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Puértolas-Pascual E, Kuzmin IT, Serrano-Martínez A, Mateus O. Neuroanatomy of the crocodylomorph Portugalosuchus azenhae from the late cretaceous of Portugal. J Anat 2023; 242:1146-1171. [PMID: 36732084 PMCID: PMC10184551 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13836] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We present the first detailed braincase anatomical description and neuroanatomical study of Portugalosuchus azenhae, from the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of Portugal. This eusuchian crocodylomorph was originally described as a putative Crocodylia and one of the oldest representatives of this clade; however, its phylogenetic position remains controversial. Based on new data obtained from high resolution Computed Tomography images (by micro-CT scan), this study aims to improve the original description of this taxon and also update the scarce neuroanatomical knowledge of Eusuchia and Crocodylia from this time interval, a key period to understand the origin and evolution of these clades. The resulting three-dimensional models from the CT data allowed a detailed description of its well-preserved neurocranium and internal cavities. Therefore, it was possible to reconstruct the cavities of the olfactory region, nasopharyngeal ducts, brain, nerves, carotid arteries, blood vessels, paratympanic sinus system and inner ear, which allowed to estimate some neurosensorial capabilities. By comparison with other crocodylomorphs, these analyses showed that Portugalosuchus, back in the Cenomanian, already displayed an olfactive acuity, sight, hearing and cognitive skills within the range of that observed in other basal eusuchians and crocodylians, including extant species. In addition, and in order to test its disputed phylogenetic position, these new anatomical data, which helped to correct and complete some of the original observations, were included in one of the most recent morphology-based phylogenies. The position of Portugalosuchus differs slightly from the original publication since it is now located as a "thoracosaurid" within Gavialoidea, but still as a crocodylian. Despite all this, to better contrast these results, additional phylogenetic analyses including this new morphological character coding together with DNA data should be performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Puértolas-Pascual
- Aragosaurus-IUCA, Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,GeoBioTec, Departamento de Ciências da Terra FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Museu da Lourinhã, Lourinhã, Portugal
| | - Ivan T Kuzmin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | | | - Octávio Mateus
- GeoBioTec, Departamento de Ciências da Terra FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.,Museu da Lourinhã, Lourinhã, Portugal
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2
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Pullin AN, Farrar VS, Loxterkamp JW, Jones CT, Calisi RM, Horback K, Lein PJ, Makagon MM. Providing height to pullets does not influence hippocampal dendritic morphology or brain-derived neurotrophic factor at the end of the rearing period. Poult Sci 2022; 101:102161. [PMID: 36252500 PMCID: PMC9579382 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pullets reared with diverse behavioral experiences are faster to learn spatial cognition tasks and acclimate more successfully to laying environments with elevated structures. However, the neural underpinnings of the improved spatial abilities are unclear. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing structural height in the rearing environment affected the development of the hippocampus and whether hippocampal neural metrics correlated with individual behavior on spatial cognition tasks. Female Dekalb White pullets were reared in a floor pen (FL), single-tiered aviary (ST), or two-tiered aviary (TT; 5 pens/treatment). Pullets completed floor-based Y-maze and elevated visual cliff tasks to evaluate depth perception at 15 and 16 wk, respectively. At 16 wk, brains were removed for Golgi-Cox staining (n = 12 for FL, 13 for ST, 13 total pullets for TT; 2 to 3 pullets/pen) and qPCR to measure gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; n = 10 for FL, 11 for ST, and 9 pullets for TT). Rearing environment did not affect various morphometric outcomes of dendritic arborization, including Sholl profiles; mean dendritic length; sum dendritic length; number of dendrites, terminal tips, or nodes; soma size; or BDNF mRNA expression (P > 0.05). Hippocampal subregion did affect dendritic morphology, with multipolar neurons from the ventral subregion differing in several characteristics from multipolar neurons in the dorsomedial or dorsolateral subregions (P < 0.05). Neural metrics did not correlate with individual differences in behavior during the spatial cognition tasks. Overall, providing height during rearing did not affect dendritic morphology or BDNF at 16 wk of age, but other metrics in the hippocampus or other brain regions warrant further investigation. Additionally, other structural or social components or the role of animal personality are areas of future interest for how rearing environments influence pullet behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison N. Pullin
- Center for Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Corresponding author:
| | - Victoria S. Farrar
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jason W. Loxterkamp
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Claire T. Jones
- Center for Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Rebecca M. Calisi
- Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kristina Horback
- Center for Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Pamela J. Lein
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Maja M. Makagon
