1
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Smart S, Sakamoto M. Using linear measurements to diagnose the ecological habitat of Spinosaurus. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17544. [PMID: 38881866 PMCID: PMC11180429 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17544] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Much of the ecological discourse surrounding the polarising theropod Spinosaurus has centred on qualitative discussions. Using a quantitative multivariate data analytical approach on size-adjusted linear measurements of the skull, we examine patterns in skull shape across a range of sauropsid clades and three ecological realms (terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic). We utilise cluster analyses to identify emergent properties of the data which associate properties of skull shape with ecological realm occupancy. Results revealed terrestrial ecologies to be significantly distinct from both semi- and fully aquatic ecologies, the latter two were not significantly different. Spinosaurids (including Spinosaurus) plotted away from theropods in morphospace and close to both marine taxa and wading birds. The position of nares and the degree of rostral elongation had the greatest effect on categorisation. Comparisons of supervised (k-means) and unsupervised clustering demonstrated categorising taxa into three groups (ecological realms) was inappropriate and suggested instead that cluster division is based on morphological adaptations to feeding on aquatic versus terrestrial food items. The relative position of the nares in longirostrine taxa is associated with which skull bones are elongated. Rostral elongation is observed by either elongating the maxilla and the premaxilla or by elongating the maxilla only. This results in the nares positioned towards the orbits or towards the anterior end of the rostrum respectively, with implications on available feeding methods. Spinosaurids, especially Spinosaurus, show elongation in the maxilla-premaxilla complex, achieving similar functional outcomes to elongation of the premaxilla seen in birds, particularly large-bodied piscivorous taxa. Such a skull construction would bolster "stand-and-wait" predation of aquatic prey to a greater extent than serving other proposed feeding methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Smart
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Manabu Sakamoto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
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2
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Dhouailly D. The avian ectodermal default competence to make feathers. Dev Biol 2024; 508:64-76. [PMID: 38190932 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.01.002] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Feathers originate as protofeathers before birds, in pterosaurs and basal dinosaurs. What characterizes a feather is not only its outgrowth, but its barb cells differentiation and a set of beta-corneous proteins. Reticula appear concomitantly with feathers, as small bumps on plantar skin, made only of keratins. Avian scales, with their own set of beta-corneous proteins, appear more recently than feathers on the shank, and only in some species. In the chick embryo, when feather placodes form, all the non-feather areas of the integument are already specified. Among them, midventral apterium, cornea, reticula, and scale morphogenesis appear to be driven by negative regulatory mechanisms, which modulate the inherited capacity of the avian ectoderm to form feathers. Successive dermal/epidermal interactions, initiated by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and involving principally Eda/Edar, BMP, FGF20 and Shh signaling, are responsible for the formation not only of feather, but also of scale placodes and reticula, with notable differences in the level of Shh, and probably FGF20 expressions. This sequence is a dynamic and labile process, the turning point being the FGF20 expression by the placode. This epidermal signal endows its associated dermis with the memory to aggregate and to stimulate the morphogenesis that follows, involving even a re-initiation of the placode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Dhouailly
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, University Grenoble-Alpes, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, 38700, La Tronche, France.
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3
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Iyyanar PPR, Qin C, Adhikari N, Liu H, Hu YC, Jiang R, Lan Y. Developmental origin of the mammalian premaxilla. Dev Biol 2023; 503:1-9. [PMID: 37524195 PMCID: PMC10528123 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2023.07.005] [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: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of jaws has played a major role in the success of vertebrate expansion into a wide variety of ecological niches. A fundamental, yet unresolved, question in craniofacial biology is about the origin of the premaxilla, the most distal bone present in the upper jaw of all amniotes. Recent reports have suggested that the mammalian premaxilla is derived from embryonic maxillary prominences rather than the frontonasal ectomesenchyme as previously shown in studies of chicken embryos. However, whether mammalian embryonic frontonasal ectomesenchyme contributes to the premaxillary bone has not been investigated and a tool to trace the contributions of the frontonasal ectomesenchyme to facial structures in mammals is lacking. The expression of the Alx3 gene is activated highly specifically in the frontonasal ectomesenchyme, but not in the maxillary mesenchyme, from the beginning of facial morphogenesis in mice. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a novel Alx3CreERT2 knock-in mouse line that express tamoxifen-inducible Cre DNA recombinase from the Alx3 locus. Tamoxifen treatment of Alx3CreERT2/+;Rosa26mTmG/+ embryos at E7.5, E8.5, E9.5, and E10.5, each induced specific labeling of the embryonic medial nasal and lateral nasal mesenchyme but not the maxillary mesenchyme. Lineage tracing of Alx3CreERT2-labeled frontonasal mesenchyme from E9.5 to E16.5 clearly showed that the frontonasal mesenchyme cells give rise to the osteoblasts generating the premaxillary bone. Furthermore, we characterize a Dlx1-Cre BAC transgenic mouse line that expresses Cre activity in the embryonic maxillary but not the frontonasal mesenchyme and show that the Dlx1-Cre labeled embryonic maxillary mesenchyme cells contribute to the maxillary bone as well as the soft tissues lateral to both the premaxillary and maxillary bones but not to the premaxillary bone. These results clearly demonstrate the developmental origin of the premaxillary bone from embryonic frontonasal ectomesenchyme cells in mice and confirm the evolutionary homology of the premaxilla across amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul P R Iyyanar
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Chuanqi Qin
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST), Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Nirpesh Adhikari
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Han Liu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Yueh-Chiang Hu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Rulang Jiang
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Division of Plastic Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
| | - Yu Lan
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Division of Plastic Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
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4
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Marek RD, Felice RN. The neck as a keystone structure in avian macroevolution and mosaicism. BMC Biol 2023; 21:216. [PMID: 37833771 PMCID: PMC10576348 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01715-x] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The origin of birds from non-avian theropod dinosaur ancestors required a comprehensive restructuring of the body plan to enable the evolution of powered flight. One of the proposed key mechanisms that allowed birds to acquire flight and modify the associated anatomical structures into diverse forms is mosaic evolution, which describes the parcelization of phenotypic traits into separate modules that evolve with heterogeneous tempo and mode. Avian mosaicism has been investigated with a focus on the cranial and appendicular skeleton, and as such, we do not understand the role of the axial column in avian macroevolution. The long, flexible neck of extant birds lies between the cranial and pectoral modules and represents an opportunity to study the contribution of the axial skeleton to avian mosaicism. RESULTS Here, we use 3D geometric morphometrics in tandem with phylogenetic comparative methods to provide, to our knowledge, the first integrative analysis of avian neck evolution in context with the head and wing and to interrogate how the interactions between these anatomical systems have influenced macroevolutionary trends across a broad sample of extant birds. We find that the neck is integrated with both the head and the forelimb. These patterns of integration are variable across clades, and only specific ecological groups exhibit either head-neck or neck-forelimb integration. Finally, we find that ecological groups that display head-neck and neck-forelimb integration tend to display significant shifts in the rate of neck morphological evolution. CONCLUSIONS Combined, these results suggest that the interaction between trophic ecology and head-neck-forelimb mosaicism influences the evolutionary variance of the avian neck. By linking together the biomechanical functions of these distinct anatomical systems, the cervical vertebral column serves as a keystone structure in avian mosaicism and macroevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Marek
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, UK
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5
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Dhouailly D. Evo Devo of the Vertebrates Integument. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:25. [PMID: 37367479 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
All living jawed vertebrates possess teeth or did so ancestrally. Integumental surface also includes the cornea. Conversely, no other anatomical feature differentiates the clades so readily as skin appendages do, multicellular glands in amphibians, hair follicle/gland complexes in mammals, feathers in birds, and the different types of scales. Tooth-like scales are characteristic of chondrichthyans, while mineralized dermal scales are characteristic of bony fishes. Corneous epidermal scales might have appeared twice, in squamates, and on feet in avian lineages, but posteriorly to feathers. In contrast to the other skin appendages, the origin of multicellular glands of amphibians has never been addressed. In the seventies, pioneering dermal-epidermal recombination between chick, mouse and lizard embryos showed that: (1) the clade type of the appendage is determined by the epidermis; (2) their morphogenesis requires two groups of dermal messages, first for primordia formation, second for appendage final architecture; (3) the early messages were conserved during amniotes evolution. Molecular biology studies that have identified the involved pathways, extending those data to teeth and dermal scales, suggest that the different vertebrate skin appendages evolved in parallel from a shared placode/dermal cells unit, present in a common toothed ancestor, c.a. 420 mya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Dhouailly
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, University Grenoble-Alpes, 38700 La Tronche, France
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6
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Krishnan A. Biomechanics illuminates form-function relationships in bird bills. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:297128. [PMID: 36912385 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of comparative biomechanics examines how form, mechanical properties and environmental interactions shape the function of biological structures. Biomechanics has advanced by leaps and bounds as rapid technological progress opens up new research horizons. In this Review, I describe how our understanding of the avian bill, a morphologically diverse multifunctional appendage, has been transformed by employing a biomechanical perspective. Across functions from feeding to excavating hollows in trees and as a vocal apparatus, the study of the bill spans both solid and fluid biomechanics, rendering it useful to understand general principles across disciplines. The different shapes of the bill across bird species result in functional and mechanical trade-offs, thus representing a microcosm of many broader form-function questions. Using examples from diverse studies, I discuss how research into bird bills has been shaped over recent decades, and its influence on our understanding of avian ecology and evolution. Next, I examine how bill material properties and geometry influence performance in dietary and non-dietary contexts, simultaneously imposing trade-offs on other functions. Following an examination of the interactions of bills with fluids and their role as part of the vocal apparatus, I end with a discussion of the sensory biomechanics of the bill, focusing specifically on the bill-tip mechanosensory organ. With these case studies, I highlight how this burgeoning and consequential field represents a roadmap for our understanding of the function and evolution of biological structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Krishnan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhauri 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India
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7
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Anatomical network analyses reveal evolutionary integration and modularity in the lizards skull. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14429. [PMID: 36064738 PMCID: PMC9445097 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18222-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphology of lizard skulls is highly diverse, and it is crucial to understand the factors that constrain and promote their evolution to understand how lizards thrive. The results of interactions between cranial bones reflecting these factors can be detected as integration and modularity, and the analysis of integration and modularity allows us to explore the underlying factors. In this study, the integration and modularity of the skulls of lizards and the outgroup tuatara are analyzed using a new method, Anatomical Network Analysis (AnNA), and the factors causing lizards morphological diversity are investigated by comparing them. The comparison of modular structures shows that lizard skulls have high integration and anisomerism, some differences but basically common modular patterns. In contrast, the tuatara shows a different modular pattern from lizards. In addition, the presence of the postorbital bar by jugal and postorbital (postorbitofrontal) also reflect various functional factors by maintaining low integration. The maintenance of basic structures due to basic functional requirements and changes in integration within the modules play a significant role in increasing the morphological diversity of the lizard skull and in the prosperity of the lizards.
