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Merchant HN, Portugal SJ, Bennett NC, Janse van Vuuren AK, Faulkes CG, Bowen J, Hart DW. New insights into morphological adaptation in common mole-rats ( Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) along an aridity gradient. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11301. [PMID: 38651162 PMCID: PMC11033624 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Morphological adaptation is the change in the form of an organism that benefits the individual in its current habitat. Mole-rats (family Bathyergidae), despite being subterranean, are impacted by both local and broad-scale environmental conditions that occur above ground. Common mole-rats (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) present an ideal mammalian model system for the study of morphological variation in response to ecology, as this species is found along an aridity gradient and thus can be sampled from geographically non-overlapping populations of the same species along an environmental longitudinal cline. Using the mass of five internal organs, ten skeletal measurements and 3D morphometric analyses of skulls, we assessed the morphology of wild non-breeding individuals from five common mole-rat populations in South Africa. We found that the body mass and mean relative mass of the spleen and kidneys in arid populations was larger, and individuals from arid regions possessed shorter legs and larger inter-shoulder widths compared to individuals from mesic regions. Additionally, arid populations demonstrated greater skull depth, and shape change of features such as angular processes of the lower jaw than mesic individuals, indicating that these distinct geographic populations show differences corresponding to the aridity gradient, potentially in response to environmental factors such as the variation in food sources found between different habitats, in addition to different soil compositions found in the different regions. Arid populations potentially require a stronger jaw and neck musculature associated with mastication to chew xeric-adapted plants and to dig through hard soil types, whereas mesic populations excavate through soft, looser soil and may make use of their front limbs to aid the movement of soils when digging. Aridity influences the morphology of this species and could indicate the impact of environmental changes on speciation and mammalian skull morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana N. Merchant
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEgham, SurreyUK
- School of Biological and Behavioural SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Steven J. Portugal
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEgham, SurreyUK
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaGautengSouth Africa
| | | | - Chris G. Faulkes
- School of Biological and Behavioural SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - James Bowen
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering, and MathematicsOpen UniversityMilton KeynesUK
| | - Daniel W. Hart
- Department of Zoology and EntomologyUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaGautengSouth Africa
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2
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Pandelis GG, Grundler MC, Rabosky DL. Ecological correlates of cranial evolution in the megaradiation of dipsadine snakes. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:48. [PMID: 37679675 PMCID: PMC10485986 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02157-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dipsadine snakes represent one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations that have occurred in any continental setting, with over 800 species in South and Central America. Their species richness is paralleled by stunning ecological diversity, ranging from arboreal snail-eating and aquatic eel-eating specialists to terrestrial generalists. Despite the ecological importance of this clade, little is known about the extent to which ecological specialization shapes broader patterns of phenotypic diversity within the group. Here, we test how habitat use and diet have influenced morphological diversification in skull shape across 160 dipsadine species using micro-CT and 3-D geometric morphometrics, and we use a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the contributions of habitat use and diet composition to variation in skull shape among species. RESULTS We demonstrate that while both habitat use and diet are significant predictors of shape in many regions of the skull, habitat use significantly predicts shape in a greater number of skull regions when compared to diet. We also find that across ecological groupings, fossorial and aquatic behaviors result in the strongest deviations in morphospace for several skull regions. We use simulations to address the robustness of our results and describe statistical anomalies that can arise from the application of phylogenetic generalized least squares to complex shape data. CONCLUSIONS Both habitat and dietary ecology are significantly correlated with skull shape in dipsadines; the strongest relationships involved skull shape in snakes with aquatic and fossorial lifestyles. This association between skull morphology and multiple ecological axes is consistent with a classic model of adaptive radiation and suggests that ecological factors were an important component in driving morphological diversification in the dipsadine megaradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory G Pandelis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019, USA.