- Center for Animal Welfare, Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Nakao T, Yamasaki T, Ogihara N, Shimada M. Relationship between flightlessness and brain morphology among Rallidae. J Anat 2022; 241:776-788. [PMID: 35608388 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13690] [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: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have suggested that the brain morphology and flight ability of Aves are interrelated; however, such a relationship has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to examine whether flight ability, volant or flightless, affects brain morphology (size and shape) in the Rallidae, which has independently evolved to adapt secondary flightlessness multiple times within a single taxonomic group. Brain endocasts were extracted from computed tomography images of the crania, measured by 3D geometric morphometrics, and were analyzed using principal component analysis. The results of phylogenetic ANCOVA showed that flightless rails have brain sizes and shapes that are significantly larger than and different from those of volant rails, even after considering the effects of body mass and brain size respectively. Flightless rails tended to have a wider telencephalon and more inferiorly positioned foramen magnum than volant rails. Although the brain is an organ that requires a large amount of metabolic energy, reduced selective pressure for a lower body weight may have allowed flightless rails to have larger brains. The evolution of flightlessness may have changed the position of the foramen magnum downward, which would have allowed the support of the heavier cranium. The larger brain may have facilitated the acquisition of cognitively advanced behavior, such as tool-using behavior, among rails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuro Nakao
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Teikyo University of Science, Uenohara, Japan
| | | | - Naomichi Ogihara
- Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaki Shimada
- Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Uenohara, Japan
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4
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Percival CJ, Devine J, Hassan CR, Vidal-Garcia M, O'Connor-Coates CJ, Zaffarini E, Roseman C, Katz D, Hallgrimsson B. The genetic basis of neurocranial size and shape across varied lab mouse populations. J Anat 2022; 241:211-229. [PMID: 35357006 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13657] [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: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain and skull tissues interact through molecular signalling and mechanical forces during head development, leading to a strong correlation between the neurocranium and the external brain surface. Therefore, when brain tissue is unavailable, neurocranial endocasts are often used to approximate brain size and shape. Evolutionary changes in brain morphology may have resulted in secondary changes to neurocranial morphology, but the developmental and genetic processes underlying this relationship are not well understood. Using automated phenotyping methods, we quantified the genetic basis of endocast variation across large genetically varied populations of laboratory mice in two ways: (1) to determine the contributions of various genetic factors to neurocranial form and (2) to help clarify whether a neurocranial variation is based on genetic variation that primarily impacts bone development or on genetic variation that primarily impacts brain development, leading to secondary changes in bone morphology. Our results indicate that endocast size is highly heritable and is primarily determined by additive genetic factors. In addition, a non-additive inbreeding effect led to founder strains with lower neurocranial size, but relatively large brains compared to skull size; suggesting stronger canalization of brain size and/or a general allometric effect. Within an outbred sample of mice, we identified a locus on mouse chromosome 1 that is significantly associated with variation in several positively correlated endocast size measures. Because the protein-coding genes at this locus have been previously associated with brain development and not with bone development, we propose that genetic variation at this locus leads primarily to variation in brain volume that secondarily leads to changes in neurocranial globularity. We identify a strain-specific missense mutation within Akt3 that is a strong causal candidate for this genetic effect. Whilst it is not appropriate to generalize our hypothesis for this single locus to all other loci that also contribute to the complex trait of neurocranial skull morphology, our results further reveal the genetic basis of neurocranial variation and highlight the importance of the mechanical influence of brain growth in determining skull morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jay Devine
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Marta Vidal-Garcia
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Eva Zaffarini
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
| | - Charles Roseman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - David Katz
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Canada
| | - Benedikt Hallgrimsson
- Cell Biology and Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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5
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New Remains of Scandiavis mikkelseni Inform Avian Phylogenetic Relationships and Brain Evolution. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13120651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although an increasing number of studies are combining skeletal and neural morphology data in a phylogenetic context, most studies do not include extinct taxa due to the rarity of preserved endocasts. The early Eocene avifauna of the Fur Formation of Denmark presents an excellent opportunity for further study of extinct osteological and endocranial morphology as fossils are often exceptionally preserved in three dimensions. Here, we use X-ray computed tomography to present additional material of the previously described taxon Scandiavis mikkelseni and reassess its phylogenetic placement using a previously published dataset. The new specimen provides novel insights into the osteological morphology and brain anatomy of Scandiavis. The virtual endocast exhibits a morphology comparable to that of modern avian species. Endocranial evaluation shows that it was remarkably similar to that of certain extant Charadriiformes, yet also possessed a novel combination of traits. This may mean that traits previously proposed to be the result of shifts in ecology later in the evolutionary history of Charadriiformes may instead show a more complex distribution in stem Charadriiformes and/or Gruiformes depending on the interrelationships of these important clades. Evaluation of skeletal and endocranial character state changes within a previously published phylogeny confirms both S. mikkelseni and a putative extinct charadriiform, Nahmavis grandei, as charadriiform. Results bolster the likelihood that both taxa are critical fossils for divergence dating and highlight a biogeographic pattern similar to that of Gruiformes.