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8
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Griffin CT, Botelho JF, Hanson M, Fabbri M, Smith-Paredes D, Carney RM, Norell MA, Egawa S, Gatesy SM, Rowe TB, Elsey RM, Nesbitt SJ, Bhullar BAS. The developing bird pelvis passes through ancestral dinosaurian conditions. Nature 2022; 608:346-352. [PMID: 35896745 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04982-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Living birds (Aves) have bodies substantially modified from the ancestral reptilian condition. The avian pelvis in particular experienced major changes during the transition from early archosaurs to living birds1,2. This stepwise transformation is well documented by an excellent fossil record2-4; however, the ontogenetic alterations that underly it are less well understood. We used embryological imaging techniques to examine the morphogenesis of avian pelvic tissues in three dimensions, allowing direct comparison with the fossil record. Many ancestral dinosaurian features2 (for example, a forward-facing pubis, short ilium and pubic 'boot') are transiently present in the early morphogenesis of birds and arrive at their typical 'avian' form after transitioning through a prenatal developmental sequence that mirrors the phylogenetic sequence of character acquisition. We demonstrate quantitatively that avian pelvic ontogeny parallels the non-avian dinosaur-to-bird transition and provide evidence for phenotypic covariance within the pelvis that is conserved across Archosauria. The presence of ancestral states in avian embryos may stem from this conserved covariant relationship. In sum, our data provide evidence that the avian pelvis, whose early development has been little studied5-7, evolved through terminal addition-a mechanism8-10 whereby new apomorphic states are added to the end of a developmental sequence, resulting in expression8,11 of ancestral character states earlier in that sequence. The phenotypic integration we detected suggests a previously unrecognized mechanism for terminal addition and hints that retention of ancestral states in development is common during evolutionary transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Griffin
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - João F Botelho
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Departamento Biología Celular y Molecular, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Michael Hanson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Matteo Fabbri
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Nagaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel Smith-Paredes
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ryan M Carney
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shiro Egawa
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
| | - Stephen M Gatesy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Timothy B Rowe
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ruth M Elsey
- Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Grand Chenier, LA, USA
| | | | - Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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9
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Figueirido B, Serrano FJ, Pérez-Ramos A, Esteban JM, Ferrón HG, Martín-Serra A. Body-axis organization in tetrapods: a model-system to disentangle the developmental origins of convergent evolution in deep time. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220047. [PMID: 35382583 PMCID: PMC8984341 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0047] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Convergent evolution is a central concept in evolutionary theory but the underlying mechanism has been largely debated since On the Origin of Species. Previous hypotheses predict that developmental constraints make some morphologies more likely to arise than others and natural selection discards those of the lowest fitness. However, the quantification of the role and strength of natural selection and developmental constraint in shaping convergent phenotypes on macroevolutionary timescales is challenging because the information regarding performance and development is not directly available. Accordingly, current knowledge of how embryonic development and natural selection drive phenotypic evolution in vertebrates has been extended from studies performed at short temporal scales. We propose here the organization of the tetrapod body-axis as a model system to investigate the developmental origins of convergent evolution over hundreds of millions of years. The quantification of the primary developmental mechanisms driving body-axis organization (i.e. somitogenesis, homeotic effects and differential growth) can be inferred from vertebral counts, and recent techniques of three-dimensional computational biomechanics have the necessary potential to reveal organismal performance even in fossil forms. The combination of both approaches offers a novel and robust methodological framework to test competing hypotheses on the functional and developmental drivers of phenotypic evolution and evolutionary convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borja Figueirido
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco J Serrano
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain.,Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Ramos
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Miguel Esteban
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain
| | - Humberto G Ferrón
- Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de Valencia, 46980-Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alberto Martín-Serra
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071-Málaga, Spain
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10
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Huang J, Wang C, Ouyang J, Tang H, Zheng S, Xiong Y, Gao Y, Wu Y, Wang L, Yan X, Chen H. Identification of Key Candidate Genes for Beak Length Phenotype by Whole-Genome Resequencing in Geese. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:847481. [PMID: 35372529 PMCID: PMC8964941 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.847481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The domestic goose is an important economic animal in agriculture and its beak, a trait with high heritability, plays an important role in promoting food intake and defending against attacks. In this study, we sequenced 772 420-day-old Xingguo gray geese (XGG) using a low-depth (~1 ×) whole-genome resequencing strategy. We detected 12,490,912 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the standard GATK and imputed with STITCH. We then performed a genome-wide association study on the beak length trait in XGG. The results indicated that 57 SNPs reached genome-wide significance levels for the beak length trait and were assigned to seven genes, including TAPT1, DHX15, CCDC149, LGI2, SEPSECS, ANAPC4, and Slc34a2. The different genotypes of the most significant SNP (top SNP), which was located upstream of LGI2 and explained 7.24% of the phenotypic variation in beak length, showed significant differences in beak length. Priority-based significance analysis concluded that CCDC149, LGI2, and SEPSECS genes in the most significant quantitative trait locus interval were the most plausible positional and functional candidate genes for beak length development in the XGG population. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the genetic mechanism of the beak length phenotype in geese, but also lay the foundation for further studies to facilitate the genetic selection of traits in geese.
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11
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Chatterji RM, Hipsley CA, Sherratt E, Hutchinson MN, Jones MEH. Ontogenetic allometry underlies trophic diversity in sea turtles (Chelonioidea). Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10162-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDespite only comprising seven species, extant sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) display great ecological diversity, with most species inhabiting a unique dietary niche as adults. This adult diversity is remarkable given that all species share the same dietary niche as juveniles. These ontogenetic shifts in diet, as well as a dramatic increase in body size, make sea turtles an excellent group to examine how morphological diversity arises by allometric processes and life habit specialisation. Using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we characterise ontogenetic allometry in the skulls of all seven species and evaluate variation in the context of phylogenetic history and diet. Among the sample, the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) has a seemingly average sea turtle skull shape and generalised diet, whereas the green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) show different extremes of snout shape associated with their modes of food gathering (grazing vs. grasping, respectively). Our ontogenetic findings corroborate previous suggestions that the skull of the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) is paedomorphic, having similar skull proportions to hatchlings of other sea turtle species and retaining a hatchling-like diet of relatively soft bodied organisms. The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) shows a similar but less extreme pattern. By contrast, the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) shows a peramorphic signal associated with increased jaw muscle volumes that allow predation on hard shelled prey. The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) has a peramorphic skull shape compared to its sister species the olive ridley, and a diet that includes harder prey items such as crabs. We suggest that diet may be a significant factor in driving skull shape differences among species. Although the small number of species limits statistical power, differences among skull shape, size, and diet are consistent with the hypothesis that shifts in allometric trajectory facilitated diversification in skull shape as observed in an increasing number of vertebrate groups.
