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Gillet A, Jones KE, Pierce SE. Repatterning of mammalian backbone regionalization in cetaceans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7587. [PMID: 39217194 PMCID: PMC11365943 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51963-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Cetacean reinvasion of the aquatic realm is an iconic ecological transition that led to drastic modifications of the mammalian body plan, especially in the axial skeleton. Relative to the vertebral column of other mammals that is subdivided into numerous anatomical regions, regional boundaries of the cetacean backbone appear obscured. Whether the traditional mammalian regions are present in cetaceans but hard to detect due to anatomical homogenization or if regions have been entirely repatterned remains unresolved. Here we combine a segmented linear regression approach with spectral clustering to quantitatively investigate the number, position, and homology of vertebral regions across 62 species from all major cetacean clades. We propose the Nested Regions hypothesis under which the cetacean backbone is composed of six homologous modules subdivided into six to nine post-cervical regions, with the degree of regionalization dependent on vertebral count and ecology. Compared to terrestrial mammals, the cetacean backbone is less regionalized in the precaudal segment but more regionalized in the caudal segment, indicating repatterning of the vertebral column associated with the transition from limb-powered to axial-driven locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Gillet
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Katrina E Jones
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Stephanie E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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2
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Esteban JM, Martín-Serra A, Pérez-Ramos A, Mulot B, Jones K, Figueirido B. The impact of the land-to-sea transition on evolutionary integration and modularity of the pinniped backbone. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1141. [PMID: 37949962 PMCID: PMC10638317 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05512-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigate how the terrestrial-aquatic transition influenced patterns of axial integration and modularity in response to the secondary adaptation to a marine lifestyle. We use 3D geometric morphometrics to quantify shape covariation among presacral vertebrae in pinnipeds (Carnivora; Pinnipedia) and to compare with patterns of axial integration and modularity in their close terrestrial relatives. Our results indicate that the vertebral column of pinnipeds has experienced a decrease in the strength of integration among all presacral vertebrae when compared to terrestrial carnivores (=fissipeds). However, separate integration analyses among the speciose Otariidae (i.e., sea lions and fur seals) and Phocidae (i.e., true seals) also suggests the presence of different axial organizations in these two groups of crown pinnipeds. While phocids present a set of integrated "thoracic" vertebrae, the presacral vertebrae of otariids are characterized by the absence of any set of vertebrae with high integration. We hypothesize that these differences could be linked to their specific modes of aquatic locomotion -i.e., pelvic vs pectoral oscillation. Our results provide evidence that the vertebral column of pinnipeds has been reorganized from the pattern observed in fissipeds but is more complex than a simple "homogenization" of the modular pattern of their close terrestrial relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Miguel Esteban
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain.
| | - Alberto Martín-Serra
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Ramos
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Baptiste Mulot
- ZooParc de Beauval & Beauval Nature, 41110, Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Katrina Jones
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Borja Figueirido
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
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Lingham-Soliar T, Bloodgood J, Rothschild B, Bouveroux T. Survival of an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin Sousa plumbea in the wild despite chronic osteologic pathologies. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2022; 154:49-57. [PMID: 37318384 DOI: 10.3354/dao03729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Skeletal examination of a female adult Indian Ocean humpback dolphin Sousa plumbea from South Africa suggested a chronic disease process. It manifested as erosions and pitting of the atlanto-occipital articulation as well as circumferential hyperostosis and ankylosis of some of the caudal vertebrae, findings rarely recorded together in the same animal. The character of the erosive process and vertebral fusion appeared chronic, and further findings of underdevelopment of the fluke, sternum and left humerus with remodeling of the periarticular region of the left scapula may support initiation of the process early in life. Because such chronic pathology would have affected the individual's locomotion and foraging abilities, we also postulate how this individual survived until its demise in a human-derived environmental hazard. Ecological and socio-behavioral aspects observed in S. plumbea, including habitat preference for inshore and shallow waters, small social group aggregations and feeding cooperation, may have contributed to its ability to survive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theagarten Lingham-Soliar
- Nelson Mandela University, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Port Elizabeth 77000, South Africa
