1
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Haruda A, Mazzucato C, Yeomans L. On the wing: Morphological variation in the osteology of Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and European Anatidae (excluding Anserinae). J Morphol 2024; 285:e21750. [PMID: 39032031 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21750] [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: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Accurate identification of waterfowl bones in archaeological and fossil assemblages has potential to unlock new methods of past environmental reconstruction, as species have differing habitat preferences and migration patterns. Therefore, identifying the presence of avian species with different ecological niches is key to determining past environments and ultimately how prehistoric people responded to climatic and environmental realignments. However, the identification of osteological remains of waterbirds such as ducks to species level is notoriously challenging. We address this by presenting a new two-dimensional geometric morphometric protocol on wing elements from over 20 duck species and test the utility of these shape data for correct species identification. This is an ideal starting point to expand utilization of these types of approaches in avifaunal research and test applicability to an extremely difficult taxonomic group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh Haruda
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Camilla Mazzucato
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lisa Yeomans
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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2
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Nyirimana P, Kondoh D, Tomiyasu J, Watanabe M, Okada Y, Nishida Y, Goto T. Morphological variation of tail bone among two chicken breeds and their F 1 progeny. J Morphol 2024; 285:e21704. [PMID: 38702980 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21704] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Fancy breeds of Japanese indigenous chicken display extensive morphological diversity, particularly in tail feathers. Although marked differences in tail and bone traits have been reported between Tosa-jidori (wild type) and Minohikichabo (rich type) breeds, little is known about the pattern of genetic inheritance in cross experiments. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the strain and sex effects, and inheritance patterns, in the morphometric variation of pygostyle bones among Tosa-jidori, Minohikichabo, and their F1 hybrids. Five morphological traits, angle of the apex of the pygostyle, pygostyle length, margo cranialis length, tail feather number, and body weight, were evaluated at the adult stage. A significant strain difference was detected in all traits, whereas significant sex differences were observed in only three traits, but not in the angle of the apex of the pygostyle and tail feather number. In F1 hybrids, the angle of the apex of the pygostyle was significantly different to that of Tosa-jidori but not that of Minohikichabo, whereas the pygostyle length and tail number of F1 hybrids were significantly different from those of Minohikichabo but not those of Tosa-jidori. A significant heterosis effect was found in the margo cranialis length and body weight. All five traits showed nonadditive inheritance patterns but varied in each trait between partial dominance (angle of the apex of pygostyle), full dominance (pygostyle length and tail feather number), and over-dominance (margo cranialis length and body weight). Interestingly, different patterns of genetic inheritance in the F1 hybrid were observed at different locations, even within the same pygostyle bone. Using the Japanese indigenous chicken model, these results provide a substantial step toward understanding the genetic architecture of morphology in chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prudence Nyirimana
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kondoh
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Jumpei Tomiyasu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Momoka Watanabe
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Yume Okada
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Yuma Nishida
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Tatsuhiko Goto
- Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
- Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
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3
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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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4
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Tyler J, Younger JL. Diving into a dead-end: asymmetric evolution of diving drives diversity and disparity shifts in waterbirds. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20222056. [PMID: 36515120 PMCID: PMC9748772 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Diving is a relatively uncommon and highly specialized foraging strategy in birds, mostly observed within the Aequorlitornithes (waterbirds) by groups such as penguins, cormorants and alcids. Three key diving techniques are employed within waterbirds: wing-propelled pursuit diving (e.g. penguins), foot-propelled pursuit diving (e.g. cormorants) and plunge diving (e.g. gannets). How many times diving evolved within waterbirds, whether plunge diving is an intermediate state between aerial foraging and submarine diving, and whether the transition to a diving niche is reversible are not known. Here, we elucidate the evolutionary history of diving in waterbirds. We show that diving has been acquired independently at least 14 times within waterbirds, and this acquisition is apparently irreversible, in a striking example of asymmetric evolution. All three modes of diving have evolved independently, with no evidence for plunge diving as an intermediate evolutionary state. Net diversification rates differ significantly between diving versus non-diving lineages, with some diving clades apparently prone to extinction. We find that body mass is evolving under multiple macroevolutionary regimes, with unique optima for each diving type with varying degrees of constraint. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of highly specialized lineages during the ongoing sixth mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Tyler
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Jane L. Younger
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK,Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia
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5
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Green TL, Kay DI, Gignac PM. Intraspecific variation and directional casque asymmetry in adult southern cassowaries (
Casuarius casuarius