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12
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López-Romero FA, Berio F, Abed-Navandi D, Kriwet J. Early shape divergence of developmental trajectories in the jaw of galeomorph sharks. Front Zool 2022; 19:7. [PMID: 35123488 PMCID: PMC8818243 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00452-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The onset of morphological differences between related groups can be tracked at early stages during embryological development. This is expressed in functional traits that start with minor variations, but eventually diverge to defined specific morphologies. Several processes during this period, like proliferation, remodelling, and apoptosis for instance, can account for the variability observed between related groups. Morphological divergence through development is often associated with the hourglass model, in which early stages display higher variability and reach a conserved point with reduced variability from which divergence occurs again to the final phenotype.
Results
Here we explored the patterns of developmental shape changes in the lower jaw of two shark species, the bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) and the catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula). These two species present marked differences in their foraging behaviour, which is reflected in their adult jaw morphology. By tracing the developmental sequence of the cartilage condensation, we identified the onset of cartilage for both species at around stage 31. Other structures that developed later without a noticeable anlage were the labial cartilages, which appear at around stage 33. We observed that the lower jaw displays striking differences in shape from the earliest moments, without any overlap in shape through the compared stages.
Conclusions
The differences observed are also reflected in the functional variation in feeding mechanism between both species. Likewise, the trajectory analysis shows that the main differences are in the magnitude of the shape change through time. Both species follow a unique trajectory, which is explained by the timing between stages.
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13
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Marugán‐Lobón J, Nebreda SM, Navalón G, Benson R. Beyond the beak: Brain size and allometry in avian craniofacial evolution. J Anat 2022; 240:197-209. [PMID: 34558058 PMCID: PMC8742972 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds exhibit an enormous variety of beak shapes. Such remarkable variation, however, has distracted research from other important aspects of their skull evolution, the nature of which has been little explored. Key aspects of avian skull variation appear to be qualitatively similar to those of mammals, encompassing variation in the degree of cranial vaulting, cranial base flexure, and the proportions and orientations of the occipital and facial regions. The evolution of these traits has been studied intensively in mammals under the Spatial Packing Hypothesis (SPH), an architectural constraint so-called because the general anatomical organization and development of such skull parts makes them evolve predictably in response to changes in relative brain size. Such SPH predictions account for the different appearances of skull configurations across species, either in having longer or shorter faces, and caudally or ventrally oriented occiputs, respectively. This pattern has been morphometrically and experimentally proven in mammals but has not been examined in birds or other tetrapods, and so its generality remains unknown. We explored the SPH in an interspecific sample of birds using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Our results show that the dominant trend of evolutionary variation in the skull of crown-group birds can be predicted by the SPH, involving concomitant changes in the face, the cranial vault and the basicranium, and with striking similarities to craniofacial variation among mammals. Although craniofacial variation is significantly affected by allometry, these allometric effects are independent of the influence of the SPH on skull morphology, as are any effects of volumetric encephalization. Our results, therefore, validate the hypothesis that a general architectural constraint underlies skull homoplasy evolution of cranial morphology among avian clades, and possibly between birds and mammals, but they downplay encephalization and allometry as the only factors involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Marugán‐Lobón
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
- Dinosaur InstituteNatural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sergio M. Nebreda
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
| | - Guillermo Navalón
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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14
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Dobreva MP, Camacho J, Abzhanov A. Time to synchronize our clocks: Connecting developmental mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of heterochrony. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2022; 338:87-106. [PMID: 34826199 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Heterochrony, defined as a change in the timing of developmental events altering the course of evolution, was first recognized by Ernst Haeckel in 1866. Haeckel's original definition was meant to explain the observed parallels between ontogeny and phylogeny, but the interpretation of his work became a source of controversy over time. Heterochrony took its modern meaning following the now classical work in the 1970-80s by Steven J. Gould, Pere Alberch, and co-workers. Predicted and described heterochronic scenarios emphasize the many ways in which developmental changes can influence evolution. However, while important examples of heterochrony detected with comparative morphological methods have multiplied, the more mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon lagged conspicuously behind. Considering the rapid progress in imaging and molecular tools available now for developmental biologists, this review aims to stress the need to take heterochrony research to the next level. It is time to synchronize the different levels of heterochrony research into a single analysis flow: from studies on organismal-level morphology to cells to molecules and genes, using complementary techniques. To illustrate how to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of phyletic morphological diversification associated with heterochrony, we discuss several recent case studies at various phylogenetic scales that combine morphological, cellular, and molecular analyses. Such a synergistic approach offers to more fully integrate phylogenetic and ontogenetic dimensions of the fascinating evolutionary phenomenon of heterochrony.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jasmin Camacho
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Arkhat Abzhanov
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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15
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Korneisel DE, Vice R, Maddin HC. Anatomy and development of skull-neck boundary structures in the skeleton of the extant crocodylian Alligator mississippiensis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:3002-3015. [PMID: 34846803 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24834] [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: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A system-by-system approach dominates morphological and evolutionary study; however, some structures that are better understood within the context of an interface between two systems or traditional units remain less well understood. As part of a larger goal to clarify aspects of skull-neck boundary evolution, we herein describe the morphology and development of the occiput and atlas-axis complex in the crocodylian Alligator mississippiensis. We apply micro-computed tomography scanning, clearing and double staining, and histological analyses to skull-neck boundary structures at three stages of development (embryonic stage 22, 23, and hatchling). Regions of ossification that could possibly pertain to a postparietal were found adjacent to the parietal bone and supraoccipital; however, these were not deemed convincing and are considered part of the supraoccipital. Within the atlas-axis complex, the proatlas appears as two discrete cartilaginous elements in Stage 22 that ossify together at Stage 23. Posterior to the proatlas, the atlas-axis complex is composed of two centra, each with cervical ribs ventrally and neural arches dorsally that begin ossifying at Stage 23. Histology and clearing and staining of Stages 22 and 23 embryos reveal a discrete atlas intercentrum applied to the ventral part of the occipital condyle of the skull. Posterior to this is a cartilage that appears to be a co-chondrified atlas pleurocentrum, axis intercentrum, and axis pleurocentrum. Ossification of this cartilaginous structure produces discrete atlas inter- and pleurocentra, as well as a singular axis centrum. Together these data are discussed with reference to clarifying historical discrepancies concerning elements at the crocodylian skull-neck boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana E Korneisel
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebekah Vice
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hillary C Maddin
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Chen CK, Juan WT, Liang YC, Wu P, Chuong CM. Making region-specific integumentary organs in birds: evolution and modifications. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 69:103-111. [PMID: 33780743 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Birds are the most diversified terrestrial vertebrates due to highly diverse integumentary organs that enable robust adaptability to various eco-spaces. Here we show that this complexity is built upon multi-level regional specifications. Across-the-body (macro-) specification includes the evolution of beaks and feathers as new integumentary organs that are formed with regional specificity. Within-an-organ (micro-) specification involves further modifications of organ shapes. We review recent progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying feather diversification as an example. (1) β-Keratin gene clusters are regulated by typical enhancers or high order chromatin looping to achieve macro- and micro-level regional specification, respectively. (2) Multi-level symmetry-breaking of feather branches confers new functional forms. (3) Complex color patterns are produced by combinations of macro-patterning and micro-patterning processes. The integration of these findings provides new insights toward the principle of making a robustly adaptive bio-interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Kuan Chen
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; The IEGG and Animal Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Tau Juan
- Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Chen Liang
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
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17
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Arnaout B, Lantigua KE, MacKenzie EM, McKinnell IW, Maddin HC. Development of the chicken skull: A complement to the external staging table of Hamburger and Hamilton. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:2726-2740. [PMID: 33620154 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic staging tables provide a standard of developmental stages that can be used by individual investigators and provide approximate time points for the study of developmental phenomena. Surprisingly, despite the presence of a plethora of studies on the chicken skull and its role as a model species in developmental research, a staging table of the development of the chicken skull remains lacking. A detailed photographic staging table of the osseous portion of the chicken skull is thus presented here based on cleared and stained HH stages spanning HH 35 (first appearance of skull ossification) to the final stage before hatching (HH 45). This table documents the development of most of the cranial elements in the skull from the start of ossification until the element takes its final shape. The table shows that the elements of the lower jaw and ventral side of the skull begin ossifying before the skull roof and that most elements take roughly 5 days to reach their final shape, whereas others take up to 9 days (e.g., the frontal). The obtained results lead to several hypotheses about chicken skull development and provide a timeframe for future studies on chicken skull development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bassel Arnaout
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kayla E Lantigua
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erin M MacKenzie
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Iain W McKinnell
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hillary C Maddin
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Heading for higher ground: Developmental origins and evolutionary diversification of the amniote face. Curr Top Dev Biol 2021; 141:241-277. [PMID: 33602490 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Amniotes, a clade of terrestrial vertebrates, which includes all of the descendants of the last common ancestor of the reptiles (including dinosaurs and birds) and mammals, is one of the most successful group of animals on our planet. In addition to having an egg equipped with an amnion, an adaptation to lay eggs on land, amniotes possess a number of other major morphological characteristics. Chief among them is the amniote skull, which can be classified into several major types distinguished by the presence and number of temporal fenestrae (windows) in the posterior part. Amniotes evolved from ancestors who possessed a skull composed of a complex mosaic of small bones separated by sutures. Changes in skull composition underlie much of the large-scale evolution of amniotes with many lineages showing a trend in reduction of cranial elements known as the "Williston's Law." The skull of amniotes is also arranged into a set of modules of closely co-evolving bones as revealed by modularity and integration tests. One of the most consistently recovered and at the same time most versatile modules is the "face," anatomically defined as the anterior portion of the head. The faces of amniotes display extraordinary amount of variation, with many adaptive radiations showing parallel tendencies in facial scaling, e.g., changes in length or width. This review explores the natural history of the amniote face and discusses how a better understanding of its anatomy and developmental biology helps to explain the outstanding scale of adaptive facial diversity. We propose a model for facial evolution in the amniotes, based on the differential rate of cranial neural crest cell proliferation and the timing of their skeletal differentiation.
