chameleons has been proposed. However, recent studies have described regionalization in the presacral vertebral column of other extant squamates. To investigate possible morphological regionalization in the vertebral column of chameleons, we took morphometric measurements from the presacral vertebrae of 28 chameleon species representing all extant chameleon genera, both fully arboreal and ground-dwelling, and performed comparative analyses. Our results support chameleons exhibiting three or four presacral morphological regions that correspond closely to those in other sauropsids, but we detected evolutionary shifts in vertebral traits occurring in only arboreal chameleons. Specifically, the anterior dorsal region in arboreal chameleons has more vertically oriented zygapophyseal joints, predicting decreased mediolateral flexibility. This shift is functionally significant because stiffening of the anterior thoracic vertebral column has been proposed to help bridge gaps between supports in primates. Thus, specialization of existing morphological regions in the vertebral column of chameleons may have played an important role in the evolution of extreme arboreal locomotion, paralleling the adaptations of arboreal primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Molnar
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD UK
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Tolley KA. Is it like night and day? Nocturnal versus diurnal perch use by dwarf chameleons ( Bradypodion pumilum). AFR J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2022.2098392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Krystal A Tolley
- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Kralj-Fišer S, Premate E, Copilaş-Ciocianu D, Volk T, Fišer Ž, Balázs G, Herczeg G, Delić T, Fišer C. The interplay between habitat use, morphology and locomotion in subterranean crustaceans of the genus Niphargus. ZOOLOGY 2020; 139:125742. [PMID: 32086140 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion is an important, fitness-related functional trait. Environment selects for type of locomotion and shapes the morphology of locomotion-related traits such as body size and appendages. In subterranean aquatic arthropods, these traits are subjected to multiple, at times opposing selection pressures. Darkness selects for enhanced mechano- and chemosensory systems and hence elongation of appendages. Conversely, water currents have been shown to favor short appendages. However, no study has addressed the variation in locomotion of invertebrates inhabiting cave streams and cave lakes, or questioned the relationship between species' morphology and locomotion. To fill this knowledge gap, we studied the interplay between habitat use, morphology and locomotion in amphipods of the subterranean genus Niphargus. Previous studies showed that lake and stream species differ in morphology. Namely, lake species are large, stout and long-legged, whereas stream species are small, slender and short-legged. We here compared locomotion mode and speed between three lake and five stream species. In addition, we tested whether morphology predicts locomotion. We found that the stream species lie on their body sides and move using slow crawling or tail-flipping. The species inhabiting lakes move comparably faster, and use a variety of locomotion modes. Noteworthy, one of the lake species almost exclusively moves in an upright or semi-upright position that resembles walking. Body size and relative length of appendages predict locomotion mode and speed in all species. We propose that integrating locomotion in the studies of subterranean species might improve our understanding of their morphological evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Kralj-Fišer
- Scientific and Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute of Biology, Novi trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Ester Premate
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Denis Copilaş-Ciocianu
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Hydrobionts, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, LT-08412 Vilnius, Lithuania; Department of Ecology, Charles University, Ovocný trh 560/5, 116 36 Prague, Czechia.
| | - Teja Volk
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Žiga Fišer
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Gergely Balázs
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Egyetem tér 1-3, 1053 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Gábor Herczeg
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Egyetem tér 1-3, 1053 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Teo Delić
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Cene Fišer
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Foster KL, Garland T, Schmitz L, Higham TE. Skink ecomorphology: forelimb and hind limb lengths, but not static stability, correlate with habitat use and demonstrate multiple solutions. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen L Foster
- University of California, Riverside, University Ave., Riverside, CA, USA
- University of Ottawa, Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Theodore Garland
- University of California, Riverside, University Ave., Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Lars Schmitz
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, N Mills Ave., Claremont, CA, USA
| | - Timothy E Higham
- University of California, Riverside, University Ave., Riverside, CA, USA
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Siliceo-Cantero HH, García A, Reynolds RG, Pacheco G, Lister BC. Dimorphism and divergence in island and mainland Anoles. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo H. Siliceo-Cantero
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto de Biología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico City Mexico
| | - Andres García
- Estación de Biología Chamela; Instituto de Biología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico City Mexico
| | - R. Graham Reynolds
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Comparative Zoology; Harvard University; Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Gualberto Pacheco
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto de Ecología; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico City Mexico
| | - Bradford C. Lister
- Department of Biological Sciences; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy NY 12180 USA
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Zhuang MV, Higham TE. Arboreal Day Geckos (Phelsuma madagascariensis) Differentially Modulate Fore- and Hind Limb Kinematics in Response to Changes in Habitat Structure. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153520. [PMID: 27145027 PMCID: PMC4856389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
By using adhesion, geckos can move through incredibly challenging habitats. However, continually changing terrain may necessitate modulation of the adhesive apparatus in order to maximize its effectiveness over a range of challenges. Behaviorally modulating how the adhesive system is applied can occur by altering the alignment of the foot relative to the long axis of the body and/or the angles between the digits (interdigital angle). Given the directionality of the adhesive system, geckos likely vary the application of the system via these mechanisms as they run. We quantified 3D movements (using high-speed video) of the day gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis, running on a range of ecologically relevant inclines (0°, 45°, 90°) and perch diameters (1.5 cm, 10 cm and broad). We measured the instantaneous sum of interdigital angles and foot alignment relative to the body, as well as other kinematic variables, throughout each stride and across treatments. Modulation of foot alignment at 45° and 90° was similar between the forelimb and hind limb, but differed at 0°, suggesting that P. madagascariensis is able to exert an adhesive force using multiple strategies. Both the sum of interdigital angles and alignment in the fore- and hind foot were modulated. Differences in modulation between the limbs are likely related to the underlying morphology. The modulation of interdigital angle and foot alignment suggests that aspects other than the mechanism of adhesion, such as joint morphology, are important for arboreal movement in geckos. Our study of foot usage in arboreal locomotion reveals patterns that may be widespread across pad-bearing lizards. In addition to understanding the constraints exerted by the adhesive apparatus, we highlight how biomechanical traits may respond to the evolution of novel adaptations and morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingna V. Zhuang
- Department of Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, 92521, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Timothy E. Higham
- Department of Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, 92521, United States of America
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