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Wyatt B, McFadden C, Ward S, Wilson LAB. Assessing the association of skeletal indicators of stress with mean age-at-death in sub-adults. Am J Biol Anthropol 2023; 182:440-451. [PMID: 37610235 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The present study investigated the association of skeletal indicator of stress presence with mean age-at-death as a means of understanding whether commonly studied indicators are indeed indicative of increased frailty. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using a medieval Gaelic population from Ballyhanna (Co. Donegal), the present study assessed the association between skeletal indicators of stress and mean age-at-death using the Kaplan-Meier survival function with log rank test to determine whether these indicators were associated with younger age-at-death, and therefore increased frailty, in sub-adults only (0 to 18 years, N = 139) and through comparison to an all-ages cohort (N = 318). RESULTS Only linear enamel hypoplasia was found to be associated with significantly decreased survivorship across the all-ages cohort but, conversely, was associated with increased survivorship when analysis was restricted to sub-adults. All other indicators assessed were associated with increased age-at-death for both all-age cohorts and sub-adult cohorts (cribra orbitalia), increased age-at-death when assessing all ages only (porotic hyperostosis and healed periosteal lesions); or were sufficiently rare in adults to prevent comparative analysis (stunting and micronutrient deficiency). Increased survivorship in individuals with higher numbers of co-morbid skeletal indicators was observed for both sub-adults alone and all age cohort. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that these commonly recorded skeletal indicators may be more accurately viewed simply as records of stressor exposure and subsequent survival only, rather than providing evidence that these sub-adults are frailer than their similarly aged-at-death peers. Thus, the demographic and sociocultural context is essential to the interpretation of observed skeletal indicators of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn Wyatt
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Clare McFadden
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Stacey Ward
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Anthropology and Archaeology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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2
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Abstract
Compared to placentals, marsupial mammals have previously been considered primitive in terms of their reproductive biology. A new study suggests that, rather, marsupials represent a derived state of mammalian development, and the ancestral therian mammal developed like placentals do today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
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3
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Wilson LAB, López-Aguirre C, Archer M, Hand SJ, Flores D, Abdala F, Giannini NP. Patterns of ontogenetic evolution across extant marsupials reflect different allometric pathways to ecomorphological diversity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2689. [PMID: 37164950 PMCID: PMC10172307 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38365-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The relatively high level of morphological diversity in Australasian marsupials compared to that observed among American marsupials remains poorly understood. We undertake a comprehensive macroevolutionary analysis of ontogenetic allometry of American and Australasian marsupials to examine whether the contrasting levels of morphological diversity in these groups are reflected in their patterns of allometric evolution. We collate ontogenetic series for 62 species and 18 families of marsupials (n = 2091 specimens), spanning across extant marsupial diversity. Our results demonstrate significant lability of ontogenetic allometric trajectories among American and Australasian marsupials, yet a phylogenetically structured pattern of allometric evolution is preserved. Here we show that species diverging more than 65 million years ago converge in their patterns of ontogenetic allometry under animalivorous and herbivorous diets, and that Australasian marsupials do not show significantly greater variation in patterns of ontogenetic allometry than their American counterparts, despite displaying greater magnitudes of extant ecomorphological diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
- Earth & Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | - Camilo López-Aguirre
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Archer
- Earth & Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- Earth & Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - David Flores
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Fundación Miguel Lillo). Instituto de Vertebrados, Fundación Miguel Lillo. Miguel Lillo 251, CP 4000, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Fernando Abdala
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Fundación Miguel Lillo), Miguel Lillo 251, CP4000, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Norberto P Giannini
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Fundación Miguel Lillo), Miguel Lillo 251, CP4000, Tucumán, Argentina
- Cátedra de Biogeografía, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
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4
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Nakagawa S, Ivimey-Cook ER, Grainger MJ, O'Dea RE, Burke S, Drobniak SM, Gould E, Macartney EL, Martinig AR, Morrison K, Paquet M, Pick JL, Pottier P, Ricolfi L, Wilkinson DP, Willcox A, Williams C, Wilson LAB, Windecker SM, Yang Y, Lagisz M. Method Reporting with Initials for Transparency (MeRIT) promotes more granularity and accountability for author contributions. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1788. [PMID: 37012240 PMCID: PMC10070262 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37039-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Edward R Ivimey-Cook
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Matthew J Grainger
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Postbox 5685 Torgarden, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Rose E O'Dea
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße 19, 14193, Berlin, Germany
| | - Samantha Burke
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Szymon M Drobniak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Elliot Gould
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Erin L Macartney
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - April Robin Martinig
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kyle Morrison
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthieu Paquet
- Institute of Mathematics of Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Talence, France
| | - Joel L Pick
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Patrice Pottier
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lorenzo Ricolfi
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - David P Wilkinson
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Aaron Willcox
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Coralie Williams
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology & Anthropology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Saras M Windecker
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yefeng Yang
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
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5
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Gleeson BT, Wilson LAB. Shared reproductive disruption, not neural crest or tameness, explains the domestication syndrome. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222464. [PMID: 36946116 PMCID: PMC10031412 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered neural crest cell (NCC) behaviour is an increasingly cited explanation for the domestication syndrome in animals. However, recent authors have questioned this explanation, while others cast doubt on whether domestication syndrome even exists. Here, we review published literature concerning this syndrome and the NCC hypothesis, together with recent critiques of both. We synthesize these contributions and propose a novel interpretation, arguing shared trait changes under ancient domestication resulted primarily from shared disruption of wild reproductive regimes. We detail four primary selective pathways for 'reproductive disruption' under domestication and contrast these succinct and demonstrable mechanisms with cryptic genetic associations posited by the NCC hypothesis. In support of our perspective, we illustrate numerous important ways in which NCCs contribute to vertebrate reproductive phenotypes, and argue it is not surprising that features derived from these cells would be coincidentally altered under major selective regime changes, as occur in domestication. We then illustrate several pertinent examples of Darwin's 'unconscious selection' in action, and compare applied selection and phenotypic responses in each case. Lastly, we explore the ramifications of reproductive disruption for wider evolutionary discourse, including links to wild 'self-domestication' and 'island effect', and discuss outstanding questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Thomas Gleeson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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6
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Ballard JWO, Field MA, Edwards RJ, Wilson LAB, Koungoulos LG, Rosen BD, Chernoff B, Dudchenko O, Omer A, Keilwagen J, Skvortsova K, Bogdanovic O, Chan E, Zammit R, Hayes V, Aiden EL. The Australasian dingo archetype: de novo chromosome-length genome assembly, DNA methylome, and cranial morphology. Gigascience 2023; 12:giad018. [PMID: 36994871 PMCID: PMC10353722 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One difficulty in testing the hypothesis that the Australasian dingo is a functional intermediate between wild wolves and domesticated breed dogs is that there is no reference specimen. Here we link a high-quality de novo long-read chromosomal assembly with epigenetic footprints and morphology to describe the Alpine dingo female named Cooinda. It was critical to establish an Alpine dingo reference because this ecotype occurs throughout coastal eastern Australia where the first drawings and descriptions were completed. FINDINGS We generated a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome assembly (Canfam_ADS) using a combination of Pacific Bioscience, Oxford Nanopore, 10X Genomics, Bionano, and Hi-C technologies. Compared to the previously published Desert dingo assembly, there are large structural rearrangements on chromosomes 11, 16, 25, and 26. Phylogenetic analyses of chromosomal data from Cooinda the Alpine dingo and 9 previously published de novo canine assemblies show dingoes are monophyletic and basal to domestic dogs. Network analyses show that the mitochondrial DNA genome clusters within the southeastern lineage, as expected for an Alpine dingo. Comparison of regulatory regions identified 2 differentially methylated regions within glucagon receptor GCGR and histone deacetylase HDAC4 genes that are unmethylated in the Alpine dingo genome but hypermethylated in the Desert dingo. Morphologic data, comprising geometric morphometric assessment of cranial morphology, place dingo Cooinda within population-level variation for Alpine dingoes. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain tissue shows she had a larger cranial capacity than a similar-sized domestic dog. CONCLUSIONS These combined data support the hypothesis that the dingo Cooinda fits the spectrum of genetic and morphologic characteristics typical of the Alpine ecotype. We propose that she be considered the archetype specimen for future research investigating the evolutionary history, morphology, physiology, and ecology of dingoes. The female has been taxidermically prepared and is now at the Australian Museum, Sydney.