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19
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Murillo-Rincón AP, Kaucka M. Insights Into the Complexity of Craniofacial Development From a Cellular Perspective. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:620735. [PMID: 33392208 PMCID: PMC7775397 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.620735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The head represents the most complex part of the body and a distinctive feature of the vertebrate body plan. This intricate structure is assembled during embryonic development in the four-dimensional process of morphogenesis. The head integrates components of the central and peripheral nervous system, sensory organs, muscles, joints, glands, and other specialized tissues in the framework of a complexly shaped skull. The anterior part of the head is referred to as the face, and a broad spectrum of facial shapes across vertebrate species enables different feeding strategies, communication styles, and diverse specialized functions. The face formation starts early during embryonic development and is an enormously complex, multi-step process regulated on a genomic, molecular, and cellular level. In this review, we will discuss recent discoveries that revealed new aspects of facial morphogenesis from the time of the neural crest cell emergence till the formation of the chondrocranium, the primary design of the individual facial shape. We will focus on molecular mechanisms of cell fate specification, the role of individual and collective cell migration, the importance of dynamic and continuous cellular interactions, responses of cells and tissues to generated physical forces, and their morphogenetic outcomes. In the end, we will examine the spatiotemporal activity of signaling centers tightly regulating the release of signals inducing the formation of craniofacial skeletal elements. The existence of these centers and their regulation by enhancers represent one of the core morphogenetic mechanisms and might lay the foundations for intra- and inter-species facial variability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marketa Kaucka
- Max Planck Research Group Craniofacial Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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20
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O'Connor PM, Turner AH, Groenke JR, Felice RN, Rogers RR, Krause DW, Rahantarisoa LJ. Late Cretaceous bird from Madagascar reveals unique development of beaks. Nature 2020; 588:272-276. [PMID: 33239782 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2945-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Mesozoic birds display considerable diversity in size, flight adaptations and feather organization1-4, but exhibit relatively conserved patterns of beak shape and development5-7. Although Neornithine (that is, crown group) birds also exhibit constraint on facial development8,9, they have comparatively diverse beak morphologies associated with a range of feeding and behavioural ecologies, in contrast to Mesozoic birds. Here we describe a crow-sized stem bird, Falcatakely forsterae gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous epoch of Madagascar that possesses a long and deep rostrum, an expression of beak morphology that was previously unknown among Mesozoic birds and is superficially similar to that of a variety of crown-group birds (for example, toucans). The rostrum of Falcatakely is composed of an expansive edentulous maxilla and a small tooth-bearing premaxilla. Morphometric analyses of individual bony elements and three-dimensional rostrum shape reveal the development of a neornithine-like facial anatomy despite the retention of a maxilla-premaxilla organization that is similar to that of nonavialan theropods. The patterning and increased height of the rostrum in Falcatakely reveals a degree of developmental lability and increased morphological disparity that was previously unknown in early branching avialans. Expression of this phenotype (and presumed ecology) in a stem bird underscores that consolidation to the neornithine-like, premaxilla-dominated rostrum was not an evolutionary prerequisite for beak enlargement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M O'Connor
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA. .,Ohio Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA. .,Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Alan H Turner
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Joseph R Groenke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Raymond R Rogers
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO, USA.,Geology Department, Macalester College, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - David W Krause
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO, USA.,Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Lydia J Rahantarisoa
- Département de Sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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21
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Felice RN, Watanabe A, Cuff AR, Hanson M, Bhullar BAS, Rayfield ER, Witmer LM, Norell MA, Goswami A. Decelerated dinosaur skull evolution with the origin of birds. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000801. [PMID: 32810126 PMCID: PMC7437466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary radiation of birds has produced incredible morphological variation, including a huge range of skull form and function. Investigating how this variation arose with respect to non-avian dinosaurs is key to understanding how birds achieved their remarkable success after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Using a high-dimensional geometric morphometric approach, we quantified the shape of the skull in unprecedented detail across 354 extant and 37 extinct avian and non-avian dinosaurs. Comparative analyses reveal fundamental differences in how skull shape evolved in birds and non-avian dinosaurs. We find that the overall skull shape evolved faster in non-avian dinosaurs than in birds across all regions of the cranium. In birds, the anterior rostrum is the most rapidly evolving skull region, whereas more posterior regions-such as the parietal, squamosal, and quadrate-exhibited high rates in non-avian dinosaurs. These fast-evolving elements in dinosaurs are strongly associated with feeding biomechanics, forming the jaw joint and supporting the jaw adductor muscles. Rapid pulses of skull evolution coincide with changes to food acquisition strategies and diets, as well as the proliferation of bony skull ornaments. In contrast to the appendicular skeleton, which has been shown to evolve more rapidly in birds, avian cranial morphology is characterised by a striking deceleration in morphological evolution relative to non-avian dinosaurs. These results may be due to the reorganisation of skull structure in birds-including loss of a separate postorbital bone in adults and the emergence of new trade-offs with development and neurosensory demands. Taken together, the remarkable cranial shape diversity in birds was not a product of accelerated evolution from their non-avian relatives, despite their frequent portrayal as an icon of adaptive radiations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan N. Felice
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, United States of America
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Andrew R. Cuff
- Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Hanson
- Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
- Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Emily R. Rayfield
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Lawrence M. Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mark A. Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
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22
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Plateau O, Foth C. Birds have peramorphic skulls, too: anatomical network analyses reveal oppositional heterochronies in avian skull evolution. Commun Biol 2020; 3:195. [PMID: 32332847 PMCID: PMC7181600 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0914-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the vast majority of reptiles, the skulls of adult crown birds are characterized by a high degree of integration due to bone fusion, e.g., an ontogenetic event generating a net reduction in the number of bones. To understand this process in an evolutionary context, we investigate postnatal ontogenetic changes in the skulls of crown bird and non-avian theropods using anatomical network analysis (AnNA). Due to the greater number of bones and bone contacts, early juvenile crown birds have less integrated skulls, resembling their non-avian theropod ancestors, including Archaeopteryx lithographica and Ichthyornis dispars. Phylogenetic comparisons indicate that skull bone fusion and the resulting modular integration represent a peramorphosis (developmental exaggeration of the ancestral adult trait) that evolved late during avialan evolution, at the origin of crown-birds. Succeeding the general paedomorphic shape trend, the occurrence of an additional peramorphosis reflects the mosaic complexity of the avian skull evolution. Plateau and Foth use anatomical network analysis to study the evolution of avian skull anatomy. They report that the ontogenetic changes in the morphology and modularity of the avian skulls is comparable to evolutionary transformations from non-avian theropods to modern birds. Their work highlights the complexity of avian skull evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Plateau
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christian Foth
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.