| | - Michael C Grundler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Daniel L Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
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3
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Fostowicz-Frelik Ł, Cox PG, Li Q. Mandibular characteristics of early Glires (Mammalia) reveal mixed rodent and lagomorph morphotypes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220087. [PMID: 37183896 PMCID: PMC10184241 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Glires (rodents, lagomorphs and their fossil kin) is the most speciose and arguably most diversified clade of living placentals. Different lineages within the Glires evolved basically opposite chewing movements: a mostly transversal power stroke in lagomorphs, and a mostly proal power stroke in rodents, but the ancestral condition for Glires is still unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we studied the mandibles of Chinese Palaeocene Glires representing the duplicidentate (lagomorph-like; Mimotona) and simplicidentate (rodent-like; Eomylus and Heomys) lineages. To assess the mechanical resistance of mandibles to bending and torsion, we calculated the section modulus. The dentaries differ greatly in morphology and the region where the maximum grinding force was likely applied. The early Palaeocene Mimotona lii and the middle Palaeocene Mimotona robusta and Heomys orientalis all show a pattern of increasing strength moving posteriorly along the mandible, similar to sciurids and the mountain beaver. By contrast, the late Palaeocene Eomylus sp. mandible was strongest in the m1 region, a pattern seen in lagomorphs and the stem placental Zofialestes. Our results indicate the early diversification of mandible structure of Glires, demonstrate a mixture of duplicidentate and simplicidentate characters among the basal Glires and suggest an early occurrence of a lagomorph-like morphotype. This article is part of the theme issue 'The mammalian skull: development, structure and function'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Philip G Cox
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Qian Li
- Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
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4
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Gomes Rodrigues H, Damette M. Incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life in the skull of ground squirrels (Sciuridae, Rodentia). J Morphol 2023; 284:e21540. [PMID: 36533735 PMCID: PMC10107104 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Anatomical and biological specializations have been studied extensively in fossorial rodents, especially in subterranean species, such as mole-rats or pocket-gophers. Sciurids (i.e., squirrels) are mostly known for their diverse locomotory behaviors, and encompass many arboreal species. They also include less specialized fossorial species, such as ground squirrels that are mainly scratch diggers. The skull of ground squirrels remains poorly investigated in a fossorial context, while it may reflect incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life, especially due to the putative use of incisors for digging in some taxa. Here, we present the results of a comparative analysis of the skull of five fossorial sciurid species, and compare those to four arboreal sciurids, one arboreal/fossorial sciurid and one specialized fossorial aplodontiid. The quantification of both cranial and mandibular shapes, using three dimensional geometric morphometrics, reveals that fossorial species clearly depart from arboreal species. Fossorial species from the Marmotini tribe, and also Xerini to a lesser extent, show widened zygomatic arches and occipital plate on the cranium, and a wide mandible with reduced condyles. These shared characteristics, which are present in the aplodontiid species, likely represent fossorial specializations rather than relaxed selection on traits related to the ancestral arboreal condition of sciurids. Such cranial and mandibular configurations combined with proodont incisors might also be related to the frequent use of incisors for digging (added to forelimbs), especially in Marmotini evolving in soft to hard soil conditions. This study provides some clues to understand the evolutionary mechanisms shaping the skull of fossorial rodents, in relation to the time spent underground and to the nature of the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Gomes Rodrigues
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie-Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, CP38, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Damette
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie-Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, CP38, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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5
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Montoya-Sanhueza G, Bennett NC, Chinsamy A, Šumbera R. Functional anatomy and disparity of the postcranial skeleton of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.857474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The burrowing adaptations of the appendicular system of African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) have been comparatively less investigated than their cranial adaptations. Because bathyergids exhibit different digging modes (scratch-digging and chisel-tooth digging) and social systems (from solitary to highly social), they are a unique group to assess the effects of distinct biomechanical regimes and social organization on morphology. We investigated the morphological diversity and intraspecific variation of the appendicular system of a large dataset of mole-rats (n = 244) including seven species and all six bathyergid genera. Seventeen morpho-functional indices from stylopodial (femur, humerus) and zeugopodial (ulna, tibia-fibula) elements were analyzed with multivariate analysis. We hypothesized that scratch-diggers (i.e., Bathyergus) would exhibit a more specialized skeletal phenotype favoring powerful forelimb digging as compared to the chisel-tooth diggers, and that among chisel-tooth diggers, the social taxa will exhibit decreased limb bone specializations as compared to solitary taxa due to colony members sharing the costs of digging. Our results show that most bathyergids have highly specialized fossorial traits, although such specializations were not more developed in Bathyergus (or solitary species), as predicted. Most chisel tooth-diggers are equally, or more specialized than scratch-diggers. Heterocephalus glaber contrasted significantly from other bathyergids, presenting a surprisingly less specialized fossorial morphology. Our data suggests that despite our expectations, chisel-tooth diggers have a suite of appendicular adaptations that have allowed them to maximize different aspects of burrowing, including shoulder and neck support for forward force production, transport and removal of soils out of the burrow, and bidirectional locomotion. It is probably that both postcranial and cranial adaptations in bathyergids have played an important role in the successful colonization of a wide range of habitats and soil conditions within their present distribution.