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Affiliation(s)
- J William O Ballard
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Department of Environment and Genetics, SABE, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Matt A Field
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
- Immunogenomics Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Richard J Edwards
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2600, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Loukas G Koungoulos
- Department of Archaeology, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, the University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Benjamin D Rosen
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Barry Chernoff
- College of the Environment, Departments of Biology, and Earth & Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459, USA
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Arina Omer
- Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jens Keilwagen
- Institute for Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology, Julius Kühn-Institut, Quedlinburg 06484, Germany
| | - Ksenia Skvortsova
- Developmental Epigenomics Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Ozren Bogdanovic
- Developmental Epigenomics Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Eva Chan
- Developmental Epigenomics Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Statewide Genomics, New South Wales Health Pathology, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia
| | - Robert Zammit
- Vineyard Veterinary Hospital,Vineyard, NSW 2765, Australia
| | - Vanessa Hayes
- Developmental Epigenomics Lab, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Theoretical and Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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7
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Brualla NLM, Wilson LAB, Doube M, Carter RT, McElligott AG, Koyabu D. The vocal apparatus: An understudied tool to reconstruct the evolutionary history of echolocation in bats? J MAMM EVOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09647-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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8
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Wilson LAB, Zajitschek SRK, Lagisz M, Mason J, Haselimashhadi H, Nakagawa S. Sex differences in allometry for phenotypic traits in mice indicate that females are not scaled males. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7502. [PMID: 36509767 PMCID: PMC9744842 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35266-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the lifetime risk and expression of disease are well-known. Preclinical research targeted at improving treatment, increasing health span, and reducing the financial burden of health care, has mostly been conducted on male animals and cells. The extent to which sex differences in phenotypic traits are explained by sex differences in body weight remains unclear. We quantify sex differences in the allometric relationship between trait value and body weight for 363 phenotypic traits in male and female mice, recorded in >2 million measurements from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. We find sex differences in allometric parameters (slope, intercept, residual SD) are common (73% traits). Body weight differences do not explain all sex differences in trait values but scaling by weight may be useful for some traits. Our results show sex differences in phenotypic traits are trait-specific, promoting case-specific approaches to drug dosage scaled by body weight in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. B. Wilson
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Data Science Hub, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia ,grid.1001.00000 0001 2180 7477School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia
| | - Susanne R. K. Zajitschek
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Data Science Hub, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia ,grid.4425.70000 0004 0368 0654School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF UK
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Data Science Hub, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Jeremy Mason
- Melio Healthcare Ltd., City Tower, 40 Basinghall Street, London, EC2V 5DE UK ,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD UK
| | - Hamed Haselimashhadi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SD UK
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Data Science Hub, and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
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9
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Wilson LAB. Developmental instability in domesticated mammals. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2022; 338:484-494. [PMID: 34813170 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Measures of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) have been adopted widely as an estimate of developmental instability. Arising from various sources of stress, developmental instability is associated with an organism's capacity to maintain fitness. The process of domestication has been framed as an environmental stress with human-specified parameters, suggesting that FA may manifest to a larger degree among domesticates compared to their wild relatives. This study used three-dimensional geometric morphometric landmark data to (a) quantify the amount of FA in the cranium of six domestic mammal species and their wild relatives and, (b) provide novel assessment of the commonalities and differences across domestic/wild pairs concerning the extent to which random variation arising from the developmental system assimilates into within-population variation. The majority of domestic mammals showed greater disparity for asymmetric shape, however, only two forms (Pig, Dog) showed significantly higher disparity as well as a higher degree of asymmetry compared to their wild counterparts (Wild Boar, Wolf). Contra to predictions, most domestic and wild forms did not show a statistically significant correspondence between symmetric shape variation and FA, however, a moderate correlation value was recorded for most pairs (r-partial least squares >0.5). Within pairs, domestic and wild forms showed similar correlation magnitudes for the relationship between the asymmetric and symmetric components. In domesticates, new variation may therefore retain a general, conserved pattern in the gross structuring of the cranium, whilst also being a source for response to selection on specific features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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10
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Wilson LAB, Balcarcel A, Geiger M, Heck L, Sánchez‐Villagra MR. Modularity patterns in mammalian domestication: Assessing developmental hypotheses for diversification. Evol Lett 2021; 5:385-396. [PMID: 34367663 PMCID: PMC8327948 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural crest hypothesis posits that selection for tameness resulted in mild alterations to neural crest cells during embryonic development, which directly or indirectly caused the appearance of traits associated with the "domestication syndrome" (DS). Although representing an appealing unitary explanation for the generation of domestic phenotypes, support for this hypothesis from morphological data and for the validity of the DS remains a topic of debate. This study used the frameworks of morphological integration and modularity to assess patterns that concern the embryonic origin of the skull and issues around the neural crest hypothesis. Geometric morphometric landmarks were used to quantify cranial trait interactions between six pairs of wild and domestic mammals, comprising representatives that express between five and 17 of the traits included in the DS, and examples from each of the pathways by which animals entered into relationships with humans. We predicted the presence of neural crest vs mesoderm modular structure to the cranium, and that elements in the neural crest module would show lower magnitudes of integration and higher disparity in domestic forms compared to wild forms. Our findings support modular structuring based on tissue origin (neural crest, mesoderm) modules, along with low module integration magnitudes for neural crest cell derived cranial elements, suggesting differential capacity for evolutionary response among those elements. Covariation between the neural crest and mesoderm modules accounted for major components of shape variation for most domestic/wild pairs. Contra to our predictions, however, we find domesticates share similar integration magnitudes to their wild progenitors, indicating that higher disparity in domesticates is not associated with magnitude changes to integration among either neural crest or mesoderm derived elements. Differences in integration magnitude among neural crest and mesoderm elements across species suggest that developmental evolution preserves a framework that promotes flexibility under the selection regimes of domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. B. Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyAustralia