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23
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Delmore K, Illera JC, Pérez-Tris J, Segelbacher G, Lugo Ramos JS, Durieux G, Ishigohoka J, Liedvogel M. The evolutionary history and genomics of European blackcap migration. eLife 2020; 9:e54462. [PMID: 32312383 PMCID: PMC7173969 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migration is a taxonomically widespread behaviour that integrates across many traits. The European blackcap exhibits enormous variation in migration and is renowned for research on its evolution and genetic basis. We assembled a reference genome for blackcaps and obtained whole genome resequencing data from individuals across its breeding range. Analyses of population structure and demography suggested divergence began ~30,000 ya, with evidence for one admixture event between migrant and resident continent birds ~5000 ya. The propensity to migrate, orientation and distance of migration all map to a small number of genomic regions that do not overlap with results from other species, suggesting that there are multiple ways to generate variation in migration. Strongly associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were located in regulatory regions of candidate genes that may serve as major regulators of the migratory syndrome. Evidence for selection on shared variation was documented, providing a mechanism by which rapid changes may evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Delmore
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Juan Carlos Illera
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO-CSIC-PA), Oviedo UniversityMieresSpain
| | - Javier Pérez-Tris
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Complutense University of MadridMadridSpain
| | | | - Juan S Lugo Ramos
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Gillian Durieux
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Jun Ishigohoka
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
| | - Miriam Liedvogel
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
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24
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Chapelle KEJ, Fernandez V, Choiniere JN. Conserved in-ovo cranial ossification sequences of extant saurians allow estimation of embryonic dinosaur developmental stages. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4224. [PMID: 32273522 PMCID: PMC7145871 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60292-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dinosaur embryos are among the rarest of fossils, yet they provide a unique window into the palaeobiology of these animals. Estimating the developmental stage of dinosaur embryos is hindered by the lack of a quantitative method for age determination, by the scarcity of material, and by the difficulty in visualizing that material. Here we present the results of a broad inquiry, using 3D reconstructions from X-ray computed tomography data, into cranial ossification sequences in extant saurian taxa and in well-preserved embryos of the early branching sauropodomorph dinosaur Massospondylus carinatus. Our findings support deep-time conservation of cranial ossification sequences in saurians including dinosaurs, allowing us to develop a new method for estimating the relative developmental percentage of embryos from that clade. We also observe null-generation teeth in the Massospondylus carinatus embryos which get resorbed or shed before hatching, similar to those of geckos. These lines of evidence allow us to confidently estimate that the Massospondylus carinatus embryos are only approximately 60% through their incubation period, much younger than previously hypothesized. The overall consistency of our results with those of living saurians indicates that they can be generalized to other extinct members of that lineage, and therefore our method provides an independent means of assessing the developmental stage of extinct, in-ovo saurians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley E J Chapelle
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
- School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
| | - Vincent Fernandez
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
- Imaging and Analysis Centre, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonah N Choiniere
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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25
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Yusuf L, Heatley MC, Palmer JPG, Barton HJ, Cooney CR, Gossmann TI. Noncoding regions underpin avian bill shape diversification at macroevolutionary scales. Genome Res 2020; 30:553-565. [PMID: 32269134 PMCID: PMC7197477 DOI: 10.1101/gr.255752.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent progress has been made in identifying genomic regions implicated in trait evolution on a microevolutionary scale in many species, but whether these are relevant over macroevolutionary time remains unclear. Here, we directly address this fundamental question using bird beak shape, a key evolutionary innovation linked to patterns of resource use, divergence, and speciation, as a model trait. We integrate class-wide geometric-morphometric analyses with evolutionary sequence analyses of 10,322 protein-coding genes as well as 229,001 genomic regions spanning 72 species. We identify 1434 protein-coding genes and 39,806 noncoding regions for which molecular rates were significantly related to rates of bill shape evolution. We show that homologs of the identified protein-coding genes as well as genes in close proximity to the identified noncoding regions are involved in craniofacial embryo development in mammals. They are associated with embryonic stem cell pathways, including BMP and Wnt signaling, both of which have repeatedly been implicated in the morphological development of avian beaks. This suggests that identifying genotype-phenotype association on a genome-wide scale over macroevolutionary time is feasible. Although the coding and noncoding gene sets are associated with similar pathways, the actual genes are highly distinct, with significantly reduced overlap between them and bill-related phenotype associations specific to noncoding loci. Evidence for signatures of recent diversifying selection on our identified noncoding loci in Darwin finch populations further suggests that regulatory rather than coding changes are major drivers of morphological diversification over macroevolutionary times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leeban Yusuf
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TF, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew C Heatley
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph P G Palmer
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Henry J Barton
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Viikinkaari 9 (PL 56), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Christopher R Cooney
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Toni I Gossmann
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom.,Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, DE-33501, Germany
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26
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Ozernyuk ND. History of Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Russ J Dev Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360419060067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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27
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Felice RN, Watanabe A, Cuff AR, Noirault E, Pol D, Witmer LM, Norell MA, O'Connor PM, Goswami A. Evolutionary Integration and Modularity in the Archosaur Cranium. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:371-382. [PMID: 31120528 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex structures, like the vertebrate skull, are composed of numerous elements or traits that must develop and evolve in a coordinated manner to achieve multiple functions. The strength of association among phenotypic traits (i.e., integration), and their organization into highly-correlated, semi-independent subunits termed modules, is a result of the pleiotropic and genetic correlations that generate traits. As such, patterns of integration and modularity are thought to be key factors constraining or facilitating the evolution of phenotypic disparity by influencing the patterns of variation upon which selection can act. It is often hypothesized that selection can reshape patterns of integration, parceling single structures into multiple modules or merging ancestrally semi-independent traits into a strongly correlated unit. However, evolutionary shifts in patterns of trait integration are seldom assessed in a unified quantitative framework. Here, we quantify patterns of evolutionary integration among regions of the archosaur skull to investigate whether patterns of cranial integration are conserved or variable across this diverse group. Using high-dimensional geometric morphometric data from 3D surface scans and computed tomography scans of modern birds (n = 352), fossil non-avian dinosaurs (n = 27), and modern and fossil mesoeucrocodylians (n = 38), we demonstrate that some aspects of cranial integration are conserved across these taxonomic groups, despite their major differences in cranial form, function, and development. All three groups are highly modular and consistently exhibit high integration within the occipital region. However, there are also substantial divergences in correlation patterns. Birds uniquely exhibit high correlation between the pterygoid and quadrate, components of the cranial kinesis apparatus, whereas the non-avian dinosaur quadrate is more closely associated with the jugal and quadratojugal. Mesoeucrocodylians exhibit a slightly more integrated facial skeleton overall than the other grades. Overall, patterns of trait integration are shown to be stable among archosaurs, which is surprising given the cranial diversity exhibited by the clade. At the same time, evolutionary innovations such as cranial kinesis that reorganize the structure and function of complex traits can result in modifications of trait correlations and modularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan N Felice
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.,Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.,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
| | - Andrew R Cuff
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Eve Noirault
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Diego Pol
- CONICET. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Av. Fontana 140, Trelew, Chubut, U9100GYO, Argentina
| | - Lawrence M Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Patrick M O'Connor
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH, USA.,Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK.,Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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28
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Wu Z, Jung HS. How the diversity of the faces arises. J Oral Biosci 2019; 61:195-200. [PMID: 31751682 DOI: 10.1016/j.job.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolution of the face is crucial for each species to adapt to different diets, environments, and in some species, to promote social interaction. The diversity in the shapes of the face results from divergence in the process of facial development that begins during early embryonic development. HIGHLIGHTS Here we review the recent advancements in the understanding of the genetic, epigenetic, molecular, and cellular basis of facial diversity. We also review the robustness of facial development and how it relates to the evolution of the face. Finally, we discuss the current challenges in achieving a deeper understanding of facial diversity. CONCLUSION We have gained much knowledge with respect to cis-regulatory elements, gene expression, cellular behavior, and the physical forces in facial development in the past two decades. Significant interdisciplinary work is needed to integrate these varied pieces of information into a complete picture of how the diversity of faces arises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoming Wu
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - Han-Sung Jung
- Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Oral Science Research Center, BK21 PLUS Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, Korea.
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29
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Affiliation(s)
- David Jablonski
- Department of Geophysical Sciences University of Chicago Chicago Illinois
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30
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сWnt signaling modulation results in a change of the colony architecture in a hydrozoan. Dev Biol 2019; 456:145-153. [PMID: 31473187 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
At the polyp stage, most hydrozoan cnidarians form highly elaborate colonies with a variety of branching patterns, which makes them excellent models for studying the evolutionary mechanisms of body plan diversification. At the same time, molecular mechanisms underlying the robust patterning of the architecturally complex hydrozoan colonies remain unexplored. Using non-model hydrozoan Dynamena pumila we showed that the key components of the Wnt/β-catenin (cWnt) pathway (β-catenin, TCF) and the cWnt-responsive gene, brachyury 2, are involved in specification and patterning of the developing colony shoots. Strikingly, pharmacological modulation of the cWnt pathway leads to radical modification of the monopodially branching colony of Dynamena which acquire branching patterns typical for colonies of other hydrozoan species. Our results suggest that modulation of the cWnt signaling is the driving force promoting the evolution of the vast variety of the body plans in hydrozoan colonies and offer an intriguing possibility that the involvement of the cWnt pathway in the regulation of branching morphogenesis might represent an ancestral feature predating the cnidarian-bilaterian split.