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Gillet A, Frédérich B, Pierce SE, Parmentier E. Iterative Habitat Transitions are Associated with Morphological Convergence of the Backbone in Delphinoids. J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09615-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Marchesi MC, Galatius A, Zaffino M, Coscarella MA, González-José R. Vertebral morphology in extant porpoises: radiation and functional implications. J Morphol 2021; 283:273-286. [PMID: 34962309 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Vertebral morphology has profound biomechanical implications and plays an important role in adaptation to different habitats and foraging strategies for cetaceans. Extant porpoise species (Phocoenidae) display analogous evolutionary patterns in both hemispheres associated with convergent evolution to coastal versus oceanic environments. We employed 3D geometric morphometrics to study vertebral morphology in five porpoise species with contrasting habitats: the coastal Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides); the mostly coastal harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis); and the oceanic spectacled porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica) and Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli). We evaluated the radiation of vertebral morphology, both in size and shape, using multivariate statistics. We supplemented data with samples of an early-radiating delphinoid species, the narwhal (Monodon monoceros); and an early-radiating delphinid species, the white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris). Principal component analyses were used to map shape variation onto phylogenies, and phylogenetic constraints were investigated through permutation tests. We established links between vertebral morphology and movement patterns through biomechanical inferences from morphological presentations. We evidenced divergence in size between species with contrasting habitats, with coastal species tending to decrease in size from their estimated ancestral state, and oceanic species tending to increase in size. Regarding vertebral shape, coastal species had longer centra and shorter neural processes, but longer transverse processes, whilst oceanic species tended to have disk-shaped vertebrae with longer neural processes. Within Phocoenidae, the absence of phylogenetic constraints in vertebral morphology suggests a high level of evolutionary lability. Overall, our results are in accordance with the hypothesis of speciation within the family from a coastal ancestor, through adaptation to particular habitats. Variation in vertebral morphology in this group of small odontocetes highlights the importance of environmental complexity and particular selective pressures for the speciation process through the development of adaptations that minimize energetic costs during locomotion and prey capture. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Constanza Marchesi
- Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro para el Estudio de los Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), CCT CONICET-CENPAT, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
| | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Martina Zaffino
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
| | - Mariano Alberto Coscarella
- Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro para el Estudio de los Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), CCT CONICET-CENPAT, Puerto Madryn, Argentina.,Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
| | - Rolando González-José
- Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas (IPCSH), CCT CONICET CENPAT, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
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Maxwell EE, Romano C, Wu F. Regional disparity in the axial skeleton of Saurichthyidae and implications for axial regionalization in non‐teleostean actinopterygians. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. E. Maxwell
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany
| | - C. Romano
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum Universität Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - F.‐X. Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
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Rashid DJ, Chapman SC. The long and the short of tails. Dev Dyn 2021; 250:1229-1235. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dana J. Rashid
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Susan C. Chapman
- Department of Biological Sciences Clemson University Clemson South Carolina USA
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Wysokowski M, Zaslansky P, Ehrlich H. Macrobiomineralogy: Insights and Enigmas in Giant Whale Bones and Perspectives for Bioinspired Materials Science. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:5357-5367. [PMID: 33320547 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The giant bones of whales (Cetacea) are the largest extant biomineral-based constructs known. The fact that such mammalian bones can grow up to 7 m long raises questions about differences and similarities to other smaller bones. Size and exposure to environmental stress are good reasons to suppose that an unexplored level of hierarchical organization may be present that is not needed in smaller bones. The existence of such a macroscopic naturally grown structure with poorly described mechanisms for biomineralization is an example of the many yet unexplored phenomena in living organisms. In this article, we describe key observations in macrobiomineralization and suggest that the large scale of biomineralization taking place in selected whale bones implies they may teach us fundamental principles of the chemistry, biology, and biomaterials science governing bone formation, from atomistic to the macrolevel. They are also associated with a very lipid rich environment on those bones. This has implications for bone development and damage sensing that has not yet been fully addressed. We propose that whale bone construction poses extreme requirements for inorganic material storage, mediated by biomacromolecules. Unlike extinct large mammals, cetaceans still live deep in large terrestrial water bodies following eons of adaptation. The nanocomposites from which the bones are made, comprising biomacromolecules and apatite nanocrystals, must therefore be well adapted to create the macroporous hierarchically structured architectures of the bones, with mechanical properties that match the loads imposed in vivo. This massive skeleton directly contributes to the survival of these largest mammals in the aquatic environments of Earth, with structural refinements being the result of 60 million years of evolution. We also believe that the concepts presented in this article highlight the beneficial uses of multidisciplinary and multiscale approaches to study the structural peculiarities of both organic and inorganic phases as well as mechanisms of biomineralization in highly specialized and evolutionarily conserved hard tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Wysokowski