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6
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Kraus A, Lövy M, Mikula O, Okrouhlík J, Bennett NC, Herrel A, Šumbera R. Bite force in the strictly subterranean rodent family of African mole‐rats (Bathyergidae): the role of digging mode, social organisation, and ecology. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Kraus
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Matěj Lövy
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Mikula
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic
| | - Jan Okrouhlík
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du Vivant UMR 7179 MECADEV C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N., Bâtiment d’Anatomie Comparée Paris France
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
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7
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Finn KT, Thorley J, Bensch HM, Zöttl M. Subterranean Life-Style Does Not Limit Long Distance Dispersal in African Mole-Rats. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.879014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal from the natal site to breeding sites is a crucial phase in the life history of animals and can have profound effects on the reproductive ecology and the structure of animal societies. However, few studies have assessed dispersal dynamics in subterranean mammals and it is unknown whether dispersal distances are constrained by living underground. Here we show, in social, subterranean Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), that a subterranean lifestyle does not preclude long distance dispersal and that both sexes are capable of successfully dispersing long distances (>4 km). Body condition did not predict dispersal distance, but dispersers from larger groups traveled farther than individuals from smaller groups. Subsequently we show in a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of dispersal distances in subterranean and surface-dwelling rodents that living underground does not constrain dispersal distances and that dispersal capacity is mainly a consequence of body size in both lifestyles.
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8
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Montoya-Sanhueza G, Šaffa G, Šumbera R, Chinsamy A, Jarvis JUM, Bennett NC. Fossorial adaptations in African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) and the unique appendicular phenotype of naked mole-rats. Commun Biol 2022; 5:526. [PMID: 35650336 PMCID: PMC9159980 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03480-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Life underground has constrained the evolution of subterranean mammals to maximize digging performance. However, the mechanisms modulating morphological change and development of fossorial adaptations in such taxa are still poorly known. We assessed the morpho-functional diversity and early postnatal development of fossorial adaptations (bone superstructures) in the appendicular system of the African mole-rats (Bathyergidae), a highly specialized subterranean rodent family. Although bathyergids can use claws or incisors for digging, all genera presented highly specialized bone superstructures associated with scratch-digging behavior. Surprisingly, Heterocephalus glaber differed substantially from other bathyergids, and from fossorial mammals by possessing a less specialized humerus, tibia and fibula. Our data suggest strong functional and developmental constraints driving the selection of limb specializations in most bathyergids, but more relaxed pressures acting on the limbs of H. glaber. A combination of historical, developmental and ecological factors in Heterocephalus are hypothesized to have played important roles in shaping its appendicular phenotype. Morphological and developmental analyses demonstrated that the naked mole-rats are the least anatomically specialized bathyergid for scratch-digging. Developmental, ecological and historical factors may be involved in such peculiar phenotype
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Affiliation(s)
- Germán Montoya-Sanhueza
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic. .,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rhodes Gift 7701, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Gabriel Šaffa
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Anusuya Chinsamy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rhodes Gift 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jennifer U M Jarvis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rhodes Gift 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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9
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Identification and Counting of European Souslik Burrows from UAV Images by Pixel-Based Image Analysis and Random Forest Classification: A Simple, Semi-Automated, yet Accurate Method for Estimating Population Size. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14092025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Burrowing mammals such as European sousliks are widespread and contribute significantly to soil ecosystem services. However, they have declined across their range and the non-invasive estimation of their actual population size has remained a challenge. Results support that the number of burrow entrances is positively correlated with population abundance, and burrow locations indicate the occupied area. We present an imagery-based method to identify and count animals’ burrows semi-automatically by combining remotely recorded red, green, and blue (RGB) images, pixel-based imagery, and random forest (RF) classification. Field images were collected for four colonies, then combined and processed by histogram matching and spectral band normalization to improve the spectral distinctions among the categories BURROW, SOIL, TREE, and GRASS. The accuracy indexes of classification for BURROW kappa (κ) were 95% (precision) and 90% (sensitivity). A 10-iteration bootstrapping of the final model resulted in coefficients of variation (CV%) of BURROW κ for sensitivity and precision lower than 5%; moreover, CV% values were not significantly different between those scores. The consistency of classification and balanced precision and sensitivity confirmed the applicability of this approach. Our approach provides an accurate, user-friendly, and relatively simple approach to count the number of burrow openings, estimate population abundance, and delineate the areas of occupancy non-invasively.
