Uncovering the mosaic evolution of the carnivoran skeletal system

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 20(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

The diversity of vertebrate skeletons is often attributed to adaptations distinct ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and sensory environment. Although the adaptive evolution skull, appendicular skeleton, vertebral column well studied in vertebrates, comprehensive investigations all skeletal components simultaneously are rarely performed. Consequently, we know little how modes differ among components. Here, tested if phylogenetic effects led cranial, regions extant carnivoran skeletons. Using multivariate evolutionary models, found mosaic which only mandible, hindlimb posterior (i.e. last thoracic lumbar) vertebrae showed evidence adaptation towards regimes whereas remaining reflect clade-specific shifts. We hypothesize that decoupled individual may have origination zones morphologies families hierarchies. Overall, our work highlights importance examining multiple ecomorphological analyses. Ongoing integrating fossil palaeoenvironmental record will further clarify deep-time drivers govern see today reveal complexity processes multicomponent systems.

Language: Английский

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The carnivoran adaptive landscape reveals trade-offs among functional traits in the skull, appendicular, and axial skeleton

Integrative Organismal Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 7(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Synopsis Analyses of form–function relationships are widely used to understand links between morphology, ecology, and adaptation across macroevolutionary scales. However, few have investigated functional trade-offs covariance within the skull, limbs, vertebral column simultaneously. In this study, we adaptive landscape skeletal form function in carnivorans test how among these regions contribute ecological adaptations topology landscape. We found that morphological proxies derived from carnivoran exhibit covariation their performance surfaces, particularly appendicular axial skeletons. These correspond as different landscapes when optimized by various factors including phylogeny, dietary and, particular, locomotor mode. Lastly, topologies underlying surfaces largely characterized a single gradual gradient rather than rugged, multipeak with distinct zones. Our results suggest may already occupy broad zone part larger mammalian masks traits.

Language: Английский

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Ecomorphology and sensory biology of bats

The Anatomical Record, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 306(11), P. 2660 - 2669

Published: Sept. 1, 2023

This special issue of The Anatomical Record is inspired by and dedicated to Professor Kunwar P. Bhatnagar, whose lifelong interests in biology, long career studying bats, many advanced our knowledge the world's only flying mammals. 15 articles included here represent a broad range investigators, treading topics familiar Prof. who was interested seemingly every aspect bat biology. Key include themes development, sensory systems, specializations related flight diet. These paint complex picture fascinating adaptations such as rapid fore limb ear morphologies relating echolocation, other enhanced senses that allow bats exploit niches virtually part world. In this introduction, we integrate contextualize these within broader story ecomorphology, providing an overview each key noted above. will serve springboard for future studies both biology world mammalian comparative anatomy ecomorphology.

Language: Английский

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A macroevolutionary common-garden experiment reveals differentially evolvable bone organization levels in slow arboreal mammals

Communications Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 6(1)

Published: Sept. 28, 2023

Abstract Eco-morphological convergence, i.e., similar phenotypes evolved in ecologically convergent taxa, naturally reproduces a common-garden experiment since it allows researchers to keep ecological factors constant, studying intrinsic evolutionary drivers. The latter may result differential evolvability that, among individual anatomical parts, causes mosaic evolution. Reconstructing the morphology of humerus and femur slow arboreal mammals, we addressed mosaicism at different bone spatial scales. We compared convergence strength, using as indicator evolvability, between external shape inner structure, with former expected be less evolvable involved evolution, due constraints. identify several structural traits, while only loosely follows this trend, find confirmation for our assumption measures magnitude. suggest that future macroevolutionary reconstructions based on should include traits better detect effects vertebrate diversification.

Language: Английский

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Gliding toward an understanding of the origin of flight in bats

PeerJ, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 12, P. e17824 - e17824

Published: July 25, 2024

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight and have correspondingly specialized body plans, particularly in their limb morphology. The origin bat is still not fully understood due to an uninformative fossil record but, from perspective a functional transition, it widely hypothesized that bats evolved gliding ancestors. Here, we test predictions gliding-to-flying hypothesis by using phylogenetic comparative methods model evolution forelimb hindlimb traits on dataset spanning four extinct 231 extant with diverse locomotor modes. Our results reveal gliders exhibit adaptive trait optima (1) toward relatively elongate forelimbs intermediate between those non-gliding arborealists, (2) narrower but longer hindlimbs non-gliders bats. We propose landscape based length width optimal trends derived our modeling analyses. support hypothetical evolutionary pathway wherein glider-like postcranial morphology precedes bat-like adapted powered-flight, setting foundation for future developmental, biomechanical, research this idea.