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31
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Camacho J, Heyde A, Bhullar BAS, Haelewaters D, Simmons NB, Abzhanov A. Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:1129-1143. [PMID: 31348570 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.90] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) are an ecologically diverse group of mammals with distinctive morphological adaptations associated with specialized modes of feeding. The dramatic skull shape changes between related species result from changes in the craniofacial development process, which brings into focus the nature of the underlying evolutionary developmental processes. RESULTS In this study, we use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to describe, quantify, and compare morphological modifications unfolding during evolution and development of phyllostomid bats. We examine how changes in development of the cranium may contribute to the evolution of the bat craniofacial skeleton. Comparisons of ontogenetic trajectories to evolutionary trajectories reveal two separate evolutionary developmental growth processes contributing to modifications in skull morphogenesis: acceleration and hypermorphosis. CONCLUSION These findings are consistent with a role for peramorphosis, a form of heterochrony, in the evolution of bat dietary specialists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Camacho
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Alexander Heyde
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Danny Haelewaters
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
| | - Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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32
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Yang TR, Sander PM. The origin of the bird's beak: new insights from dinosaur incubation periods. Biol Lett 2019; 14:rsbl.2018.0090. [PMID: 29794006 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The toothless beak of modern birds was considered as an adaption for feeding ecology; however, several recent studies suggested that developmental factors are also responsible for the toothless beak. Neontological and palaeontological studies have progressively uncovered how birds evolved toothless beaks and suggested that the multiple occurrences of complete edentulism in non-avian dinosaurs were the result of selection for specialized diets. Although developmental biology and ecological factors are not mutually exclusive, the conventional hypothesis that ecological factors account for the toothless beak appears insufficient. A recent study on dinosaur incubation period using embryonic teeth posited that tooth formation rate limits developmental speed, constraining toothed dinosaur incubation to slow reptilian rates. We suggest that selection for tooth loss was a side effect of selection for fast embryo growth and thus shorter incubation. This observation would also explain the multiple occurrences of tooth loss and beaks in non-avian dinosaur taxa crownward of Tyrannosaurus Whereas our hypothesis is an observation without any experimental supports, more studies of gene regulation of tooth formation in embryos would allow testing for the trade-off between incubation period and tooth development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Ruei Yang
- Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - P Martin Sander
- Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
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33
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Morris ZS, Vliet KA, Abzhanov A, Pierce SE. Heterochronic shifts and conserved embryonic shape underlie crocodylian craniofacial disparity and convergence. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182389. [PMID: 30963831 PMCID: PMC6408887 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The distinctive anatomy of the crocodylian skull is intimately linked with dietary ecology, resulting in repeated convergence on blunt- and slender-snouted ecomorphs. These evolutionary shifts depend upon modifications of the developmental processes which direct growth and morphogenesis. Here we examine the evolution of cranial ontogenetic trajectories to shed light on the mechanisms underlying convergent snout evolution. We use geometric morphometrics to quantify skeletogenesis in an evolutionary context and reconstruct ancestral patterns of ontogenetic allometry to understand the developmental drivers of craniofacial diversity within Crocodylia. Our analyses uncovered a conserved embryonic region of morphospace (CER) shared by all non-gavialid crocodylians regardless of their eventual adult ecomorph. This observation suggests the presence of conserved developmental processes during early development (before Ferguson stage 20) across most of Crocodylia. Ancestral state reconstruction of ontogenetic trajectories revealed heterochrony, developmental constraint, and developmental systems drift have all played essential roles in the evolution of ecomorphs. Based on these observations, we conclude that two separate, but interconnected, developmental programmes controlling craniofacial morphogenesis and growth enabled the evolutionary plasticity of skull shape in crocodylians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary S. Morris
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kent A. Vliet
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 876 Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - 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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34
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Bels V, Herrel A. Feeding, a Tool to Understand Vertebrate Evolution Introduction to “Feeding in Vertebrates”. FEEDING IN VERTEBRATES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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35
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Rico-Guevara A, Sustaita D, Gussekloo S, Olsen A, Bright J, Corbin C, Dudley R. Feeding in Birds: Thriving in Terrestrial, Aquatic, and Aerial Niches. FEEDING IN VERTEBRATES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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36
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Liu Q, Onal P, Datta RR, Rogers JM, Schmidt-Ott U, Bulyk ML, Small S, Thornton JW. Ancient mechanisms for the evolution of the bicoid homeodomain's function in fly development. eLife 2018; 7:e34594. [PMID: 30298815 PMCID: PMC6177261 DOI: 10.7554/elife.34594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ancient mechanisms that caused developmental gene regulatory networks to diversify among distantly related taxa are not well understood. Here we use ancestral protein reconstruction, biochemical experiments, and developmental assays of transgenic animals carrying reconstructed ancestral genes to investigate how the transcription factor Bicoid (Bcd) evolved its central role in anterior-posterior patterning in flies. We show that most of Bcd's derived functions are attributable to evolutionary changes within its homeodomain (HD) during a phylogenetic interval >140 million years ago. A single substitution from this period (Q50K) accounts almost entirely for the evolution of Bcd's derived DNA specificity in vitro. In transgenic embryos expressing the reconstructed ancestral HD, however, Q50K confers activation of only a few of Bcd's transcriptional targets and yields a very partial rescue of anterior development. Adding a second historical substitution (M54R) confers regulation of additional Bcd targets and further rescues anterior development. These results indicate that two epistatically interacting mutations played a major role in the evolution of Bcd's controlling regulatory role in early development. They also show how ancestral sequence reconstruction can be combined with in vivo characterization of transgenic animals to illuminate the historical mechanisms of developmental evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinwen Liu
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Pinar Onal
- Department of BiologyNew York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Rhea R Datta
- Department of BiologyNew York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Julia M Rogers
- Committee on Higher Degrees in BiophysicsHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Division of Genetics, Department of MedicineBrigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Urs Schmidt-Ott
- Department of Organismal Biology and AnatomyUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Martha L Bulyk
- Committee on Higher Degrees in BiophysicsHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Division of Genetics, Department of MedicineBrigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Department of PathologyBrigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Stephen Small
- Department of BiologyNew York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Joseph W Thornton
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Human GeneticsUniversity of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
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37
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Egawa S, Saito D, Abe G, Tamura K. Morphogenetic mechanism of the acquisition of the dinosaur-type acetabulum. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180604. [PMID: 30473817 PMCID: PMC6227947 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding morphological evolution in dinosaurs from a mechanistic viewpoint requires the elucidation of the morphogenesis that gave rise to derived dinosaurian traits, such as the perforated acetabulum. In the current study, we used embryos of extant animals with ancestral- and dinosaur-type acetabula, namely, geckos and turtles (with unperforated acetabulum), and birds (with perforated acetabulum). We performed comparative and experimental analyses, focusing on inter-tissue interaction during embryogenesis, and found that the avian perforated acetabulum develops via a secondary loss of cartilaginous tissue in the acetabular region. This cartilage loss might be mediated by inter-tissue interaction with the hip interzone, a mesenchymal tissue that exists in the embryonic joint structure. Furthermore, the data indicate that avian pelvic anlagen is more susceptible to paracrine molecules, e.g. Wnt ligand, secreted by the hip interzone than 'reptilian' anlagen. We hypothesize that during the emergence of dinosaurs, the pelvic anlagen became susceptible to the Wnt ligand, which led to the loss of the cartilaginous tissue and to the perforation in the acetabular region. Thus, the current evolutionary-developmental biology study deepens our understanding of morphological evolution in dinosaurs and provides it with a novel perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiro Egawa
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aza-aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Daisuke Saito
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aza-aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University, 6-3, Aza-aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Gembu Abe
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aza-aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Koji Tamura
- Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aza-aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
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38
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Kaucka M, Petersen J, Tesarova M, Szarowska B, Kastriti ME, Xie M, Kicheva A, Annusver K, Kasper M, Symmons O, Pan L, Spitz F, Kaiser J, Hovorakova M, Zikmund T, Sunadome K, Matise MP, Wang H, Marklund U, Abdo H, Ernfors P, Maire P, Wurmser M, Chagin AS, Fried K, Adameyko I. Signals from the brain and olfactory epithelium control shaping of the mammalian nasal capsule cartilage. eLife 2018; 7:34465. [PMID: 29897331 PMCID: PMC6019068 DOI: 10.7554/elife.34465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial shape is the basis for facial recognition and categorization. Facial features reflect the underlying geometry of the skeletal structures. Here, we reveal that cartilaginous nasal capsule (corresponding to upper jaw and face) is shaped by signals generated by neural structures: brain and olfactory epithelium. Brain-derived Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) enables the induction of nasal septum and posterior nasal capsule, whereas the formation of a capsule roof is controlled by signals from the olfactory epithelium. Unexpectedly, the cartilage of the nasal capsule turned out to be important for shaping membranous facial bones during development. This suggests that conserved neurosensory structures could benefit from protection and have evolved signals inducing cranial cartilages encasing them. Experiments with mutant mice revealed that the genomic regulatory regions controlling production of SHH in the nervous system contribute to facial cartilage morphogenesis, which might be a mechanism responsible for the adaptive evolution of animal faces and snouts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marketa Kaucka