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10
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Developmental Plasticity in the Ossification of the Proximal Femur of Heterocephalus glaber (Bathyergidae, Rodentia). J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09602-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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11
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12
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Geomorphometric differences in shape and size of the cranium and mandible among three cytotypes of Nannospalax nehringi (Satunin, 1898) (Rodentia: Spalacidae) from East Anatolia. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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13
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Uhrová M, Mikula O, Bennett NC, Van Daele P, Piálek L, Bryja J, Visser JH, Jansen van Vuuren B, Šumbera R. Species limits and phylogeographic structure in two genera of solitary African mole-rats Georychus and Heliophobius. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 167:107337. [PMID: 34757170 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) are an intensively studied family of subterranean rodents including three highly social and three solitary genera. Although their phylogenetic interrelations are clear, genetic diversity and the number of species within each genus is much less certain. Among the solitary genera, Heliophobius and Georychus were for a long time considered as monotypic, but molecular studies demonstrated strong phylogeographic structure within each genus and proposed that they represent complexes of cryptic species. The present study re-evaluates their internal genetic/phylogenetic structure using a combination of methodological approaches. We generated datasets of one mitochondrial and six specifically selected nuclear markers as well as of a large number of double digest restriction site associated (ddRAD) loci and then applied species delimitation analyses based on the multispecies coalescent model or clustering on co-ancestry matrices. The population structure was largely congruent across all analyses, but the methods differed in their resolution scale when determining distinct gene pools. While the multispecies coalescent model distinguished five Georychus and between eleven to thirteen Heliophobius gene pools in both Sanger sequenced and ddRAD loci, two clustering algorithms revealed significantly finer or coarser structure in ddRAD based co-ancestry matrices. Tens of clusters were distinguished by fineRADstructure and one (in Georychus) or two clusters (in Heliophobius) by Infomap. The divergence dating of the bathyergid phylogeny estimated that diversification within both genera coincided with the onset of the Pleistocene and was likely driven by repeated large-scale climatic changes. Based on this updated genetic evidence, we suggest recognizing one species of Georychus and two species of Heliophobius, corresponding to a northern and southern major lineage, separated by the Eastern Arc Mountains. Yet, the final taxonomic revision should await integrated evidence stemming from e.g.. morphological, ecological, or behavioral datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Uhrová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia
| | - O Mikula
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
| | - N C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - P Van Daele
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia
| | - L Piálek
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia
| | - J Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
| | - J H Visser
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P.O. Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
| | - B Jansen van Vuuren
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - R Šumbera
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia
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14
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Corenblit D, Corbara B, Steiger J. Biogeomorphological eco-evolutionary feedback between life and geomorphology: a theoretical framework using fossorial mammals. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:55. [PMID: 34661745 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01760-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineer organisms not only adapt to pre-existing environmental conditions but also co-construct their physical environment. By doing so, they can subsequently change selection pressures for themselves and other species, as well as change community and ecosystem structures and functions. Focusing on one representative example, i.e., fossorial mammals, we show that geomorphological Earth system components are crucial for understanding and quantifying links between evolutionary and ecosystem dynamics and that feedbacks between geomorphology and engineer organisms constitute a major driver of geomorphological organization on the Earth's surface. We propose a biogeomorphological eco-evolutionary feedback synthesis from the gene to the landscape where eco-evolutionary feedbacks are mediated by the geomorphological dimensions of a niche that are affected by engineer organisms, such as fossorial mammals. Our concept encompasses (i) the initial responses of fossorial mammals to environmental constraints that enhance the evolution of their morphological and biomechanical traits for digging in the soil; (ii) specific adaptations of engineer fossorial mammals (morphological, biomechanical, physiological and behavioural feedback traits for living in burrows) to their constructed geomorphological environment; and (iii) ecological and evolutionary feedbacks diffusing at the community and ecological levels. Such a new perspective in geomorphology may lead to a better conceptualization and analysis of Earth surface processes and landforms as parts of complex adaptive systems in which Darwinian selection processes at lower landscape levels lead to self-organization of higher-level landforms and landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dov Corenblit
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
- Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, 31062, Toulouse, France.