- School of Archaeology and AnthropologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralia
| | - Ana Balcarcel
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Madeleine Geiger
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Laura Heck
- Palaeontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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11
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López-Aguirre C, Hand SJ, Koyabu D, Tu VT, Wilson LAB. Prenatal Developmental Trajectories of Fluctuating Asymmetry in Bat Humeri. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:639522. [PMID: 34124034 PMCID: PMC8187808 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.639522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (random fluctuations between the left and right sides of the body) has been interpreted as an index to quantify both the developmental instabilities and homeostatic capabilities of organisms, linking the phenotypic and genotypic aspects of morphogenesis. However, studying the ontogenesis of fluctuating asymmetry has been limited to mostly model organisms in postnatal stages, missing prenatal trajectories of asymmetry that could better elucidate decoupled developmental pathways controlling symmetric bone elongation and thickening. In this study, we quantified the presence and magnitude of asymmetry during the prenatal development of bats, focusing on the humerus, a highly specialized bone adapted in bats to perform under multiple functional demands. We deconstructed levels of asymmetry by measuring the longitudinal and cross-sectional asymmetry of the humerus using a combination of linear measurements and geometric morphometrics. We tested the presence of different types of asymmetry and calculated the magnitude of size-controlled fluctuating asymmetry to assess developmental instability. Statistical support for the presence of fluctuating asymmetry was found for both longitudinal and cross-sectional asymmetry, explaining on average 16% of asymmetric variation. Significant directional asymmetry accounted for less than 6.6% of asymmetric variation. Both measures of fluctuating asymmetry remained relatively stable throughout ontogeny, but cross-sectional asymmetry was significantly different across developmental stages. Finally, we did not find a correspondence between developmental patterns of longitudinal and cross-sectional asymmetry, indicating that processes promoting symmetrical bone elongation and thickening work independently. We suggest various functional pressures linked to newborn bats’ ecology associated with longitudinal (altricial flight capabilities) and cross-sectional (precocial clinging ability) developmental asymmetry differentially. We hypothesize that stable magnitudes of fluctuating asymmetry across development could indicate the presence of developmental mechanisms buffering developmental instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López-Aguirre
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Research and Development Center for Precision Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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12
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López‐Aguirre C, Wilson LAB, Koyabu D, Tu VT, Hand SJ. Variation in cross‐sectional shape and biomechanical properties of the bat humerus under Wolff's law. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:1937-1952. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López‐Aguirre
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong
- Department of Molecular Craniofacial Embryology Tokyo Medical and Dental University Tokyo Japan
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Suzanne J. Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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Nojiri T, Wilson LAB, López-Aguirre C, Tu VT, Kuratani S, Ito K, Higashiyama H, Son NT, Fukui D, Sadier A, Sears KE, Endo H, Kamihori S, Koyabu D. Embryonic evidence uncovers convergent origins of laryngeal echolocation in bats. Curr Biol 2021; 31:1353-1365.e3. [PMID: 33675700 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Bats are the second-most speciose group of mammals, comprising 20% of species diversity today. Their global explosion, representing one of the greatest adaptive radiations in mammalian history, is largely attributed to their ability of laryngeal echolocation and powered flight, which enabled them to conquer the night sky, a vast and hitherto unoccupied ecological niche. While there is consensus that powered flight evolved only once in the lineage, whether laryngeal echolocation has a single origin in bats or evolved multiple times independently remains disputed. Here, we present developmental evidence in support of laryngeal echolocation having multiple origins in bats. This is consistent with a non-echolocating bat ancestor and independent gain of echolocation in Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, as well as the gain of primitive echolocation in the bat ancestor, followed by convergent evolution of laryngeal echolocation in Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, with loss of primitive echolocation in pteropodids. Our comparative embryological investigations found that there is no developmental difference in the hearing apparatus between non-laryngeal echolocating bats (pteropodids) and terrestrial non-bat mammals. In contrast, the echolocation system is developed heterotopically and heterochronically in the two phylogenetically distant laryngeal echolocating bats (rhinolophoids and yangochiropterans), providing the first embryological evidence that the echolocation system evolved independently in these bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Nojiri
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Camilo López-Aguirre
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, No. 18, Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam; Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, No. 18, Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Shigeru Kuratani
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), 2-2-3 Minatojima-minami, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kai Ito
- Department of Anatomy, Tissue and Cell Biology, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University, 2-1-3 Tsurumi, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-8501, Japan
| | - Hiroki Higashiyama
- Department of Physiological Chemistry and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Nguyen Truong Son
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, No. 18, Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam; Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, No. 18, Hoang Quoc Viet road, Cau Giay district, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Dai Fukui
- The University of Tokyo Hokkaido Forest, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 9-61, Yamabe-Higashimachi, Furano, Hokkaido 079-1563, Japan
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 957246, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 957246, USA
| | - Hideki Endo
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kamihori
- Aioi City Board of Education, 3-18-7 Asahi, Aioi 679-0031, Japan
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Research and Development Center for Precision Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-2 Kasuga, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8550, Japan; Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong; Department of Molecular Craniofacial Embryology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8549, Japan.