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, Poznan 60965, Poland.,Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Gustav-Zeuner Strasse 3, Freiberg 09599, Germany
| | - Paul Zaslansky
- Department for Restorative and Preventive Dentistry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Hermann Ehrlich
- Institute of Electronics and Sensor Materials, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Gustav-Zeuner Strasse 3, Freiberg 09599, Germany
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Boessenecker RW, Churchill M, Buchholtz EA, Beatty BL, Geisler JH. Convergent Evolution of Swimming Adaptations in Modern Whales Revealed by a Large Macrophagous Dolphin from the Oligocene of South Carolina. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3267-3273.e2. [PMID: 32649912 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Modern whales and dolphins are superbly adapted for marine life, with tail flukes being a key innovation shared by all extant species. Some dolphins can exceed speeds of 50 km/h, a feat accomplished by thrusting the flukes while adjusting attack angle with their flippers [1]. These movements are driven by robust axial musculature anchored to a relatively rigid torso consisting of numerous short vertebrae, and controlled by hydrofoil-like flippers [2-7]. Eocene skeletons of whales illustrate the transition from semiaquatic to aquatic locomotion, including development of a fusiform body and reduction of hindlimbs [8-11], but the rarity of Oligocene whale skeletons [12, 13] has hampered efforts to understand the evolution of fluke-powered, but forelimb-controlled, locomotion. We report a nearly complete skeleton of the extinct large dolphin Ankylorhiza tiedemani comb. n. from the Oligocene of South Carolina, previously known only from a partial rostrum. Its forelimb is intermediate in morphology between stem cetaceans and extant taxa, whereas its axial skeleton displays incipient rigidity at the base of the tail with a flexible lumbar region. The position of Ankylorhiza near the base of the odontocete radiation implies that several postcranial specializations of extant cetaceans, including a shortened humerus, narrow peduncle, and loss of radial tuberosity, evolved convergently in odontocetes and mysticetes. Craniodental morphology, tooth wear, torso vertebral morphology, and body size all suggest that Ankylorhiza was a macrophagous predator that could swim relatively fast, indicating that it was one of the few extinct cetaceans to occupy a niche similar to that of killer whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Boessenecker
- Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424, USA; University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA
| | - Emily A Buchholtz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
| | - Brian L Beatty
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Jonathan H Geisler
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
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Gillet A, Frédérich B, Parmentier E. Divergent evolutionary morphology of the axial skeleton as a potential key innovation in modern cetaceans. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191771. [PMID: 31771481 PMCID: PMC6939272 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cetaceans represent the most diverse clade of extant marine tetrapods. Although the restructuring of oceans could have contributed to their diversity, other factors might also be involved. Similar to ichthyosaurs and sharks, variation of morphological traits could have promoted the colonization of new ecological niches and supported their diversification. By combining morphological data describing the axial skeleton of 73 cetacean species with phylogenetic comparative methods, we demonstrate that the vertebral morphology of cetaceans is associated with their habitat. All riverine and coastal species possess a small body size, lengthened vertebrae and a low vertebral count compared with open ocean species. Extant cetaceans have followed two distinct evolutionary pathways relative to their ecology. Whereas most offshore species such as baleen whales evolved towards an increased body size while retaining a low vertebral count, small oceanic dolphins underwent deep modifications of their axial skeleton with an extremely high number of short vertebrae. Our comparative analyses provide evidence these vertebral modifications have potentially operated as key innovations. These novelties contributed to their explosive radiation, resulting in an efficient swimming style that provides energetic advantages to small-sized species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Gillet
- Laboratory of Functional and Evolutionary Morphology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Jones KE, Angielczyk KD, Pierce SE. Stepwise shifts underlie evolutionary trends in morphological complexity of the mammalian vertebral column. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5071. [PMID: 31699978 PMCID: PMC6838112 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13026-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental concept in evolutionary biology is that life tends to become more complex through geologic time, but empirical examples of this phenomenon are controversial. One debate is whether increasing complexity is the result of random variations, or if there are evolutionary processes which actively drive its acquisition, and if these processes act uniformly across clades. The mammalian vertebral column provides an opportunity to test these hypotheses because it is composed of serially-repeating vertebrae for which complexity can be readily measured. Here we test seven competing hypotheses for the evolution of vertebral complexity by incorporating fossil data from the mammal stem lineage into evolutionary models. Based on these data, we reject Brownian motion (a random walk) and uniform increasing trends in favor of stepwise shifts for explaining increasing complexity. We hypothesize that increased aerobic capacity in non-mammalian cynodonts may have provided impetus for increasing vertebral complexity in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina E Jones
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Kenneth D Angielczyk
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2496, USA
| | - Stephanie E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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