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Perioral secretions enable complex social signaling in African mole-rats (genus Fukomys). Sci Rep 2022; 12:22366. [PMID: 36572727 PMCID: PMC9792591 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26351-3] [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] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Subterranean common mole-rats of the genus Fukomys (family Bathyergidae) live in large, cooperatively-breeding families. Odor cues have been hypothesized to play an important role in mediating social behaviors in the underground ecotope, but only little is known about the role of olfactory signaling in burrowing mammals. Here we characterize the so far neglected perioral glands of Fukomys and other African mole-rats as an important source of olfactory social information. Histology demonstrates these structures to be derived sebaceous glands that are developed regardless of sex and reproductive status. However, gland activity is higher in Fukomys males, leading to sexually dimorphic patterns of stain and clotting of the facial pelage. Behavioral assays revealed that conspecifics prefer male but not female perioral swabs over scent samples from the back fur and that male sebum causes similar attraction as anogenital scent, a known source of social information in Fukomys. Finally, we assessed volatile compounds in the perioral sebum of the giant mole-rat (Fukomys mechowii) via GCxGC-MS-based metabolomic profiling. Volatiles display pronounced sex-specific signatures but also allow to differentiate between intrasexual reproductive status groups. These different lines of evidence suggest that mole-rat perioral glands provide complex odor signals which play a crucial role in social communication.
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Evans AR, Pollock TI, Cleuren SGC, Parker WMG, Richards HL, Garland KLS, Fitzgerald EMG, Wilson TE, Hocking DP, Adams JW. A universal power law for modelling the growth and form of teeth, claws, horns, thorns, beaks, and shells. BMC Biol 2021; 19:58. [PMID: 33781258 PMCID: PMC8008625 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00990-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A major goal of evolutionary developmental biology is to discover general models and mechanisms that create the phenotypes of organisms. However, universal models of such fundamental growth and form are rare, presumably due to the limited number of physical laws and biological processes that influence growth. One such model is the logarithmic spiral, which has been purported to explain the growth of biological structures such as teeth, claws, horns, and beaks. However, the logarithmic spiral only describes the path of the structure through space, and cannot generate these shapes. Results Here we show a new universal model based on a power law between the radius of the structure and its length, which generates a shape called a ‘power cone’. We describe the underlying ‘power cascade’ model that explains the extreme diversity of tooth shapes in vertebrates, including humans, mammoths, sabre-toothed cats, tyrannosaurs and giant megalodon sharks. This model can be used to predict the age of mammals with ever-growing teeth, including elephants and rodents. We view this as the third general model of tooth development, along with the patterning cascade model for cusp number and spacing, and the inhibitory cascade model that predicts relative tooth size. Beyond the dentition, this new model also describes the growth of claws, horns, antlers and beaks of vertebrates, as well as the fangs and shells of invertebrates, and thorns and prickles of plants. Conclusions The power cone is generated when the radial power growth rate is unequal to the length power growth rate. The power cascade model operates independently of the logarithmic spiral and is present throughout diverse biological systems. The power cascade provides a mechanistic basis for the generation of these pointed structures across the tree of life. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-00990-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia. .,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia.
| | - Tahlia I Pollock
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Silke G C Cleuren
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - William M G Parker
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Hazel L Richards
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Kathleen L S Garland
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Erich M G Fitzgerald
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia
| | - Tim E Wilson
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - David P Hocking
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia
| | - Justin W Adams
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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Samuel MO, Kisani IA. Applied anatomic and phylogenetic considerations of surgical and regional nerve block landmarks on the skull and mandibles of two hystricomorphs; the crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) and greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus). TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN ANATOMY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tria.2020.100072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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