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14
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López-Aguirre C, Hand SJ, Koyabu D, Tu VT, Wilson LAB. Phylogeny and foraging behaviour shape modular morphological variation in bat humeri. J Anat 2020; 238:1312-1329. [PMID: 33372711 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bats show a remarkable ecological diversity that is reflected both in dietary and foraging guilds (FGs). Cranial ecomorphological adaptations linked to diet have been widely studied in bats, using a variety of anatomical, computational and mathematical approaches. However, foraging-related ecomorphological adaptations and the concordance between cranial and postcranial morphological adaptations remain unexamined in bats and limited to the interpretation of traditional aerodynamic properties of the wing (e.g. wing loading [WL] and aspect ratio [AR]). For this reason, the postcranial ecomorphological diversity in bats and its drivers remain understudied. Using 3D virtual modelling and geometric morphometrics (GMM), we explored the phylogenetic, ecological and biological drivers of humeral morphology in bats, evaluating the presence and magnitude of modularity and integration. To explore decoupled patterns of variation across the bone, we analysed whole-bone shape, diaphyseal and epiphyseal shape. We also tested whether traditional aerodynamic wing traits correlate with humeral shape. By studying 37 species from 20 families (covering all FGs and 85% of dietary guilds), we found similar patterns of variation in whole-bone and diaphyseal shape and unique variation patterns in epiphyseal shape. Phylogeny, diet and FG significantly correlated with shape variation at all levels, whereas size only had a significant effect on epiphyseal morphology. We found a significant phylogenetic signal in all levels of humeral shape. Epiphyseal shape significantly correlated with wing AR. Statistical support for a diaphyseal-epiphyseal modular partition of the humerus suggests a functional partition of shape variability. Our study is the first to show within-structure modular morphological variation in the appendicular skeleton of any living tetrapod. Our results suggest that diaphyseal shape correlates more with phylogeny, whereas epiphyseal shape correlates with diet and FG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López-Aguirre
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Department of Molecular Craniofacial Embryology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.,Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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15
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Swan KR, Ives R, Wilson LAB, Humphrey LT. Ontogenetic changes in femoral cross-sectional geometry during childhood locomotor development. Am J Phys Anthropol 2020; 173:80-95. [PMID: 32656773 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The femur is a major weight-bearing bone that is variably loaded throughout growth as children transition through locomotory states prior to the attainment of a mature bipedal gait. Here, we document ontogenetic trends in femoral cross-sectional geometry (CSG) and explore how changes in loading regime may impact the structural arrangement of cortical bone along the length of the developing diaphysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Micro-CT scans of 110 immature femora were generated from a documented archaeological sample ranging in age from birth to 8.5 years old. CSG properties indicative of relative bone strength and bending rigidity were analyzed from cross-sections extracted at 35%, 50% and 65% of total intermetaphyseal length. RESULTS Infants experience a marked redistribution of cortical bone between birth and 7 months facilitating a more advantageous mechanical structure for early load bearing behaviors as bone is displaced further from the section centroid. Early walkers are characterized by a mediolaterally reinforced cross-section that becomes more circular as gait continues to develop. DISCUSSION During ontogeny the femur undergoes distinct morphological phases, which correspond with changes in loading regime. This study illustrates the importance of loading conditions in shaping immature bone morphology. Nonmechanical factors such as changes in hormonal environmental can also impact on this dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen R Swan
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Rachel Ives
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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16
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Stein MD, Hand SJ, Archer M, Wroe S, Wilson LAB. Quantitatively assessing mekosuchine crocodile locomotion by geometric morphometric and finite element analysis of the forelimb. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9349. [PMID: 32587803 PMCID: PMC7301899 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphological shifts observed in the fossil record of a lineage potentially indicate concomitant shifts in ecology of that lineage. Mekosuchine crocodiles of Cenozoic Australia display departures from the typical eusuchian body-plan both in the cranium and postcranium. Previous qualitative studies have suggested that these crocodiles had a more terrestrial habitus than extant crocodylians, yet the capacity of mekosuchine locomotion remains to be tested. Limb bone shape, such as diaphyseal cross-section and curvature, has been related to habitual use and locomotory function across a wide variety of taxa. Available specimens of mekosuchine limbs, primarily humeri, are distinctly columnar compared with those of extant crocodylians. Here we apply a quantitative approach to biomechanics in mekosuchine taxa using both geomorphic morphometric and finite element methods to measure bone shape and estimate locomotory stresses in a comparative context. Our results show mekosuchines appear to diverge from extant semi-aquatic saltwater and freshwater crocodiles in cross-sectional geometry of the diaphysis and generate different structural stresses between models that simulate sprawling and high-walk gaits. The extant crocodylians display generally rounded cross-sectional diaphyseal outlines, which may provide preliminary indication of resistance to torsional loads that predominate during sprawling gait, whereas mekosuchine humeri appear to vary between a series of elliptical outlines. Mekosuchine structural stresses are comparatively lower than those of the extant crocodylians and reduce under high-walk gait in some instances. This appears to be a function of bending moments induced by differing configurations of diaphyseal curvature. Additionally, the neutral axis of structural stresses is differently oriented in mekosuchines. This suggests a shift in the focus of biomechanical optimisation, from torsional to axial loadings. Our results lend quantitative support to the terrestrial habitus hypothesis in so far as they suggest that mekosuchine humeri occupied a different morphospace than that associated with the semi-aquatic habit. The exact adaptational trajectory of mekosuchines, however, remains to be fully quantified. Novel forms appear to emerge among mekosuchines during the late Cenozoic. Their adaptational function is considered here; possible applications include navigation of uneven terrain and burrowing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Stein
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael Archer
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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17
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Wilson LAB, De Groote I, Humphrey LT. Sex differences in the patterning of age-related bone loss in the human hallucal metatarsal in rural and urban populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 2020; 171:628-644. [PMID: 31925961 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Age-degenerative features of the metatarsals are poorly known despite the importance of metatarsal bone properties for investigating mobility patterns. We assessed the role of habitual activity in shaping the patterning and magnitude of sexual dimorphism in age-related bone loss in the hallucal metatarsal. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cross-sections were extracted at midshaft from micro-computed tomography scan models of individuals from medieval rural (Abingdon Vineyard) and early industrial urban (Spitalfields) settings (n = 71). A suite of cross-sectional geometry dimensions and biomechanical properties were compared between populations. RESULTS The rural group display generally stronger and larger metatarsals that show a greater capacity to resist torsion and that have comparatively greater bending strength along the medio-lateral plane. Men in both groups show greater values of cortical area than women, but only in the urban group do men show lower magnitudes of age-related decline compared to females. Women in rural and urban populations show different patterns of age-related decline in bone mass, particularly old women in the urban group show a marked decline in cortical area that is absent for women in the rural group. DISCUSSION Lifetime exposure to hard, physical activity in an agricultural setting has contributed to the attainment of greater bone mass and stronger bones in young adults. Furthermore, over the life-course, less of this greater amount of bone is lost, such that sustained activity levels may have acted to buffer against age-related decline, and this is most pronounced for women, who are expected to experience greater bone loss later in life than men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Isabelle De Groote
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
- Department of Archaeology, Section Prehistory of western Europe, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Louise T Humphrey
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum London, London, UK
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18