). J Anat 2022; 241:951-965. [PMID: 35933695 PMCID: PMC9482693 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13733] [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: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The cranial casques of modern cassowaries (Casuarius) have long intrigued researchers; however, in‐depth studies regarding their morphological variation are scarce. Through visual inspection, it has been recognized that casque variability exists between conspecifics. Understanding casque variation has both evolutionary and ecological importance. Although hypothesized to be targeted by selection, intraspecific casque variation has not been quantified previously. Through a large sample of C. casuarius (n = 103), we compared casque shape (lateral and rostral views) between sexes and between individuals from non‐overlapping geographical regions using two‐dimensional (2D) geometric morphometrics. We found no statistically significant differences between the casque shape of females and males and few substantial shape differences between individuals from different geographic areas. Much of the intraspecific variation within C. casuarius is due to casque asymmetries (77.5% rightward deviating, 20.7% leftward deviating, and 1.8% non‐deviating from the midline; n = 111), which explain the high variability of southern cassowary casque shape, particularly from the rostral aspect. Finally, we discuss how our non‐significant findings implicate social selection theory, and we identify the benefits of quantifying such variation for further elucidating casque function(s) and the social biology of cassowaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd L. Green
- Department of Anatomy New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine Old Westbury New York USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Tulsa Oklahoma USA
| | - David Ian Kay
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Tulsa Oklahoma USA
| | - Paul M. Gignac
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences Tulsa Oklahoma USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson Arizona USA
- Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History New York New York USA
- MicroCT Imaging Consortium for Research and Outreach (MICRO) Fayetteville Arkansas USA
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6
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Di Biagio C, Dellacqua Z, Martini A, Huysseune A, Scardi M, Witten PE, Boglione C. A Baseline for Skeletal Investigations in Medaka ( Oryzias latipes): The Effects of Rearing Density on the Postcranial Phenotype. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:893699. [PMID: 35846331 PMCID: PMC9281570 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.893699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Oryzias latipes is increasingly used as a model in biomedical skeletal research. The standard approach is to generate genetic variants with particular skeletal phenotypes which resemble skeletal diseases in humans. The proper diagnosis of skeletal variation is key for this type of research. However, even laboratory rearing conditions can alter skeletal phenotypes. The subject of this study is the link between skeletal phenotypes and rearing conditions. Thus, wildtype medaka were reared from hatching to an early juvenile stage at low (LD: 5 individuals/L), medium (MD: 15 individuals/L), and high (HD: 45 individuals/L) densities. The objectives of the study are: (I) provide a comprehensive overview of the postcranial skeletal elements in medaka; (II) evaluate the effects of rearing density on specific meristic counts and on the variability in type and incidence of skeletal anomalies; (III) define the best laboratory settings to obtain a skeletal reference for a sound evaluation of future experimental conditions; (IV) contribute to elucidating the structural and cellular changes related to the onset of skeletal anomalies. The results from this study reveal that rearing densities greater than 5 medaka/L reduce the animals' growth. This reduction is related to decreased mineralization of dermal (fin rays) and perichondral (fin supporting elements) bone. Furthermore, high density increases anomalies affecting the caudal fin endoskeleton and dermal rays, and the preural vertebral centra. A series of static observations on Alizarin red S whole mount-stained preural fusions provide insights into the etiology of centra fusion. The fusion of preural centra involves the ectopic formation of bony bridges over the intact intervertebral ligament. An apparent consequence is the degradation of the intervertebral ligaments and the remodeling and reshaping of the fused vertebral centra into a biconoid-shaped centrum. From this study it can be concluded that it is paramount to take into account the rearing conditions, natural variability, skeletal phenotypic plasticity, and the genetic background along with species-specific peculiarities when screening for skeletal phenotypes of mutant or wildtype medaka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Di Biagio
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Gent University, Department of Biology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Zachary Dellacqua
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy
- Aquaculture Research Group (GIA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Institute of Sustainable Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA), Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Arianna Martini
- Laboratory of Experimental Ecology and Aquaculture, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Department of Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Ann Huysseune
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Gent University, Department of Biology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Michele Scardi
- Laboratory of Experimental Ecology and Aquaculture, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Department of Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Paul Eckhard Witten
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Gent University, Department of Biology, Gent, Belgium
| | - Clara Boglione
- Laboratory of Experimental Ecology and Aquaculture, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Department of Biology, Rome, Italy
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7