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Ristevski J, Price GJ, Weisbecker V, Salisbury SW. First record of a tomistomine crocodylian from Australia. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12158. [PMID: 34108569 PMCID: PMC8190066 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91717-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the known fossil record, the majority of crocodylians from the Cenozoic Era of Australia are referred to the extinct clade Mekosuchinae. The only extant crocodylians in Australia are two species of Crocodylus. Hence, the viewpoint that Crocodylus and mekosuchines have been the only crocodylians inhabiting Australia during the Cenozoic has remained largely undisputed. Herein we describe Australia's first tomistomine crocodylian, Gunggamarandu maunala gen. et sp. nov., thus challenging the notion of mekosuchine dominance during most of the Cenozoic. The holotype specimen of Gunggamarandu maunala derives from the Pliocene or Pleistocene of south-eastern Queensland, marking the southern-most global record for Tomistominae. Gunggamarandu maunala is known from a large, incomplete cranium that possesses a unique combination of features that distinguishes it from other crocodylians. Phylogenetic analyses place Gunggamarandu in a basal position within Tomistominae, specifically as a sister taxon to Dollosuchoides from the Eocene of Europe. These results hint at a potential ghost lineage between European and Australian tomistomines going back more than 50 million years. The cranial proportions of the Gunggamarandu maunala holotype specimen indicate it is the largest crocodyliform yet discovered from Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorgo Ristevski
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Gilbert J Price
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Steven W Salisbury
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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7
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Knoll F, Kawabe S. Avian palaeoneurology: Reflections on the eve of its 200th anniversary. J Anat 2020; 236:965-979. [PMID: 31999834 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 12/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In birds, the brain (especially the telencephalon) is remarkably developed, both in relative volume and complexity. Unlike in most early-branching sauropsids, the adults of birds and other archosaurs have a well-ossified neurocranium. In contrast to the situation in most of their reptilian relatives but similar to what can be seen in mammals, the brains of birds fit closely to the endocranial cavity so that their major external features are reflected in the endocasts. This makes birds a highly suitable group for palaeoneurological investigations. The first observation about the brain in a long-extinct bird was made in the first quarter of the 19th century. However, it was not until the 2000s and the application of modern imaging technologies that avian palaeoneurology really took off. Understanding how the mode of life is reflected in the external morphology of the brains of birds is but one of several future directions in which avian palaeoneurological research may extend. Although the number of fossil specimens suitable for palaeoneurological explorations is considerably smaller in birds than in mammals and will very likely remain so, the coming years will certainly witness a momentous strengthening of this rapidly growing field of research at the overlap between ornithology, palaeontology, evolutionary biology and neurosciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Knoll
- ARAID-Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis, Teruel, Spain.,Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Soichiro Kawabe
- Institute of Dinosaur Research, Fukui Prefectural University, Fukui, Japan.,Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Fukui, Japan
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8
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Ridgway SH, Carlin KP, Van Alstyne KR, Hanson AC, Tarpley RJ. Comparison of Dolphins' Body and Brain Measurements with Four Other Groups of Cetaceans Reveals Great Diversity. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2017; 88:235-257. [PMID: 28122370 DOI: 10.1159/000454797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We compared mature dolphins with 4 other groupings of mature cetaceans. With a large data set, we found great brain diversity among 5 different taxonomic groupings. The dolphins in our data set ranged in body mass from about 40 to 6,750 kg and in brain mass from 0.4 to 9.3 kg. Dolphin body length ranged from 1.3 to 7.6 m. In our combined data set from the 4 other groups of cetaceans, body mass ranged from about 20 to 120,000 kg and brain mass from about 0.2 to 9.2 kg, while body length varied from 1.21 to 26.8 m. Not all cetaceans have large brains relative to their body size. A few dolphins near human body size have human-sized brains. On the other hand, the absolute brain mass of some other cetaceans is only one-sixth as large. We found that brain volume relative to body mass decreases from Delphinidae to a group of Phocoenidae and Monodontidae, to a group of other odontocetes, to Balaenopteroidea, and finally to Balaenidae. We also found the same general trend when we compared brain volume relative to body length, except that the Delphinidae and Phocoenidae-Monodontidae groups do not differ significantly. The Balaenidae have the smallest relative brain mass and the lowest cerebral cortex surface area. Brain parts also vary. Relative to body mass and to body length, dolphins also have the largest cerebellums. Cortex surface area is isometric with brain size when we exclude the Balaenidae. Our data show that the brains of Balaenidae are less convoluted than those of the other cetaceans measured. Large vascular networks inside the cranial vault may help to maintain brain temperature, and these nonbrain tissues increase in volume with body mass and with body length ranging from 8 to 65% of the endocranial volume. Because endocranial vascular networks and other adnexa, such as the tentorium cerebelli, vary so much in different species, brain size measures from endocasts of some extinct cetaceans may be overestimates. Our regression of body length on endocranial adnexa might be used for better estimates of brain volume from endocasts or from endocranial volume of living species or extinct cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam H Ridgway