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Tsang LR, Wilson LAB, McDonald PG. Comparing the toepads of Australian diurnal and nocturnal raptors with nonpredatory taxa: Insights into functional morphology. J Morphol 2019; 280:1682-1692. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leah R. Tsang
- Ornithology CollectionAustralian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Paul G. McDonald
- Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural SciencesUniversity of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
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Tsang LR, Wilson LAB, Ledogar J, Wroe S, Attard M, Sansalone G. Raptor talon shape and biomechanical performance are controlled by relative prey size but not by allometry. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7076. [PMID: 31068662 PMCID: PMC6506530 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43654-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Most birds of prey (raptors), rely heavily on their talons for capturing prey. However, the relationship between talon shape and the ability to take prey is poorly understood. In this study we investigate whether raptor talons have evolved primarily in response to adaptive pressures exerted by different dietary demands, or if talon morphology is largely constrained by allometric or phylogenetic factors. We focus on the hallux talon and include 21 species in total varying greatly in body mass and feeding ecology, ranging from active predation on relatively large prey to obligate scavenging. To quantify the variation in talon shape and biomechanical performance within a phylogenetic framework, we combined three dimensional (3D) geometric morphometrics, finite element modelling and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results indicate that relative prey size plays a key role in shaping the raptorial talon. Species that hunt larger prey are characterised by both distinct talon shape and mechanical performance when compared to species that predate smaller prey, even when accounting for phylogeny. In contrast to previous results of skull-based analysis, allometry had no significant effect. In conclusion, we found that raptor talon evolution has been strongly influenced by relative prey size, but not allometry and, that talon shape and mechanical performance are good indicators of feeding ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah R Tsang
- Ornithology Collection, Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia.,Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- Palaeontology, Geobiology & Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Justin Ledogar
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Marie Attard
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Gabriele Sansalone
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
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20
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López-Aguirre C, Hand SJ, Koyabu D, Son NT, Wilson LAB. Postcranial heterochrony, modularity, integration and disparity in the prenatal ossification in bats (Chiroptera). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:75. [PMID: 30866800 PMCID: PMC6417144 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1396-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Self-powered flight is one of the most energy-intensive types of locomotion found in vertebrates. It is also associated with a range of extreme morpho-physiological adaptations that evolved independently in three different vertebrate groups. Considering that development acts as a bridge between the genotype and phenotype on which selection acts, studying the ossification of the postcranium can potentially illuminate our understanding of bat flight evolution. However, the ontogenetic basis of vertebrate flight remains largely understudied. Advances in quantitative analysis of sequence heterochrony and morphogenetic growth have created novel approaches to study the developmental basis of diversification and the evolvability of skeletal morphogenesis. Assessing the presence of ontogenetic disparity, integration and modularity from an evolutionary approach allows assessing whether flight may have resulted in evolutionary differences in the magnitude and mode of development in bats. RESULTS We quantitatively compared the prenatal ossification of the postcranium (24 bones) between bats (14 species), non-volant mammals (11 species) and birds (14 species), combining for the first time prenatal sequence heterochrony and developmental growth data. Sequence heterochrony was found across groups, showing that bat postcranial development shares patterns found in other flying vertebrates but also those in non-volant mammals. In bats, modularity was found as an axial-appendicular partition, resembling a mammalian pattern of developmental modularity and suggesting flight did not repattern prenatal postcranial covariance in bats. CONCLUSIONS Combining prenatal data from 14 bat species, this study represents the most comprehensive quantitative analysis of chiropteran ossification to date. Heterochrony between the wing and leg in bats could reflect functional needs of the newborn, rather than ecological aspects of the adult. Bats share similarities with birds in the development of structures involved in flight (i.e. handwing and sternum), suggesting that flight altriciality and early ossification of pedal phalanges and sternum are common across flying vertebrates. These results indicate that the developmental modularity found in bats facilitates intramodular phenotypic diversification of the skeleton. Integration and disparity increased across developmental time in bats. We also found a delay in the ossification of highly adaptable and evolvable regions (e.g. handwing and sternum) that are directly associated with flight performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López-Aguirre
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Suzanne J. Hand
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- University Museum, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Humanities and Sciences, Musashino Art University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nguyen Truong Son
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Graduate University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
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21
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López‐Aguirre C, Hand SJ, Koyabu D, Son NT, Wilson LAB. Prenatal allometric trajectories and the developmental basis of postcranial phenotypic diversity in bats (Chiroptera). J Exp Zool (Mol Dev Evol ) 2019; 332:36-49. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López‐Aguirre
- PANGEA Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Suzanne J. Hand
- PANGEA Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Department of Curatorial Studies University Museum, University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
- Department of Humanities and Sciences Musashino Art University Tokyo Japan
| | - Nguyen Truong Son
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Faculty of Ecology and Biological Resources Graduate University of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- PANGEA Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The Australian dingo continues to cause debate amongst Aboriginal people, pastoralists, scientists and the government in Australia. A lingering controversy is whether the dingo has been tamed and has now reverted to its ancestral wild state or whether its ancestors were domesticated and it now resides on the continent as a feral dog. The goal of this article is to place the discussion onto a theoretical framework, highlight what is currently known about dingo origins and taxonomy and then make a series of experimentally testable organismal, cellular and biochemical predictions that we propose can focus future research. DISCUSSION We consider a canid that has been unconsciously selected as a tamed animal and the endpoint of methodical or what we now call artificial selection as a domesticated animal. We consider wild animals that were formerly tamed as untamed and those wild animals that were formerly domesticated as feralized. Untamed canids are predicted to be marked by a signature of unconscious selection whereas feral animals are hypothesized to be marked by signatures of both unconscious and artificial selection. First, we review the movement of dingo ancestors into Australia. We then discuss how differences between taming and domestication may influence the organismal traits of skull morphometrics, brain and size, seasonal breeding, and sociability. Finally, we consider cellular and molecular level traits including hypotheses concerning the phylogenetic position of dingoes, metabolic genes that appear to be under positive selection and the potential for micronutrient compensation by the gut microbiome. CONCLUSIONS Western Australian Government policy is currently being revised to allow the widespread killing of the Australian dingo. These policies are based on an incomplete understanding of the evolutionary history of the canid and assume the dingo is feralized. However, accumulated evidence does not definitively show that the dingo was ever domesticated and additional focused research is required. We suggest that incorporating ancient DNA data into the debate concerning dingo origins will be pivotal to understanding the evolutionary history of the canid. Further, we advocate that future morphological, behavioural and genetic studies should focus on including genetically pure Alpine and Desert dingoes and not dingo-dog hybrids. Finally, we propose that future studies critically examine genes under selection in the dingo and employ the genome from a wild canid for comparison.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. William O. Ballard
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
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23