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Smith NA, Koeller KL, Clarke JA, Ksepka DT, Mitchell JS, Nabavizadeh A, Ridgley RC, Witmer LM. Convergent evolution in dippers (Aves, Cinclidae): The only wing-propelled diving songbirds. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:1563-1591. [PMID: 34813153 PMCID: PMC9298897 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Of the more than 6,000 members of the most speciose avian clade, Passeriformes (perching birds), only the five species of dippers (Cinclidae, Cinclus) use their wings to swim underwater. Among nonpasserine wing‐propelled divers (alcids, diving petrels, penguins, and plotopterids), convergent evolution of morphological characteristics related to this highly derived method of locomotion have been well‐documented, suggesting that the demands of this behavior exert strong selective pressure. However, despite their unique anatomical attributes, dippers have been the focus of comparatively few studies and potential convergence between dippers and nonpasseriform wing‐propelled divers has not been previously examined. In this study, a suite of characteristics that are shared among many wing‐propelled diving birds were identified and the distribution of those characteristics across representatives of all clades of extant and extinct wing‐propelled divers were evaluated to assess convergence. Putatively convergent characteristics were drawn from a relatively wide range of sources including osteology, myology, endocranial anatomy, integument, and ethology. Comparisons reveal that whereas nonpasseriform wing‐propelled divers do in fact share some anatomical characteristics putatively associated with the biomechanics of underwater “flight”, dippers have evolved this highly derived method of locomotion without converging on the majority of concomitant changes observed in other taxa. Changes in the flight musculature and feathers, reduction of the keratin bounded external nares and an increase in subcutaneous fat are shared with other wing‐propelled diving birds, but endocranial anatomy shows no significant shifts and osteological modifications are limited. Muscular and integumentary novelties may precede skeletal and neuroendocranial morphology in the acquisition of this novel locomotory mode, with implications for understanding potential biases in the fossil record of other such transitions. Thus, dippers represent an example of a highly derived and complex behavioral convergence that is not fully associated with the anatomical changes observed in other wing‐propelled divers, perhaps owing to the relative recency of their divergence from nondiving passeriforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Adam Smith
- Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.,Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Krista L Koeller
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julia A Clarke
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Jonathan S Mitchell
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Beckley, West Virginia, USA
| | - Ali Nabavizadeh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ryan C Ridgley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA
| | - Lawrence M Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA
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8
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Hamilton CA, Winiger N, Rubin JJ, Breinholt J, Rougerie R, Kitching IJ, Barber JR, Kawahara AY. Hidden phylogenomic signal helps elucidate arsenurine silkmoth phylogeny and the evolution of body size and wing shape trade-offs. Syst Biol 2021; 71:859-874. [PMID: 34791485 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the key objectives in biological research is understanding how evolutionary processes have produced Earth's diversity. A critical step towards revealing these processes is an investigation of evolutionary tradeoffs - that is, the opposing pressures of multiple selective forces. For millennia, nocturnal moths have had to balance successful flight, as they search for mates or host plants, with evading bat predators. However, the potential for evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape and body size are poorly understood. In this study, we used phylogenomics and geometric morphometrics to examine the evolution of wing shape in the wild silkmoth subfamily Arsenurinae (Saturniidae) and evaluate potential evolutionary relationships between body size and wing shape. The phylogeny was inferred based on 782 loci from target capture data of 42 arsenurine species representing all 10 recognized genera. After detecting in our data one of the most vexing problems in phylogenetic inference - a region of a tree that possesses short branches and no "support" for relationships (i.e., a polytomy), we looked for hidden phylogenomic signal (i.e., inspecting differing phylogenetic inferences, alternative support values, quartets, and phylogenetic networks) to better illuminate the most probable generic relationships within the subfamily. We found there are putative evolutionary trade-offs between wing shape, body size, and the interaction of fore- and hindwing shape. Namely, body size tends to decrease with increasing hindwing length but increases as forewing shape becomes more complex. Additionally, the type of hindwing (i.e., tail or no tail) a lineage possesses has a significant effect on the complexity of forewing shape. We outline possible selective forces driving the complex hindwing shapes that make Arsenurinae, and silkmoths as a whole, so charismatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris A Hamilton
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA.,Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology & Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844 USA
| | - Nathalie Winiger
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA.,Wildlife Ecology and Management, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Juliette J Rubin
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
| | - Jesse Breinholt
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA.,Division of Bioinformatics, Intermountain Healthcare, Precision Genomics, St. George, UT 84790 USA
| | - Rodolphe Rougerie
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Ian J Kitching
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Jesse R Barber
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725 USA
| | - Akito Y Kawahara
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
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9
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Reader LL, Carrier DR, Goller F, Isaacs MR, Crisp AM, Barnes CJ, Lee DV. Climbing parrots achieve pitch stability using forces and free moments produced by axial-appendicular couples. J Exp Biol 2021; 225:273380. [PMID: 34748013 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
During vertical climbing, the gravitational moment tends to pitch the animal's head away from the climbing surface and this may be countered by 1) applying a correcting torque at a discrete contact point, or 2) applying opposing horizontal forces at separate contact points to produce a free moment. We tested these potential strategies in small parrots with an experimental climbing apparatus imitating the fine branches and vines of their natural habitat. The birds climbed on a vertical ladder with four instrumented rungs that measured three-dimensional force and torque, representing the first measurements of multiple contacts from a climbing bird. The parrots ascend primarily by pulling themselves upward using the beak and feet. They resist the gravitational pitching moment with a free moment produced by horizontal force couples between the beak and feet during the first third of the stride and the tail and feet during the last third of the stride. The reaction torque from individual rungs did not counter, but exacerbated the gravitational pitching moment, which was countered entirely by the free moment. Possible climbing limitations were explored using two different rung radii, each with low and high friction surfaces. Rung torque was limited in the large-radius, low-friction condition, however, rung condition did not significantly influence free moments produced. These findings have implications for our understanding of avian locomotor modules (i.e., coordinated actions of the head-neck, hindlimbs, and tail), the use of force couples in vertical locomotion, and the evolution of associated structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey L Reader