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julian Petersen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marketa Tesarova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Bara Szarowska
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Eleni Kastriti
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Meng Xie
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Kicheva
- Institute of Science and Technology IST Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Karl Annusver
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Maria Kasper
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Center for Innovative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Orsolya Symmons
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Leslie Pan
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Francois Spitz
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.,Genomics of Animal Development Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Jozef Kaiser
- Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Maria Hovorakova
- Department of Developmental Biology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Zikmund
- Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kazunori Sunadome
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael P Matise
- Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, United States
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, United States
| | - Ulrika Marklund
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hind Abdo
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik Ernfors
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pascal Maire
- Department of Development, Reproduction and Cancer, Institute Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Maud Wurmser
- Department of Development, Reproduction and Cancer, Institute Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Andrei S Chagin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kaj Fried
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Igor Adameyko
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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39
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Schneider RA. Neural crest and the origin of species-specific pattern. Genesis 2018; 56:e23219. [PMID: 30134069 PMCID: PMC6108449 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
For well over half of the 150 years since the discovery of the neural crest, the special ability of these cells to function as a source of species-specific pattern has been clearly recognized. Initially, this observation arose in association with chimeric transplant experiments among differentially pigmented amphibians, where the neural crest origin for melanocytes had been duly noted. Shortly thereafter, the role of cranial neural crest cells in transmitting species-specific information on size and shape to the pharyngeal arch skeleton as well as in regulating the timing of its differentiation became readily apparent. Since then, what has emerged is a deeper understanding of how the neural crest accomplishes such a presumably difficult mission, and this includes a more complete picture of the molecular and cellular programs whereby neural crest shapes the face of each species. This review covers studies on a broad range of vertebrates and describes neural-crest-mediated mechanisms that endow the craniofacial complex with species-specific pattern. A major focus is on experiments in quail and duck embryos that reveal a hierarchy of cell-autonomous and non-autonomous signaling interactions through which neural crest generates species-specific pattern in the craniofacial integument, skeleton, and musculature. By controlling size and shape throughout the development of these systems, the neural crest underlies the structural and functional integration of the craniofacial complex during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A. Schneider
- Department of Orthopedic SurgeryUniversity of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus AvenueS‐1161San Francisco, California
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Field DJ, Hanson M, Burnham D, Wilson LE, Super K, Ehret D, Ebersole JA, Bhullar BAS. Complete Ichthyornis skull illuminates mosaic assembly of the avian head. Nature 2018; 557:96-100. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0053-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Abstract
Studies reconstructing morphological evolution have long relied on simple representations of organismal form or on limited sampling of species, hindering a comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping biological diversity. Here, we combine high-resolution 3D quantification of skull shape with dense taxonomic sampling across a major vertebrate clade, birds, to demonstrate that the avian skull is formed of multiple semi-independent regions that epitomize mosaic evolution, with cranial regions and major lineages evolving with distinct rates and modes. We further show that the evolvability of different cranial regions reflects their disparate embryonic origins. Finally, we present a hypothetical reconstruction of the ancestral bird skull using this high-resolution shape data to generate a detailed estimate of extinct forms in the absence of well-preserved three-dimensional fossils. Mosaic evolution, which results from multiple influences shaping morphological traits and can lead to the presence of a mixture of ancestral and derived characteristics, has been frequently invoked in describing evolutionary patterns in birds. Mosaicism implies the hierarchical organization of organismal traits into semiautonomous subsets, or modules, which reflect differential genetic and developmental origins. Here, we analyze mosaic evolution in the avian skull using high-dimensional 3D surface morphometric data across a broad phylogenetic sample encompassing nearly all extant families. We find that the avian cranium is highly modular, consisting of seven independently evolving anatomical regions. The face and cranial vault evolve faster than other regions, showing several bursts of rapid evolution. Other modules evolve more slowly following an early burst. Both the evolutionary rate and disparity of skull modules are associated with their developmental origin, with regions derived from the anterior mandibular-stream cranial neural crest or from multiple embryonic cell populations evolving most quickly and into a greater variety of forms. Strong integration of traits is also associated with low evolutionary rate and low disparity. Individual clades are characterized by disparate evolutionary rates among cranial regions. For example, Psittaciformes (parrots) exhibit high evolutionary rates throughout the skull, but their close relatives, Falconiformes, exhibit rapid evolution in only the rostrum. Our dense sampling of cranial shape variation demonstrates that the bird skull has evolved in a mosaic fashion reflecting the developmental origins of cranial regions, with a semi-independent tempo and mode of evolution across phenotypic modules facilitating this hyperdiverse evolutionary radiation.
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Cheng Y, Gao B, Wang H, Han N, Shao S, Wu S, Song G, Zhang YE, Zhu X, Lu X, Qu Y, Lei F. Evolution of beak morphology in the Ground Tit revealed by comparative transcriptomics. Front Zool 2017; 14:58. [PMID: 29299037 PMCID: PMC5740785 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0245-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Beak morphology exhibits considerable adaptive plasticity in birds, which results in highly varied or specialized forms in response to variations in ecology and life history. As the only parid species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Ground Tit (Parus humilis) has evolved a distinctly long and curved beak from other parids. An integration of morphometrics, phylogenetics, transcriptomics and embryology allows us to address the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of the adaptive beak structure observed in the Ground Tit. Results A morphometric approach quantified that the Ground Tit has a comparatively longer and more decurved upper beaks than other parids. We estimated that the ancestor of the Ground Tit likely had a short straight upper beak similar to most current recognized parid species using an ancestral state reconstruction. This morphological specialization is considered an adaptation to its ground-oriented behavior on the high plateau. To identify genetic mechanisms behind this adaptive change, a comparative transcriptomic analysis was applied between the Ground Tit and its closely related species, the Great Tit (Parus major). We detected that 623 genes were significantly differentially expressed in embryonic upper beaks between the two species, 17 of which were functionally annotated to correlate with bone development and morphogenesis, although genes related to bone development were not found to undergo accelerated evolution in the Ground Tit. RT-qPCR validation confirmed differential expression of five out of eight genes that were selected from the 17 genes. Subsequent functional assays in chicken embryos demonstrated that two of these genes, FGF13 and ITGB3, may affect beak morphology by modulating levels of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Conclusions Our results provide preliminary evidence that development of the long decurved beak of the Ground Tit is likely regulated by transcriptional activities of multiple genes coordinating osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The integration of multiple approaches employed here sheds light on ecological and genetic mechanisms in the evolution of avian morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalin Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Bin Gao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Haitao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024 China
| | - Naijian Han
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Shimiao Shao
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Shaoyuan Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116 China
| | - Gang Song
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Yong E Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Xiaojia Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Xin Lu
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072 China
| | - Yanhua Qu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Fumin Lei
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
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Abzhanov A. The old and new faces of morphology: the legacy of D'Arcy Thompson's 'theory of transformations' and 'laws of growth'. Development 2017; 144:4284-4297. [PMID: 29183941 DOI: 10.1242/dev.137505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In 1917, the publication of On Growth and Form by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson challenged both mathematicians and naturalists to think about biological shapes and diversity as more than a confusion of chaotic forms generated at random, but rather as geometric shapes that could be described by principles of physics and mathematics. Thompson's work was based on the ideas of Galileo and Goethe on morphology and of Russell on functionalism, but he was first to postulate that physical forces and internal growth parameters regulate biological forms and could be revealed via geometric transformations in morphological space. Such precise mathematical structure suggested a unifying generative process, as reflected in the title of the book. To Thompson it was growth that could explain the generation of any particular biological form, and changes in ontogeny, rather than natural selection, could then explain the diversity of biological shapes. Whereas adaptationism, widely accepted in evolutionary biology, gives primacy to extrinsic factors in producing morphological variation, Thompson's 'laws of growth' provide intrinsic directives and constraints for the generation of individual shapes, helping to explain the 'profusion of forms, colours, and other modifications' observed in the living world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK .,Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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Wang M, Li Z, Zhou Z. Insight into the growth pattern and bone fusion of basal birds from an Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:11470-11475. [PMID: 29073073 PMCID: PMC5664513 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707237114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bird skeletons exhibit remarkable modifications that allow for flight. The most distinguishable features are the fusion of the bones in the hand, feet, and pelvis into composite rigid and bony structures. However, the historical origins of these avian bone fusions remain elusive because of the rarity of transitional fossils and developmental studies on modern birds. Here, we describe an Early Cretaceous bird (120 Mya) that has fully fused alular-major metacarpals and pelvis. We discuss the manus and pelvis fusions across Paravian phylogeny and demonstrate that these features evolved independently across nonavian theropods, Enantiornithes, and Ornithuromorpha. The fusions of these bones are rare in known nonavian theropods and Early Cretaceous birds but are well established among Late Cretaceous and modern birds, revealing a complicated evolution pattern unrecognized previously. We posit that the developments of bone fusion were polymorphic close to the origin of birds, resulting in the varying degrees of fusion in Paraves. However, that development polymorphism appears to be fundamentally restricted along the line to modern birds by the Late Cretaceous, where all birds have a completely fused manus and pelvis. Such changes likely correspond to a refinement of flight capability. Alternatively, the degree of bone fusion in this primitive bird may have been related to modifications in genes or developmental paths. Future studies and fossil discoveries are required to clarify these hypotheses and pinpoint the developmental pathways involving the bone fusions in early avian evolution through to their modern pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Zhiheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Zhonghe Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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Werner J, Griebeler EM. Was endothermy in amniotes induced by an early stop in growth during ontogeny? Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:90. [PMID: 29022052 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1513-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Endothermy and its evolution are still an unresolved issue. Here, we present a model which transforms an ectothermic amniote (ancestor) into a derived amniote (descendant) showing many characteristics seen in extant endothermic birds and mammals. Consistent with the fossil record within the ancestral lineages of birds and mammals, the model assumes that mutations in genes which get active during ontogeny and affect body growth resulted in a reduced asymptotic body size and an early growth stop of the descendant. We show that such a postulated early growth stop in the descendant simultaneously increases the growth rate and metabolic rate, and also changes six life history traits (offspring mass, annual clutch/litter mass, number of offspring per year, age and mass at which sexual maturity is reached, age at which the individual is fully grown) of the descendant compared to a similar-sized ancestor. All these changes coincide with known differences between recent ectothermic and endothermic amniotes. We also elaborate many other differences and similarities in biological characteristics supporting the early growth stop. An early stop in growth during ontogeny thus could have played a key role in the evolution of endothermy within the reptilia and therapsids. It generated variability in characteristics of ancestral ectotherms, which was subject to natural selection in the past and resulted in many adaptations linked to endothermy in today's birds and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Werner
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, P.O. Box 3980, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Eva Maria Griebeler
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, P.O. Box 3980, 55099, Mainz, Germany
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Singh P, Börger C, More H, Sturmbauer C. The Role of Alternative Splicing and Differential Gene Expression in Cichlid Adaptive Radiation. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:2764-2781. [PMID: 29036566 PMCID: PMC5737861 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Species diverge eco-morphologically through the continuous action of natural selection on functionally important structures, producing alternative adaptive morphologies. In cichlid fishes, the oral and pharyngeal jaws are such key structures. Adaptive variation in jaw morphology contributes to trophic specialization, which is hypothesized to fuel their rapid speciation in the East African Great Lakes. Much is known about the genes involved in cichlid jaw and craniofacial development. However, it is still unclear what salient sources of variation gave rise to trophic-niche specialization, facilitating adaptive radiation. Here, we explore two sources of transcriptional variation that may underlie species-specific disparities in jaw morphology. Using whole transcriptome RNA-sequencing, we analyze differences in gene expression and alternative splicing, at the end of postlarval development, in fully functional jaws of six species of cichlids from the Lake Tanganyika tribe Tropheini. Our data reveal a surprisingly high degree of alternative splicing events compared with gene expression differences among species and trophic types. This suggests that differential trophic adaptation of the jaw apparatus may have been shaped by transcriptional rewiring of splicing as well as gene expression variation during the rapid radiation of the Tropheini. Specifically, genes undergoing splicing across most species were found to be enriched for pharyngeal jaw gene ontology terms. Overall, jaw transcriptional patterns at postlarval developmental stage were highly dynamic and species-specific. In conclusion, this work indicates that shifts in alternative splicing could have played a more important role in cichlid adaptive radiation, and possibly adaptive radiation in general, than currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Singh
- Department of Zoology, University of Graz, Austria
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Heather More
- Department of Zoology, University of Graz, Austria
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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The skull roof tracks the brain during the evolution and development of reptiles including birds. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:1543-1550. [PMID: 29185519 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0288-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Major transformations in brain size and proportions, such as the enlargement of the brain during the evolution of birds, are accompanied by profound modifications to the skull roof. However, the hypothesis of concerted evolution of shape between brain and skull roof over major phylogenetic transitions, and in particular of an ontogenetic relationship between specific regions of the brain and the skull roof, has never been formally tested. We performed 3D morphometric analyses to examine the deep history of brain and skull-roof morphology in Reptilia, focusing on changes during the well-documented transition from early reptiles through archosauromorphs, including nonavian dinosaurs, to birds. Non-avialan taxa cluster tightly together in morphospace, whereas Archaeopteryx and crown birds occupy a separate region. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the forebrain and frontal bone and the midbrain and parietal bone. Furthermore, the position of the forebrain-midbrain boundary correlates significantly with the position of the frontoparietal suture across the phylogenetic breadth of Reptilia and during the ontogeny of individual taxa. Conservation of position and identity in the skull roof is apparent, and there is no support for previous hypotheses that the avian parietal is a transformed postparietal. The correlation and apparent developmental link between regions of the brain and bony skull elements are likely to be ancestral to Tetrapoda and may be fundamental to all of Osteichthyes, coeval with the origin of the dermatocranium.
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48
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Mohanan KP. Conceptual foundations of evolutionary thought. J Genet 2017; 96:401-412. [PMID: 28761005 DOI: 10.1007/s12041-017-0789-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K P Mohanan
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411 008, India.
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49
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Lencer ES, Warren WC, Harrison R, McCune AR. The Cyprinodon variegatus genome reveals gene expression changes underlying differences in skull morphology among closely related species. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:424. [PMID: 28558659 PMCID: PMC5450241 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3810-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the genetic and developmental origins of phenotypic novelty is central to the study of biological diversity. In this study we identify modifications to the expression of genes at four developmental stages that may underlie jaw morphological differences among three closely related species of pupfish (genus Cyprinodon) from San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Pupfishes on San Salvador Island are trophically differentiated and include two endemic species that have evolved jaw morphologies unlike that of any other species in the genus Cyprinodon. RESULTS We find that gene expression differs significantly across recently diverged species of pupfish. Genes such as Bmp4 and calmodulin, previously implicated in jaw diversification in African cichlid fishes and Galapagos finches, were not found to be differentially expressed among species of pupfish. Instead we find multiple growth factors and cytokine/chemokine genes to be differentially expressed among these pupfish taxa. These include both genes and pathways known to affect craniofacial development, such as Wnt signaling, as well as novel genes and pathways not previously implicated in craniofacial development. These data highlight both shared and potentially unique sources of jaw diversity in pupfish and those identified in other evolutionary model systems such as Galapagos finches and African cichlids. CONCLUSIONS We identify modifications to the expression of genes involved in Wnt signaling, Igf signaling, and the inflammation response as promising avenues for future research. Our project provides insight into the magnitude of gene expression changes contributing to the evolution of morphological novelties, such as jaw structure, in recently diverged pupfish species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezra S Lencer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
| | - Wesley C Warren
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Richard Harrison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Amy R McCune
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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50
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Gussekloo SWS, Berthaume MA, Pulaski DR, Westbroek I, Waarsing JH, Heinen R, Grosse IR, Dumont ER. Functional and evolutionary consequences of cranial fenestration in birds. Evolution 2017; 71:1327-1338. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sander W. S. Gussekloo
- Experimental Zoology Group Wageningen University PO‐Box 338 NL‐6700 AH Wageningen the Netherlands
| | - Michael A. Berthaume
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering University of Massachusetts at Amherst 160 Governors Drive Amherst Massachusetts 01003–2210
- Department of Anthropology University of Massachusetts at Amherst 215 Machmer Hall Amherst Massachusetts 01003
- Current Address: Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Deutscher Platz 6 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - Daniel R. Pulaski
- Department of Biology University of Massachusetts at Amherst 221 Morrill Science Center Amherst Massachusetts 01003
| | - Irene Westbroek
- Orthopaedics Research Laboratory Erasmus MC P.O. Box 2040 3000 CA Rotterdam the Netherlands
| | - Jan H. Waarsing
- Orthopaedics Research Laboratory Erasmus MC P.O. Box 2040 3000 CA Rotterdam the Netherlands
| | - Robin Heinen
- Experimental Zoology Group Wageningen University PO‐Box 338 NL‐6700 AH Wageningen the Netherlands
- Current Address: Department of Terrestrial Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Droevendaalsesteeg 10 6708PB Wageningen the Netherlands
| | - Ian R. Grosse
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering University of Massachusetts at Amherst 160 Governors Drive Amherst Massachusetts 01003–2210
| | - Elizabeth R. Dumont
- Department of Biology University of Massachusetts at Amherst 221 Morrill Science Center Amherst Massachusetts 01003
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