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Stange M, Núñez-León D, Sánchez-Villagra MR, Jensen P, Wilson LAB. Morphological variation under domestication: how variable are chickens? R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:180993. [PMID: 30225085 PMCID: PMC6124038 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The process of domestication has long fascinated evolutionary biologists, yielding insights into the rapidity with which selection can alter behaviour and morphology. Previous studies on dogs, cattle and pigeons have demonstrated that domesticated forms show greater magnitudes of morphological variation than their wild ancestors. Here, we quantify variation in skull morphology, modularity and integration in chickens and compare those to the wild fowl using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistics. Similar to other domesticated species, chickens exhibit a greater magnitude of variation in shape compared with their ancestors. The most variable part of the chicken skull is the cranial vault, being formed by dermal and neural crest-derived bones, its form possibly related to brain shape variation in chickens, especially in crested breeds. Neural crest-derived portions of the skull exhibit a higher amount of variation. Further, we find that the chicken skull is strongly integrated, confirming previous studies in birds, in contrast to the presence of modularity and decreased integration in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madlen Stange
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
- Authors for correspondence: Madlen Stange e-mail:
| | - Daniel Núñez-León
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Per Jensen
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
- Authors for correspondence: Laura A. B. Wilson e-mail:
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Veitschegger K, Wilson LAB, Nussberger B, Camenisch G, Keller LF, Wroe S, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Resurrecting Darwin's Niata - anatomical, biomechanical, genetic, and morphometric studies of morphological novelty in cattle. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9129. [PMID: 29904085 PMCID: PMC6002398 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27384-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Niata was a cattle variety from South America that figured prominently in writings on evolution by Charles Darwin. Its shortened head and other aspects of its unusual morphology have been subject of unsettled discussions since Darwin’s time. Here, we examine the anatomy, cranial shape, skull biomechanics, and population genetics of the Niata. Our results show that the Niata was a viable variety of cattle and exhibited anatomical differences to known chondrodysplastic forms. In cranial shape and genetic analysis, the Niata occupies an isolated position clearly separated from other cattle. Computational biomechanical model comparison reveals that the shorter face of the Niata resulted in a restricted distribution and lower magnitude of stress during biting. Morphological and genetic data illustrate the acquisition of novelty in the domestication process and confirm the distinct nature of the Niata cattle, validating Darwin’s view that it was a true breed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof Veitschegger
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Beatrice Nussberger
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Glauco Camenisch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas F Keller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zoological Museum, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Department of Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Heck L, Wilson LAB, Evin A, Stange M, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Shape variation and modularity of skull and teeth in domesticated horses and wild equids. Front Zool 2018; 15:14. [PMID: 29713365 PMCID: PMC5907714 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-018-0258-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In horses, the morphological changes induced by the process of domestication are reportedly less pronounced than in other species, such as dogs or pigs - although the horses' disparity has rarely been empirically tested. We investigated shape differences and modularity of domesticated horses, Przewalski's horses, donkeys and zebras. Mandibular and tooth shape have been shown to be valuable features for differentiating wild and domesticated forms in some mammals. RESULTS Both mandible and teeth, show a pattern of shape space occupation analogous to that of the cranium, with domesticated horses occupying a similar extension in shape space to that of wild equids. Only cranial shape data exhibit a tendency to separate domesticated horses and Przewalski's horses from donkeys and zebras. Maximum likelihood model-based tests confirm the horse cranium is composed of six developmental modules, as reported for placental mammals in general. The magnitude of integration in domesticated horse skull was lower than in wild equids across all six cranial modules, and lower values of integration were associated with higher disparity values across all modules. CONCLUSION This is the first study that combines different skeletal features for the description and comparison of shape changes in all living equid groups using geometric morphometrics. We support Darwin's hypothesis that the shape variation in the skull of domesticated horses is similar to the shape variation of all wild equid species existing today. Lower magnitudes of module integration are recovered in domesticated horses compared to their wild relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Heck
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Allowen Evin
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution – Montpellier, CNRS UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, IRD, EPHE, 2 place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Madlen Stange
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract
Morphological divergence of domesticated as compared to wild forms must result from changes in the ontogenetic process. Species-specific tests for heterochrony have rejected a single explanation of domestic forms representing juveniles of their wild relatives. Ontogenetic allometric trajectories for 12 pairs of wild and domestic mammals were examined using skull growth data for 1070 specimens, including representatives from all lineages in which domestication has occurred. A suite of tests were performed to quantify allometric disparity in wild and domestic forms and assess the extent and patterning of modification to allometric trajectories. Domestication has modified postnatal ontogenetic allometric trajectories in mammals, and has generated disparity, achieved through lengthening of trajectory slopes and alteration to slope angles. Allometric disparity was similar for domestic forms compared to their wild relatives, whereas the magnitude of dispersion along allometric vectors differed between precocial mammals and altricial mammals, underscoring the importance of life history and shared evolutionary history in patterns of ontogenetic variation. The results verify the importance of scaling in the morphological changes associated with domestication. The response to domestication for all measured trajectory parameters was variable across species, suggesting multiple pathways of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Attard MRG, Wilson LAB, Worthy TH, Scofield P, Johnston P, Parr WCH, Wroe S. Moa diet fits the bill: virtual reconstruction incorporating mummified remains and prediction of biomechanical performance in avian giants. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:rspb.2015.2043. [PMID: 26763698 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The moa (Dinornithiformes) are large to gigantic extinct terrestrial birds of New Zealand. Knowledge about niche partitioning, feeding mode and preference among moa species is limited, hampering palaeoecological reconstruction and evaluation of the impacts of their extinction on remnant native biota, or the viability of exotic species as proposed ecological 'surrogates'. Here we apply three-dimensional finite-element analysis to compare the biomechanical performance of skulls from five of the six moa genera, and two extant ratites, to predict the range of moa feeding behaviours relative to each other and to living relatives. Mechanical performance during biting was compared using simulations of the birds clipping twigs based on muscle reconstruction of mummified moa remains. Other simulated food acquisition strategies included lateral shaking, pullback and dorsoventral movement of the skull. We found evidence for limited overlap in biomechanical performance between the extant emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and extinct upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) based on similarities in mandibular stress distribution in two loading cases, but overall our findings suggest that moa species exploited their habitats in different ways, relative to both each other and extant ratites. The broad range of feeding strategies used by moa, as inferred from interspecific differences in biomechanical performance of the skull, provides insight into mechanisms that facilitated high diversities of these avian herbivores in prehistoric New Zealand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R G Attard
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Trevor H Worthy
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Paul Scofield
- Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand
| | - Peter Johnston
- Department of Anatomy, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - William C H Parr
- Surgical and Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales 2031, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Laboratory, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