- Department of Biology 201 South Biology Building, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - David R Carrier
- Department of Biology 201 South Biology Building, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Franz Goller
- Department of Biology 201 South Biology Building, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Michael R Isaacs
- School of Life Sciences, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Alexis Moore Crisp
- Iadarola Center, Room 204, Cabrini University, 610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19087, USA
| | - Clinton J Barnes
- School of Life Sciences, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - David V Lee
- School of Life Sciences, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
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10
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Schwaner MJ, Hsieh ST, Braasch I, Bradley S, Campos CB, Collins CE, Donatelli CM, Fish FE, Fitch OE, Flammang BE, Jackson BE, Jusufi A, Mekdara PJ, Patel A, Swalla BJ, Vickaryous M, McGowan CP. Future Tail Tales: A Forward-Looking, Integrative Perspective on Tail Research. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:521-537. [PMID: 33999184 PMCID: PMC8680820 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Synopsis Tails are a defining characteristic of chordates and show enormous diversity in function and shape. Although chordate tails share a common evolutionary and genetic-developmental origin, tails are extremely versatile in morphology and function. For example, tails can be short or long, thin or thick, and feathered or spiked, and they can be used for propulsion, communication, or balancing, and they mediate in predator-prey outcomes. Depending on the species of animal the tail is attached to, it can have extraordinarily multi-functional purposes. Despite its morphological diversity and broad functional roles, tails have not received similar scientific attention as, for example, the paired appendages such as legs or fins. This forward-looking review article is a first step toward interdisciplinary scientific synthesis in tail research. We discuss the importance of tail research in relation to five topics: (1) evolution and development, (2) regeneration, (3) functional morphology, (4) sensorimotor control, and (5) computational and physical models. Within each of these areas, we highlight areas of research and combinations of long-standing and new experimental approaches to move the field of tail research forward. To best advance a holistic understanding of tail evolution and function, it is imperative to embrace an interdisciplinary approach, re-integrating traditionally siloed fields around discussions on tail-related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Schwaner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - S T Hsieh
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - I Braasch
- Department of Integrative Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - S Bradley
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - C B Campos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
| | - C E Collins
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
| | - C M Donatelli
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - F E Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | - O E Fitch
- Department of Integrative Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - B E Flammang
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - B E Jackson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Longwood University, Farmville, VA 23909, USA
| | - A Jusufi
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany
| | - P J Mekdara
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - A Patel
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - B J Swalla
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - M Vickaryous
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - C P McGowan
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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11
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Fish FE, Rybczynski N, Lauder GV, Duff CM. The Role of the Tail or Lack Thereof in the Evolution of Tetrapod Aquatic Propulsion. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:398-413. [PMID: 33881525 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Synopsis Secondary aquatic vertebrates exhibit a diversity of swimming modes that use paired limbs and/or the tail. Various secondarily aquatic tetrapod clades, including amphibians, reptiles, and mammals employ transverse undulations or oscillations of the tail for swimming. These movements have often been classified according to a kinematic gradient that was established for fishes, but may not be appropriate to describe the swimming motions of tetrapods. To understand the evolution of movements and design of the tail in aquatic tetrapods, we categorize the types of tails used for swimming and examine swimming kinematics and hydrodynamics. From a foundation of a narrow, elongate ancestral tail, the tails used for swimming by aquatic tetrapods are classified as tapered, keeled, paddle, and lunate. Tail undulations are associated with tapered, keeled, and paddle tails for a diversity of taxa. Propulsive undulatory waves move down the tail with increasing amplitude toward the tail tip, while moving posteriorly at a velocity faster than the anterior motion of the body indicating that the tail is used for thrust generation. Aquatic propulsion is associated with the transfer of momentum to the water from the swimming movements of the tail, particularly at the trailing edge. The addition of transverse extensions and flattening of the tail increases the mass of water accelerated posteriorly and affects vorticity shed into the wake for more aquatically adapted animals. DPIV (Digital Particle Image Velocimetry) reveals differences were exhibited in the vortex wake between the morphological and kinematic extremes of the alligator with a tapering undulating tail and the dolphin with oscillating wing-like flukes that generate thrust. In addition to exploring the relationship between shape of undulating tails and swimming performance across aquatic tetrapods, the role of tail reduction or loss of a tail in aquatic-tetrapod swimming was also explored. For aquatic tetrapods, reduction would have been due to factors including locomotor and defensive specializations and phylogenetic and physiological constraints. Possession of a thrust-generating tail for swimming, or lack thereof, guided various lineages of secondarily aquatic vertebrates into different evolutionary trajectories for effective aquatic propulsion (i.e., speed, efficiency, acceleration).