Language: Английский

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Inferring the locomotor ecology of two of the oldest fossil squirrels: influence of operationalization, trait, body size and machine learning method

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 291(2034)

Published: Nov. 1, 2024

Correlations between morphology and lifestyle of extant taxa are useful for predicting lifestyles extinct relatives. Here, we infer the locomotor behaviour Palaeosciurus goti from middle Oligocene feignouxi lower Miocene France using their femoral different machine learning methods. We used two ways to operationalize morphology, in form a geometric morphometric shape dataset multivariate 11 traits. The predictive models were built tested more than half (180) species squirrel Both traditional such as linear discriminant analysis sophisticated like neural networks had greatest power. However, power also depended on operationalization traits build model. found that tended improve with increasing body size. Contrary previous suggestions, older species, P. goti, was most likely arboreal, whereas terrestrial. This provides further evidence arboreality already common ecology among earliest squirrels, while predominantly terrestrial evolved shortly afterwards, before vast establishment grasslands Europe.

Language: Английский

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Gliding towards an understanding of the origin of flight in bats

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Sept. 27, 2022

Abstract Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight and have correspondingly specialized body plans, particularly in their limb morphology. The origin bat is still not fully understood due to an uninformative fossil record but, from perspective a functional transition, it widely hypothesized that bats evolved gliding ancestors. Here, we test predictions gliding-to-flying hypothesis by using phylogenetic comparative methods model evolution forelimb hindlimb traits on dataset spanning four extinct 231 extant with diverse locomotor modes. Our results reveal gliders exhibit adaptive trait optima (1) toward relatively elongate forelimbs intermediate between those non-gliding arborealists, (2) narrower but longer hindlimbs non-gliders bats. We propose hypothetical landscape based length width optimal trends derived our modeling analyses. support evolutionary pathway wherein glider-like postcranial morphology precedes bat-like adapted powered-flight, setting foundation for future developmental, biomechanical, research this idea.

Language: Английский

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The carnivoran adaptive landscape reveals functional trade-offs among the skull, appendicular, and axial skeleton

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 8, 2024

Abstract Analyses of form-function relationships are widely used to understand links between morphology, ecology, and adaptation across macroevolutionary scales. However, few have investigated functional trade-offs covariance within the skull, limbs, vertebral column simultaneously. In this study, we adaptive landscape skeletal form function in carnivorans test how these regions contribute ecological adaptations topology landscape. We found that morphological proxies derived from carnivoran exhibit covariation their performance surfaces, particularly appendicular axial skeletons. These correspond as different landscapes when optimized by various factors including phylogeny, dietary and, particular, locomotor mode. Lastly, topologies underlying surfaces largely characterized a single gradual gradient rather than rugged, multipeak with distinct zones. Our results suggest may already occupy broad zone part larger mammalian masks traits.

Language: Английский

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Uncovering the mosaic evolution of the carnivoran skeletal system

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Sept. 4, 2023

Abstract The diversity of vertebrate skeletons is often attributed to adaptations distinct ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and sensory environment. Although the adaptive evolution skull, appendicular skeleton, vertebral column well studied in vertebrates, comprehensive investigations all skeletal components simultaneously are rarely performed. Consequently, we know little how modes differ among components. Here, tested if phylogenetic effects led cranial, appendicular, regions extant carnivoran skeletons. Using multivariate evolutionary models, found mosaic which only mandible, hindlimb, posterior (i.e., last thoracic lumbar) vertebrae showed evidence adaptation towards regimes whereas remaining reflect clade-specific shifts. We hypothesize that decoupled individual may have origination zones morphologies families hierarchies. Overall, our work highlights importance examining multiple ecomorphological analyses. Ongoing integrating fossil paleoenvironmental record will further clarify deep-time drivers govern see today reveal complexity processes multicomponent systems.

Language: Английский

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Quadruped Robot Calf Joint Actuator Molding and Design Based on Dynamic Similarity Hypothesis

2021 24th International Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems (ICEMS), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 916 - 921

Published: Nov. 5, 2023

Language: Английский

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