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Archer M, Hand SJ, Black KH, Beck RMD, Arena DA, Wilson LAB, Kealy S, Hung TT. A new family of bizarre durophagous carnivorous marsupials from Miocene deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26911. [PMID: 27229325 PMCID: PMC4882580 DOI: 10.1038/srep26911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A new specimen of the bizarrely specialised Malleodectes mirabilis from middle Miocene deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area provides the first and only information about the molar dentition of this strange group of extinct marsupials. Apart from striking autapomorphies such as the enormous P3, other dental features such as stylar cusp D being larger than B suggest it belongs in the Order Dasyuromorphia. Phylogenetic analysis of 62 craniodental characters places Malleodectes within Dasyuromorphia albeit with weak support and without indication of specific relationships to any of the three established families (Dasyuridae, Myrmecobiidae and Thylacinidae). Accordingly we have allocated Malleodectes to the new family, Malleodectidae. Some features suggest potential links to previously named dasyuromorphians from Riversleigh (e.g., Ganbulanyi) but these are too poorly known to test this possibility. Although the original interpretation of a steeply declining molar row in Malleodectes can be rejected, it continues to seem likely that malleodectids specialised on snails but probably also consumed a wider range of prey items including small vertebrates. Whatever their actual diet, malleodectids appear to have filled a niche in Australia’s rainforests that has not been occupied by any other mammal group anywhere in the world from the Miocene onwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Archer
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - S J Hand
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - K H Black
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - R M D Beck
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.,School of Environmental &Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
| | - D A Arena
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - L A B Wilson
- PANGEA Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth &Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - S Kealy
- Department of Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - T-T Hung
- Biological Resources Imaging Laboratory, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales 2052, Australia
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Parr WCH, Wilson LAB, Wroe S, Colman NJ, Crowther MS, Letnic M. Cranial Shape and the Modularity of Hybridization in Dingoes and Dogs; Hybridization Does Not Spell the End for Native Morphology. Evol Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-016-9371-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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López-Aguirre C, Pérez-Torres J, Wilson LAB. Cranial and mandibular shape variation in the genus Carollia (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Colombia: biogeographic patterns and morphological modularity. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1197. [PMID: 26413433 PMCID: PMC4581772 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neotropical bats of the genus Carollia are widely studied due to their abundance, distribution and relevance for ecosystems. However, the ecomorphological boundaries of these species are poorly differentiated, and consequently correspondence between their geographic distribution, ecological plasticity and morphological variation remains unclear. In this study, patterns of cranial and mandibular morphological variation were assessed for Carollia brevicauda, C. castanea and C. perspicillata from Colombia. Using geometric morphometrics, morphological variation was examined with respect to: differences in intraspecific variation, morphological modularity and integration, and biogeographic patterns. Patterns of intraspecific variation were different for each species in both cranial and mandibular morphology, with functional differences apparent according to diet. Cranial modularity varied between species whereas mandibular modularity did not. High cranial and mandibular correlation reflects Cranium-Mandible integration as a functional unit. Similarity between the biogeographic patterns in C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata indicates that the Andes do not act as a barrier but rather as an independent region, isolating the morphology of Andean populations of larger-bodied species. The biogeographic pattern for C. castanea was not associated with the physiography of the Andes, suggesting that large body size does not benefit C. brevicauda and C. perspicillata in maintaining homogeneous morphologies among populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López-Aguirre
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney , Australia ; Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana , Bogotá , Colombia
| | - Jairo Pérez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Ecología Funcional, Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana , Bogotá , Colombia
| | - Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney , Australia
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Wilson LAB, Werneburg I. Quantifying evolutionary development using non-model organisms: integrating morphology, metrical frameworks, and gene expression. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol 2015; 322:555-7. [PMID: 25404553 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Keeping pace with the forward progression of evolutionary developmental studies and their trajectory toward ever-more integrative and broad-scale study presents a challenge for researchers from diverse disciplines. Increasing the capacity for discourse and opening opportunity to further interdisciplinary work is highly desirable, and one way that activities can be hindered is through a lack of communication between those developing new methods and those applying methods to new data sets. The goal of this special issue, which brings together contributions from a recent symposium at the 10(th) International Congress for Vertebrate Morphology (ICVM 10, Barcelona, July 2013) along with select additions, was to integrate methodological developments with molecular and morphological data to present a broad spectrum of avenues for investigating ontogeny in land vertebrates. A balance between methods-focused papers and papers presenting novel data and perspectives from molecular and morphological approaches in evo-devo was sought with the hope of promoting greater interchange between each side, and drawing attention to new opportunities for future research on non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
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Attard MRG, Parr WCH, Wilson LAB, Archer M, Hand SJ, Rogers TL, Wroe S. Virtual reconstruction and prey size preference in the mid Cenozoic thylacinid, Nimbacinus dicksoni (Thylacinidae, Marsupialia). PLoS One 2014; 9:e93088. [PMID: 24718109 PMCID: PMC3981708 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Thylacinidae is an extinct family of Australian and New Guinean marsupial carnivores, comprizing 12 known species, the oldest of which are late Oligocene (∼24 Ma) in age. Except for the recently extinct thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), most are known from fragmentary craniodental material only, limiting the scope of biomechanical and ecological studies. However, a particularly well-preserved skull of the fossil species Nimbacinus dicksoni, has been recovered from middle Miocene (∼16-11.6 Ma) deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. Here, we ask whether N. dicksoni was more similar to its recently extinct relative or to several large living marsupials in a key aspect of feeding ecology, i.e., was N. dicksoni a relatively small or large prey specialist. To address this question we have digitally reconstructed its skull and applied three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis to compare its mechanical performance with that of three extant marsupial carnivores and T. cynocephalus. Under loadings adjusted for differences in size that simulated forces generated by both jaw closing musculature and struggling prey, we found that stress distributions and magnitudes in the skull of N. dicksoni were more similar to those of the living spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) than to its recently extinct relative. Considering the Finite Element Analysis results and dental morphology, we predict that N. dicksoni likely occupied a broadly similar ecological niche to that of D. maculatus, and was likely capable of hunting vertebrate prey that may have exceeded its own body mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R. G. Attard
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - William C. H. Parr
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michael Archer
- Evolution of Earth and Life Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Suzanne J. Hand
- Evolution of Earth and Life Sciences Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tracey L. Rogers
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research laboratory, Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, New South Wales, Australia