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank E Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383, USA
| | - Natalia Rybczynski
- Department of Palaeobiology, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, K1P 6P4, Ontario, Canada
| | - George V Lauder
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Christina M Duff
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383, USA
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12
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Tse YT, Calede JJM. Quantifying the link between craniodental morphology and diet in the Soricidae using geometric morphometrics. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Dietary adaptations have often been associated with heightened taxonomic diversity. Yet, one of the most species-rich mammalian families, the Soricidae, is often considered to be ecologically and morphologically relatively homogenous. Here, we use geometric morphometrics to capture skull and dentary morphology in a broad sample of shrew species and test the hypothesis that morphological variation among shrew species reflects adaptations to food hardness. Our analyses demonstrate that morphology is associated with dietary ecology. Species that consume hard food items are larger and have specific morphological adaptions including an anteroposteriorly expanded parietal, an anteroposteriorly short and dorsoventrally tall rostrum, a mediolaterally wide palate, buccolingually wide cheek teeth, a large coronoid process and a dorsoventrally short jaw joint. The masseter muscle does not appear to play an important role in the strong bite force of shrews and the dentary is a better indicator of ecology than the skull. Our phylogenetic flexible discriminant function analysis suggests that the evolutionary history of shrews has shaped their morphology, canalizing dietary adaptations and enabling functional equivalence whereby different morphologies achieve similar dietary performances. Our work makes possible future studies of niche partitioning among sympatric species as well as the investigation of the diet of extinct soricids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen Ting Tse
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, OH, USA
- The Ohio State University at Marion, Marion, Ohio, OH, USA
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13
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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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14
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Distal spinal nerve development and divergence of avian groups. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6303. [PMID: 32286419 PMCID: PMC7156524 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63264-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The avian transition from long to short, distally fused tails during the Mesozoic ushered in the Pygostylian group, which includes modern birds. The avian tail embodies a bipartite anatomy, with the proximal separate caudal vertebrae region, and the distal pygostyle, formed by vertebral fusion. This study investigates developmental features of the two tail domains in different bird groups, and analyzes them in reference to evolutionary origins. We first defined the early developmental boundary between the two tail halves in the chicken, then followed major developmental structures from early embryo to post-hatching stages. Differences between regions were observed in sclerotome anterior/posterior polarity and peripheral nervous system development, and these were consistent in other neognathous birds. However, in the paleognathous emu, the neognathous pattern was not observed, such that spinal nerve development extends through the pygostyle region. Disparities between the neognaths and paleognaths studied were also reflected in the morphology of their pygostyles. The ancestral long-tailed spinal nerve configuration was hypothesized from brown anole and alligator, which unexpectedly more resembles the neognathous birds. This study shows that tail anatomy is not universal in avians, and suggests several possible scenarios regarding bird evolution, including an independent paleognathous long-tailed ancestor.
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15
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Felice RN, Tobias JA, Pigot AL, Goswami A. Dietary niche and the evolution of cranial morphology in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182677. [PMID: 30963827 PMCID: PMC6408879 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cranial morphology in birds is thought to be shaped by adaptive evolution for foraging performance. This understanding of ecomorphological evolution is supported by observations of avian island radiations, such as Darwin's finches, which display rapid evolution of skull shape in response to food resource availability and a strong fit between cranial phenotype and trophic ecology. However, a recent analysis of larger clades has suggested that diet is not necessarily a primary driver of cranial shape and that phylogeny and allometry are more significant factors in skull evolution. We use phenome-scale morphometric data across the breadth of extant bird diversity to test the influence of diet and foraging behaviour in shaping cranial evolution. We demonstrate that these trophic characters are significant but very weak predictors of cranial form at this scale. However, dietary groups exhibit significantly different rates of morphological evolution across multiple cranial regions. Granivores and nectarivores exhibit the highest rates of evolution in the face and cranial vault, whereas terrestrial carnivores evolve the slowest. The basisphenoid, occipital, and jaw joint regions have less extreme differences among dietary groups. These patterns demonstrate that dietary niche shapes the tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in deep time, despite a weaker than expected form–function relationship across large clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan N Felice
- 1 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London , London WC1E 6BT , UK.,3 Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum , London SW7 5DB , UK
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- 4 Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London , Ascot , UK
| | - Alex L Pigot
- 2 Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London , London WC1E 6BT , UK
| | - Anjali Goswami
- 2 Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London , London WC1E 6BT , UK.,3 Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum , London SW7 5DB , UK
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16