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
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9
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Proffitt JV, Clarke JA, Scofield RP. Novel insights into early neuroanatomical evolution in penguins from the oldest described penguin brain endocast. J Anat 2016; 229:228-38. [PMID: 26916364 PMCID: PMC4948054 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Digital methodologies for rendering the gross morphology of the brain from X-ray computed tomography data have expanded our current understanding of the origin and evolution of avian neuroanatomy and provided new perspectives on the cognition and behavior of birds in deep time. However, fossil skulls germane to extracting digital endocasts from early stem members of extant avian lineages remain exceptionally rare. Data from early-diverging species of major avian subclades provide key information on ancestral morphologies in Aves and shifts in gross neuroanatomical structure that have occurred within those groups. Here we describe data on the gross morphology of the brain from a mid-to-late Paleocene penguin fossil from New Zealand. This most basal and geochronologically earliest-described endocast from the penguin clade indicates that described neuroanatomical features of early stem penguins, such as lower telencephalic lateral expansion, a relatively wider cerebellum, and lack of cerebellar folding, were present far earlier in penguin history than previously inferred. Limited dorsal expansion of the wulst in the new fossil is a feature seen in outgroup waterbird taxa such as Gaviidae (Loons) and diving Procellariiformes (Shearwaters, Diving Petrels, and allies), indicating that loss of flight may not drastically affect neuroanatomy in diving taxa. Wulst enlargement in the penguin lineage is first seen in the late Eocene, at least 25 million years after loss of flight and cooption of the flight stroke for aquatic diving. Similar to the origin of avian flight, major shifts in gross brain morphology follow, but do not appear to evolve quickly after, acquisition of a novel locomotor mode. Enlargement of the wulst shows a complex pattern across waterbirds, and may be linked to sensory modifications related to prey choice and foraging strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. V. Proffitt
- Jackson School of GeosciencesThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
| | - J. A. Clarke
- Jackson School of GeosciencesThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTXUSA
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10
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Carril J, Tambussi CP, Degrange FJ, Benitez Saldivar MJ, Picasso MBJ. Comparative brain morphology of Neotropical parrots (Aves, Psittaciformes) inferred from virtual 3D endocasts. J Anat 2015; 229:239-51. [PMID: 26053196 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Psittaciformes are a very diverse group of non-passerine birds, with advanced cognitive abilities and highly developed locomotor and feeding behaviours. Using computed tomography and three-dimensional (3D) visualization software, the endocasts of 14 extant Neotropical parrots were reconstructed, with the aim of analysing, comparing and exploring the morphology of the brain within the clade. A 3D geomorphometric analysis was performed, and the encephalization quotient (EQ) was calculated. Brain morphology character states were traced onto a Psittaciformes tree in order to facilitate interpretation of morphological traits in a phylogenetic context. Our results indicate that: (i) there are two conspicuously distinct brain morphologies, one considered walnut type (quadrangular and wider than long) and the other rounded (narrower and rostrally tapered); (ii) Psittaciformes possess a noticeable notch between hemisphaeria that divides the bulbus olfactorius; (iii) the plesiomorphic and most frequently observed characteristics of Neotropical parrots are a rostrally tapered telencephalon in dorsal view, distinctly enlarged dorsal expansion of the eminentia sagittalis and conspicuous fissura mediana; (iv) there is a positive correlation between body mass and brain volume; (v) psittacids are characterized by high EQ values that suggest high brain volumes in relation to their body masses; and (vi) the endocranial morphology of the Psittaciformes as a whole is distinctive relative to other birds. This new knowledge of brain morphology offers much potential for further insight in paleoneurological, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Carril
- Cátedra de Histología y Embriología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina
| | - Claudia Patricia Tambussi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Federico Javier Degrange
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones Paleobiológicas (CIPAL), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Juliana Benitez Saldivar
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.,Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana Beatriz Julieta Picasso
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.,División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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11