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Maxwell EE, Wilson LAB. Regionalization of the axial skeleton in the 'ambush predator' guild--are there developmental rules underlying body shape evolution in ray-finned fishes? BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:265. [PMID: 24314064 PMCID: PMC3867419 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 11/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A long, slender body plan characterized by an elongate antorbital region and posterior displacement of the unpaired fins has evolved multiple times within ray-finned fishes, and is associated with ambush predation. The axial skeleton of ray-finned fishes is divided into abdominal and caudal regions, considered to be evolutionary modules. In this study, we test whether the convergent evolution of the ambush predator body plan is associated with predictable, regional changes in the axial skeleton, specifically whether the abdominal region is preferentially lengthened relative to the caudal region through the addition of vertebrae. We test this hypothesis in seven clades showing convergent evolution of this body plan, examining abdominal and caudal vertebral counts in over 300 living and fossil species. In four of these clades, we also examined the relationship between the fineness ratio and vertebral regionalization using phylogenetic independent contrasts. Results We report that in five of the clades surveyed, Lepisosteidae, Esocidae, Belonidae, Sphyraenidae and Fistulariidae, vertebrae are added preferentially to the abdominal region. In Lepisosteidae, Esocidae, and Belonidae, increasing abdominal vertebral count was also significantly related to increasing fineness ratio, a measure of elongation. Two clades did not preferentially add abdominal vertebrae: Saurichthyidae and Aulostomidae. Both of these groups show the development of a novel caudal region anterior to the insertion of the anal fin, morphologically differentiated from more posterior caudal vertebrae. Conclusions The preferential addition of abdominal vertebrae in fishes with an elongate body shape is consistent with the existence of a conservative positioning module formed by the boundary between the abdominal and caudal vertebral regions and the anterior insertion of the anal fin. Dissociation of this module is possible, although less probable than changes in the independently evolving abdominal region. Dissociation of the axial skeleton-median fin module leads to increased regionalization within the caudal vertebral column, something that has evolved several times in bony fishes, and may be homologous with the sacral region of tetrapods. These results suggest that modularity of the axial skeleton may result in somewhat predictable evolutionary outcomes in bony fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Maxwell
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Wilson LAB, Colombo M, Hanel R, Salzburger W, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Ecomorphological disparity in an adaptive radiation: opercular bone shape and stable isotopes in Antarctic icefishes. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:3166-82. [PMID: 24102002 PMCID: PMC3790559 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2013] [Revised: 07/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To assess how ecological and morphological disparity is interrelated in the adaptive radiation of Antarctic notothenioid fish we used patterns of opercle bone evolution as a model to quantify shape disparity, phylogenetic patterns of shape evolution, and ecological correlates in the form of stable isotope values. Using a sample of 25 species including representatives from four major notothenioid clades, we show that opercle shape disparity is higher in the modern fauna than would be expected under the neutral evolution Brownian motion model. Phylogenetic comparative methods indicate that opercle shape data best fit a model of directional selection (Ornstein–Uhlenbeck) and are least supported by the “early burst” model of adaptive radiation. The main evolutionary axis of opercle shape change reflects movement from a broad and more symmetrically tapered opercle to one that narrows along the distal margin, but with only slight shape change on the proximal margin. We find a trend in opercle shape change along the benthic–pelagic axis, underlining the importance of this axis for diversification in the notothenioid radiation. A major impetus for the study of adaptive radiations is to uncover generalized patterns among different groups, and the evolutionary patterns in opercle shape among notothenioids are similar to those found among other adaptive radiations (three-spined sticklebacks) promoting the utility of this approach for assessing ecomorphological interactions on a broad scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- Paläontologisches Institute und Museum Karl-Schmid Strasse 4, CH 8006, Zürich, Switzerland ; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales High Street, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Abstract
In this study, allometric trajectories for 51 rodent species, comprising equal representatives from each of the major clades (Ctenohystrica, Muroidea, Sciuridae), are compared in a multivariate morphospace (=allometric space) to quantify magnitudes of disparity in cranial growth. Variability in allometric trajectory patterns was compared to measures of adult disparity in each clade, and dietary habit among the examined species, which together encapsulated an ecomorphological breadth. Results indicate that the evolution of allometric trajectories in rodents is characterized by different features in sciurids compared with muroids and Ctenohystrica. Sciuridae was found to have a reduced magnitude of inter-trajectory change and growth patterns with less variation in allometric coefficient values among members. In contrast, a greater magnitude of difference between trajectories and an increased variation in allometric coefficient values was evident for both Ctenohystrica and muroids. Ctenohystrica and muroids achieved considerably higher adult disparities than sciurids, suggesting that conservatism in allometric trajectory modification may constrain morphological diversity in rodents. The results provide support for a role of ecology (dietary habit) in the evolution of allometric trajectories in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
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Wilson LAB, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Diversity trends and their ontogenetic basis: an exploration of allometric disparity in rodents. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:1227-34. [PMID: 20018789 PMCID: PMC2842816 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2009] [Accepted: 11/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that most morphological evolution occurs by allometric differentiation. Because rodents encapsulate a phenomenal amount of taxonomic diversity and, among several clades, contrasting levels of morphological diversity, they represent an excellent subject to address the question: how variable are allometric patterns during evolution? We investigated the influence of phylogenetic relations and ecological factors on the results of the first quantification of allometric disparity among rodents by exploring allometric space, a multivariate morphospace here derived from, and encapsulating all, the ontogenetic trajectories of 34 rodent species from two parallel phylogenetic radiations. Disparity was quantified using angles between ontogenetic trajectories for different species and clades. We found an overlapping occupation of allometric space by muroid and hystricognath species, revealing both clades possess similar abilities to evolve in different directions of phenotypic space, and anatomical diversity does not act to constrain the labile nature of allometric patterning. Morphological features to enable efficient processing of food serve to group rodents in allometric space, reflecting the importance of convergent morphology, rather than shared evolutionary history, in the generation of allometric patterns. Our results indicate that the conserved level of morphological integration found among primates cannot simply be extended to all mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Wilson LAB, Schradin C, Mitgutsch C, Galliari FC, Mess A, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Skeletogenesis and sequence heterochrony in rodent evolution, with particular emphasis on the African striped mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio (Mammalia). ORG DIVERS EVOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-010-0020-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Abstract
Sutures, joints that allow one bone to articulate with another through intervening fibrous connective tissue, serve as major sites of bone expansion during postnatal craniofacial growth in the vertebrate skull and represent an aspect of cranial ontogeny which may exhibit functional and phylogenetic correlates. Suture evolution among hystricognath rodents, an ecologically diverse group represented here by 26 species, is examined using sequence heterochrony methods, i.e. event pairing and PARSIMOV. Although minor nuances in suture closure sequence exist between species, the overall sequence was found to be conserved both across the hystricognath group and, to an increasing degree, within selected clades. At species level, suture closure pattern exhibited a significant positive correlation with patterns previously reported for hominoids. Patterns for most clades revealed the first sutures to close are those contacting the exoccipital, interparietal, and palatine bones. Heterochronic shifts were found along 19 of 35 branches within the hystricognath phylogeny. The number of shifts per node ranged from one to seven events and, overall, involved 21 of 34 suture sites. The topology generated by parsimony analyses of the event pair matrix yielded only one grouping that was congruent with the evolutionary relationships, compiled from morphological and molecular studies, taken as framework. Sutures contacting the exoccipital displayed the highest levels of most complete closure across all species. Level of suture closure is negatively correlated with cranial length (P < 0.05). Differing life history and locomotory strategies are coupled in part with differing suture closure patterns among several species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A B Wilson
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich, Switzerland.
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