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Styga JM, Pienaar J, Scott PA, Earley RL. Does Body Shape in Fundulus Adapt to Variation in Habitat Salinity? Front Physiol 2019; 10:1400. [PMID: 31803063 PMCID: PMC6872640 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the ecological pressures that generate variation in body shape is important because body shape profoundly affects physiology and overall fitness. Using Fundulus, a genus of fish that exhibits considerable morphological and physiological variation with evidence of repeated transitions between freshwater and saltwater habitats, we tested whether habitat salinity has influenced the macroevolution of body shape at different stages in development. After accounting for phylogenetic inertia, we find that body shape deviates from the optimal streamlined shape in a manner consistent with different osmoregulatory pressures exerted by different salinity niches at every stage of ontogeny that we examined. We attribute variation in body shape to differential selection for osmoregulatory efficiency because: (1) saline intolerant species developed body shapes with relatively low surface areas more conducive to managing osmoregulatory demands and (2) inland species that exhibit high salinity tolerances have body shapes similar to saline tolerant species in marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Styga
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States.,Biology Program, Centre College, Danville, KY, United States
| | - Jason Pienaar
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Peter A Scott
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ryan L Earley
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
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17
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Mosto MC, Picasso MBJ, Montes MM, Krone O. Tail myology and flight behaviour: Differences between caracaras, falcons and forest falcons (Aves, Falconiformes). ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- María Clelia Mosto
- Museo de La Plata‐Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo Universidad Nacional de La Plata‐ CONICET Buenos Aires Argentina
| | | | - Martín Miguel Montes
- CEPAVE ‐CONICET Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores‐ Universidad Nacional de La Plata Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Oliver Krone
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
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18
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Bardua C, Wilkinson M, Gower DJ, Sherratt E, Goswami A. Morphological evolution and modularity of the caecilian skull. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:30. [PMID: 30669965 PMCID: PMC6343317 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1342-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caecilians (Gymnophiona) are the least speciose extant lissamphibian order, yet living forms capture approximately 250 million years of evolution since their earliest divergences. This long history is reflected in the broad range of skull morphologies exhibited by this largely fossorial, but developmentally diverse, clade. However, this diversity of form makes quantification of caecilian cranial morphology challenging, with highly variable presence or absence of many structures. Consequently, few studies have examined morphological evolution across caecilians. This extensive variation also raises the question of degree of conservation of cranial modules (semi-autonomous subsets of highly-integrated traits) within this clade, allowing us to assess the importance of modular organisation in shaping morphological evolution. We used an intensive surface geometric morphometric approach to quantify cranial morphological variation across all 32 extant caecilian genera. We defined 16 cranial regions using 53 landmarks and 687 curve and 729 surface sliding semilandmarks. With these unprecedented high-dimensional data, we analysed cranial shape and modularity across caecilians assessing phylogenetic, allometric and ecological influences on cranial evolution, as well as investigating the relationships among integration, evolutionary rate, and morphological disparity. RESULTS We found highest support for a ten-module model, with greater integration of the posterior skull. Phylogenetic signal was significant (Kmult = 0.87, p < 0.01), but stronger in anterior modules, while allometric influences were also significant (R2 = 0.16, p < 0.01), but stronger posteriorly. Reproductive strategy and degree of fossoriality were small but significant influences on cranial morphology (R2 = 0.03-0.05), after phylogenetic (p < 0.03) and multiple-test (p < 0.05) corrections. The quadrate-squamosal 'cheek' module was the fastest evolving module, perhaps due to its pivotal role in the unique dual jaw-closing mechanism of caecilians. Highly integrated modules exhibited both high and low disparities, and no relationship was evident between integration and evolutionary rate. CONCLUSIONS Our high-dimensional approach robustly characterises caecilian cranial evolution and demonstrates that caecilian crania are highly modular and that cranial modules are shaped by differential phylogenetic, allometric, and ecological effects. More broadly, and in contrast to recent studies, this work suggests that there is no simple relationship between integration and evolutionary rate or disparity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Bardua
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK. .,Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL, London, UK.
| | - Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - David J Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK.,Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL, London, UK
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19
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Avian tail ontogeny, pygostyle formation, and interpretation of juvenile Mesozoic specimens. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9014. [PMID: 29899503 PMCID: PMC5997987 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27336-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The avian tail played a critical role in the evolutionary transition from long- to short-tailed birds, yet its ontogeny in extant birds has largely been ignored. This deficit has hampered efforts to effectively identify intermediate species during the Mesozoic transition to short tails. Here we show that fusion of distal vertebrae into the pygostyle structure does not occur in extant birds until near skeletal maturity, and mineralization of vertebral processes also occurs long after hatching. Evidence for post-hatching pygostyle formation is also demonstrated in two Cretaceous specimens, a juvenile enantiornithine and a subadult basal ornithuromorph. These findings call for reinterpretations of Zhongornis haoae, a Cretaceous bird hypothesized to be an intermediate in the long- to short-tailed bird transition, and of the recently discovered coelurosaur tail embedded in amber. Zhongornis, as a juvenile, may not yet have formed a pygostyle, and the amber-embedded tail specimen is reinterpreted as possibly avian. Analyses of relative pygostyle lengths in extant and Cretaceous birds suggests the number of vertebrae incorporated into the pygostyle has varied considerably, further complicating the interpretation of potential transitional species. In addition, this analysis of avian tail development reveals the generation and loss of intervertebral discs in the pygostyle, vertebral bodies derived from different kinds of cartilage, and alternative modes of caudal vertebral process morphogenesis in birds. These findings demonstrate that avian tail ontogeny is a crucial parameter specifically for the interpretation of Mesozoic specimens, and generally for insights into vertebrae formation.