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Ridgway SH, Hanson AC. Sperm Whales and Killer Whales with the Largest Brains of All Toothed Whales Show Extreme Differences in Cerebellum. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2014; 83:266-74. [DOI: 10.1159/000360519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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12
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Kawabe S, Ando T, Endo H. Enigmatic affinity in the brain morphology between plotopterids and penguins, with a comprehensive comparison among water birds. Zool J Linn Soc 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Soichiro Kawabe
- The University Museum; The University of Tokyo; Tokyo Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science; The University of Tokyo; Tokyo Japan
- Gifu Prefectural Museum; Gifu Japan
| | | | - Hideki Endo
- The University Museum; The University of Tokyo; Tokyo Japan
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13
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Kawabe S, Shimokawa T, Miki H, Matsuda S, Endo H. Variation in avian brain shape: relationship with size and orbital shape. J Anat 2013; 223:495-508. [PMID: 24020351 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is wide variation in brain shape among birds. Differences in brain dimensions reflect species-specific sensory capacities and behavioral repertoires that are shaped by environmental and biological factors during evolution. Most previous studies aimed at defining factors impacting brain shape have used volumetric or linear measurements. However, few have explored the quantitative indices of three-dimensional (3D) brain geometry that are absolutely imperative to understanding avian evolutionary history. This study aimed: (i) to explore the relationship between brain shape and overall brain size; and (ii) to assess the relationship between brain shape and orbital shape. Avian brain endocasts were reconstructed from computed tomography images and analyzed using 3D geometric morphometrics. Principal component analysis revealed dominant regional variations in avian brain shape and shape correlations between the telencephalon and cerebellum, between the cerebellum and myelencephalon, and between the diencephalon and optic tectum. Brain shape changes relative to total brain size were determined by multivariate regression analysis. Larger brain size was associated with a relatively slender telencephalon and differences in brain orientation. The correlation between brain shape and orbital shape was assessed by two-block partial least-squares analysis. Relatively round brains with a ventrally flexed brain base were associated with rounder orbits, while narrower brains with a flat brain base were associated with more elongated orbits. The shapes of functionally associated avian brain regions are correlated, and orbital size and shape are dominant factors influencing the overall shape of the avian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soichiro Kawabe
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Gifu Prefectural Museum, Gifu, Japan
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Smith NA, Clarke JA. Endocranial anatomy of the charadriiformes: sensory system variation and the evolution of wing-propelled diving. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49584. [PMID: 23209585 PMCID: PMC3507831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Just as skeletal characteristics provide clues regarding behavior of extinct vertebrates, phylogenetically-informed evaluation of endocranial morphology facilitates comparisons among extinct taxa and extant taxa with known behavioral characteristics. Previous research has established that endocranial morphology varies across Aves; however, variation of those systems among closely related species remains largely unexplored. The Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) are an ecologically diverse clade with a comparatively rich fossil record, and therefore, are well suited for investigating interspecies variation, and potential links between endocranial morphology, phylogeny, ecology and other life history attributes. Endocranial endocasts were rendered from high resolution X-ray computed tomography data for 17 charadriiforms (15 extant and two flightless extinct species). Evaluation of endocranial character state changes on a phylogeny for Charadriiformes resulted in identification of characters that vary in taxa with distinct feeding and locomotor ecologies. In comparison with all other charadriiforms, stem and crown clade wing-propelled diving Pan-Alcidae displayed compressed semicircular canals, and indistinct occipital sinuses and cerebellar fissures. Flightless wing-propelled divers have relatively smaller brains for their body mass and smaller optic lobes than volant pan-alcids. Observed differences between volant and flightless wing-propelled sister taxa are striking given that flightless pan-alcids continue to rely on the flight stroke for underwater propulsion. Additionally, the brain of the Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, a taxon with a unique feeding ecology that involves continuous forward aerial motion and touch-based prey detection used both at day and night, is discovered to be unlike that of any other sampled charadriiform in having an extremely large wulst as well as a small optic lobe and distinct occipital sinus. Notably, the differences between the Black Skimmer and other charadriiforms are more pronounced than between wing-propelled divers and other charadriiforms. Finally, aspects of endosseous labyrinth morphology are remarkably similar between divers and non-divers, and may deserve further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Adam Smith
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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