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20
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Anten-Houston MV, Ruta M, Deeming DC. Effects of phylogeny and locomotor style on the allometry of body mass and pelvic dimensions in birds. J Anat 2017; 231:342-358. [PMID: 28660634 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The pelvic girdle provides physical support and attachment for the hind limb musculature. In birds there is variability in pelvic morphology across different orders and this has been used as evidence for various types of locomotion. However, the morphological variation of pelvic bones has yet to be studied systematically in birds. Therefore, we investigated basic allometric relationships among female body mass (as a size proxy) and various pelvic measurements in a phylogenetic context. We also examined in detail the inter-relationships among various pelvic measurements. Also considered were the effects of broader taxonomic relationships at the level of order, with further examination of the influence of style of terrestrial locomotion on the allometric relationships. Positive relationships were initially found among all pelvic linear measurements and female body mass (FBM). The relationships among measures of pelvic width and FBM were isometric, whereas those between pelvic length and FBM showed positive allometry. Also, FBM explained more of the variance in pelvic length than in width. Similarly, the angle of the pelvis had a significant negative relationship, but FBM only explained a very low proportion of the variation in pelvic angles. In general terms, ancova showed that the effect of FBM was smaller than the effect of locomotor style in this species set. Both the synsacrum and pelvic girdle play roles in weight support and therefore scale in proportion to body weight accordingly. All three parts of the pelvis (ilium, ischium and pubis) are attached around the acetabulum and also provide muscle attachment points, so it might be expected for them to scale in a similar manner. Increased angulation of the pelvis is linked to orders which employ their hind limbs in feeding, perching and running, although FBM also explains a very low proportion of the variation in pelvic angle. Muscle attachment and the confines on morphology presented by locomotion explain much of the variation exhibited by the relationships among pelvic measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcello Ruta
- School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - D Charles Deeming
- School of Life Sciences, Joseph Banks Laboratories, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
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21
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Verde Arregoitia LD, Fisher DO, Schweizer M. Morphology captures diet and locomotor types in rodents. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160957. [PMID: 28280593 PMCID: PMC5319359 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
To understand the functional meaning of morphological features, we need to relate what we know about morphology and ecology in a meaningful, quantitative framework. Closely related species usually share more phenotypic features than distant ones, but close relatives do not necessarily have the same ecologies. Rodents are the most diverse group of living mammals, with impressive ecomorphological diversification. We used museum collections and ecological literature to gather data on morphology, diet and locomotion for 208 species of rodents from different bioregions to investigate how morphological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness are associated with ecology. After considering differences in body size and shared evolutionary history, we find that unrelated species with similar ecologies can be characterized by a well-defined suite of morphological features. Our results validate the hypothesized ecological relevance of the chosen traits. These cranial, dental and external (e.g. ears) characters predicted diet and locomotion and showed consistent differences among species with different feeding and substrate use strategies. We conclude that when ecological characters do not show strong phylogenetic patterns, we cannot simply assume that close relatives are ecologically similar. Museum specimens are valuable records of species' phenotypes and with the characters proposed here, morphology can reflect functional similarity, an important component of community ecology and macroevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diana O. Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Manuel Schweizer
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, Bernastrasse 15, Bern 3005, Switzerland
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22
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Verde Arregoitia LD, Fisher DO, Schweizer M. Morphology captures diet and locomotor types in rodents. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017. [PMID: 28280593 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.201147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
To understand the functional meaning of morphological features, we need to relate what we know about morphology and ecology in a meaningful, quantitative framework. Closely related species usually share more phenotypic features than distant ones, but close relatives do not necessarily have the same ecologies. Rodents are the most diverse group of living mammals, with impressive ecomorphological diversification. We used museum collections and ecological literature to gather data on morphology, diet and locomotion for 208 species of rodents from different bioregions to investigate how morphological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness are associated with ecology. After considering differences in body size and shared evolutionary history, we find that unrelated species with similar ecologies can be characterized by a well-defined suite of morphological features. Our results validate the hypothesized ecological relevance of the chosen traits. These cranial, dental and external (e.g. ears) characters predicted diet and locomotion and showed consistent differences among species with different feeding and substrate use strategies. We conclude that when ecological characters do not show strong phylogenetic patterns, we cannot simply assume that close relatives are ecologically similar. Museum specimens are valuable records of species' phenotypes and with the characters proposed here, morphology can reflect functional similarity, an important component of community ecology and macroevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diana O Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Queensland , St Lucia, Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Manuel Schweizer
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, Bernastrasse 15, Bern 3005 , Switzerland
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23
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VanBuren CS, Evans DC. Evolution and function of anterior cervical vertebral fusion in tetrapods. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:608-626. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Collin S. VanBuren
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Cambridge; Downing Street CB2 3EQ Cambridge U.K
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; 25 Willcocks St. Toronto M5S 3B2 Ontario Canada
| | - David C. Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; 25 Willcocks St. Toronto M5S 3B2 Ontario Canada
- Department of Natural History; Royal Ontario Museum; 100 Queens Park Rd Toronto M5S 2C6 Ontario Canada
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24
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O’Connor J, Wang X, Zheng X, Hu H, Zhang X, Zhou Z. An Enantiornithine with a Fan-Shaped Tail, and the Evolution of the Rectricial Complex in Early Birds. Curr Biol 2016; 26:114-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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25
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Kuramoto T, Nishihara H, Watanabe M, Okada N. Determining the Position of Storks on the Phylogenetic Tree of Waterbirds by Retroposon Insertion Analysis. Genome Biol Evol 2015; 7:3180-9. [PMID: 26527652 PMCID: PMC4700946 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite many studies on avian phylogenetics in recent decades that used morphology, mitochondrial genomes, and/or nuclear genes, the phylogenetic positions of several birds (e.g., storks) remain unsettled. In addition to the aforementioned approaches, analysis of retroposon insertions, which are nearly homoplasy-free phylogenetic markers, has also been used in avian phylogenetics. However, the first step in the analysis of retroposon insertions, that is, isolation of retroposons from genomic libraries, is a costly and time-consuming procedure. Therefore, we developed a high-throughput and cost-effective protocol to collect retroposon insertion information based on next-generation sequencing technology, which we call here the STRONG (Screening of Transposons Obtained by Next Generation Sequencing) method, and applied it to 3 waterbird species, for which we identified 35,470 loci containing chicken repeat 1 retroposons (CR1). Our analysis of the presence/absence of 30 CR1 insertions demonstrated the intra- and interordinal phylogenetic relationships in the waterbird assemblage, namely 1) Loons diverged first among the waterbirds, 2) penguins (Sphenisciformes) and petrels (Procellariiformes) diverged next, and 3) among the remaining families of waterbirds traditionally classified in Ciconiiformes/Pelecaniformes, storks (Ciconiidae) diverged first. Furthermore, our genome-scale, in silico retroposon analysis based on published genome data uncovered a complex divergence history among pelican, heron, and ibis lineages, presumably involving ancient interspecies hybridization between the heron and ibis lineages. Thus, our retroposon-based waterbird phylogeny and the established phylogenetic position of storks will help to understand the evolutionary processes of aquatic adaptation and related morphological convergent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Kuramoto
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hidenori Nishihara
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Maiko Watanabe
- Division of Microbiology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norihiro Okada
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Hu H, O’Connor JK, Zhou Z. A new species of pengornithidae (aves: enantiornithes) from the lower cretaceous of China suggests a specialized scansorial habitat previously unknown in early birds. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126791. [PMID: 26039693 PMCID: PMC4454694 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a new enantiornithine bird, Parapengornis eurycaudatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning, China. Although morphologically similar to previously described pengornithids Pengornis houi, Pengornis IVPP V18632, and Eopengornis martini, morphological differences indicate it represents a new taxon of the Pengornithidae. Based on new information from this specimen we reassign IVPP V18632 to Parapengornis sp. The well preserved pygostyle of the new specimen elucidates the morphology of this element for the clade, which is unique in pengornithids among Mesozoic birds. Similarities with modern scansores such as woodpeckers may indicate a specialized vertical climbing and clinging behavior that has not previously been inferred for early birds. The new specimen preserves a pair of fully pennaceous rachis-dominated feathers like those in the holotype of Eopengornis martini; together with the unique morphology of the pygostyle, this discovery lends evidence to early hypotheses that rachis-dominated feathers may have had a functional significance. This discovery adds to the diversity of ecological niches occupied by enantiornithines and if correct reveals are remarkable amount of locomotive differentiation among Enantiornithes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Hu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingmai K. O’Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhonghe Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
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Felice RN. Coevolution of caudal skeleton and tail feathers in birds. J Morphol 2014; 275:1431-40. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan N. Felice
- Department of Biological Sciences; 107 Irvine Hall, Ohio University; Athens Ohio 45701
- Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies; Irvine Hall, Ohio University; Athens Ohio 45701
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