| | - Bruno Corbara
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LMGE, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Johannes Steiger
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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15
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Conith AJ, Meagher MA, Dumont ER. The influence of divergent reproductive strategies in shaping modularity and morphological evolution in mammalian jaws. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:164-179. [PMID: 34624153 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Marsupial neonates are born at an earlier developmental stage than placental mammals, but the rapid development of their forelimbs and cranial skeleton allows them to climb to the pouch, begin suckling and complete their development ex utero. The mechanical environment in which marsupial neonates develop is vastly different from that of placental neonates, which exhibit a more protracted development of oral muscles and bones. This difference in reproductive strategy has been theorized to constrain morphological evolution in the oral region of marsupials. Here, we use 3D morphometrics to characterize one of these oral bones, the lower jaw (dentary), and assess modularity (pattern of covariation among traits), morphological disparity and rates of morphological evolution in two clades of carnivorous mammals: the marsupial Dasyuromorphia and placental fissiped Carnivora. We find that dasyuromorph dentaries have fewer modules than carnivorans and exhibit tight covariation between the angular and coronoid processes, the primary attachment sites for jaw-closing muscles. This pattern of modularity may result from the uniform action of muscles on the developing mandible during suckling. Carnivorans are free from this constraint and exhibit a pattern of modularity that more strongly reflects genetic and developmental signals of trait covariation. Alongside differences in modularity, carnivorans exhibit greater disparity and faster rates of morphological evolution compared with dasyuromorphs. Taken together, this suggests dasyuromorphs have retained a signal of trait covariation that reflects the outsized influence of muscular force during early development, a feature that may have impacted the ability of marsupial carnivores to explore specialized regions of morphospace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Conith
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Molly A Meagher
- Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Elizabeth R Dumont
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, USA
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16
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Taverne M, Dutel H, Fagan M, Štambuk A, Lisičić D, Tadić Z, Fabre AC, Herrel A. From micro to macroevolution: drivers of shape variation in an island radiation of Podarcis lizards. Evolution 2021; 75:2685-2707. [PMID: 34382693 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypictraits have been shown to evolve in response to variation in the environment. However, the evolutionary processes underlying the emergence of phenotypic diversity can typically only be understood at the population level. Consequently, how subtle phenotypic differences at the intraspecific level can give rise to larger-scale changes in performance and ecology remains poorly understood. We here tested for the covariation between ecology, bite force, jaw muscle architecture, and the three-dimensional shape of the cranium and mandible in 16 insular populations of the lizards Podarcis melisellensis and P. sicula. We then compared the patterns observed at the among-population level with those observed at the interspecific level. We found that three-dimensional head shape as well as jaw musculature evolve similarly under similar ecological circumstances. Depending on the type of food consumed or on the level of sexual competition, different muscle groups were more developed and appeared to underlie changes in cranium and mandible shape. Our findings show that the local selective regimes are primary drivers of phenotypic variation resulting in predictable patterns of form and function. Moreover, intraspecific patterns of variation were generally consistent with those at the interspecific level, suggesting that microevolutionary variation may translate into macroevolutionary patterns of ecomorphological diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Taverne
- UMR 7179, Département Adaptations du Vivant, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Hugo Dutel
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Department of Engineering, Medical and Biological Engineering Research Group, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Michael Fagan
- Department of Engineering, Medical and Biological Engineering Research Group, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Anamaria Štambuk
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Duje Lisičić
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Zoran Tadić
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Anthony Herrel
- UMR 7179, Département Adaptations du Vivant, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
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17
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Huntley LC, Gower DJ, Sampaio FL, Collins ES, Goswami A, Fabre A. Intraspecific morphological variation in the shieldtail snake
Rhinophis philippinus
(Serpentes: Uropeltidae), with particular reference to tail‐shield and cranial 3D geometric morphometrics. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy C. Huntley
- Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum London UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London UK
| | - David J. Gower
- Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum London UK
| | - Filipa L. Sampaio
- Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum London UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment University College London London UK
| | - Ellen S. Collins
- Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum London UK
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum London UK
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18
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Kalthoff DC, Mörs T. Biomechanical adaptations for burrowing in the incisor enamel microstructure of Geomyidae and Heteromyidae (Rodentia: Geomyoidea). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9447-9459. [PMID: 34306634 PMCID: PMC8293781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The enamel microstructure of fossil and extant Geomyoidea (Geomyidae, Heteromyidae) lower incisors incorporates three- or two-layered schmelzmusters with uniserial, transverse Hunter-Schreger bands having parallel and perpendicular or exclusively perpendicular oriented interprismatic matrix. Phylogenetically, these schmelzmusters are regarded as moderately (enamel type 2) to highly derived (enamel type 3). Our analysis detected a zone of modified radial enamel close to the enamel-dentine junction. Modified radial enamel shows a strong phylogenetic signal within the clade Geomorpha as it is restricted to fossil and extant Geomyoidea and absent in Heliscomyidae, Florentiamyidae, and Eomyidae. This character dates back to at least the early Oligocene (early Arikareean, 29 Ma), where it occurs in entoptychine gophers. We contend that this specialized incisor enamel architecture developed as a biomechanical adaptation to regular burrowing activities including chisel-tooth digging and a fiber-rich diet and was probably present in the common ancestor of the clade. We regard the occurrence of modified radial enamel in lower incisors of scratch-digging Geomyidae and Heteromyidae as the retention of a plesiomorphic character that is selectively neutral. The shared occurrence of modified radial enamel is a strong, genetically anchored argument for the close phylogenetic relationship of Geomyidae and Heteromyidae on the dental microstructure level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Mörs
- Department of PalaeobiologySwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
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19
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Caspar KR, Müller J, Begall S. Effects of Sex and Breeding Status on Skull Morphology in Cooperatively Breeding Ansell’s Mole-Rats and an Appraisal of Sexual Dimorphism in the Bathyergidae. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.638754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
African mole-rats of the genus Fukomys (Northern common mole-rats) combine a monogamous mating system and pronounced sexual size dimorphism; a pattern highly untypical for mammals. At the same time, they live in cooperatively breeding groups composed of reproductive and non-reproductive members of both sexes. How and to which degree sex and breeding status influence morphofunctional characters in eusocial mole-rats is not well characterized but essential to come to a comprehensive understanding of their peculiar social system. Here, we explore patterns of morphological differentiation in skulls of Ansell’s mole-rats (Fukomys anselli) by means of multivariate analysis of linear skull measurements combined with a 2D shape analysis of cranium and mandible. Compared to females, males display larger skulls relative to body size and show an expansion of the facial portion of the cranium, while reproductive status did not have an effect on any of the traits studied. We also show that species of Fukomys mole-rats display a scaling of relative sexual body size dimorphism in compliance to Rensch’s rule, which is deemed indicative of intense male intrasexual competition. For the bathyergid family as a whole, results of scaling analyses were more ambiguous, but also indicative of Rensch’s rule conformity. In line with genetic field data, our results point to a greater role of male-male conflicts in Fukomys than is traditionally assumed and support the notion that reproductive status does not correlate with morphofunctional segregation in these unusual rodents.
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20
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Evolution Towards Fossoriality and Morphological Convergence in the Skull of Spalacidae and Bathyergidae (Rodentia). J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09550-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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21
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Tracing the Paleobiology of Paedotherium and Tremacyllus (Pachyrukhinae, Notoungulata), the Latest Sciuromorph South American Native Ungulates – Part I: Snout and Masticatory Apparatus. J MAMM EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-020-09516-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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22
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Cox PG, Morris PJR, Hennekam JJ, Kitchener AC. Morphological and functional variation between isolated populations of British red squirrels (
Sciurus vulgaris
). J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- P. G. Cox
- Department of Archaeology University of York York UK
- Hull York Medical School University of York York UK
| | - P. J. R. Morris
- School of Geosciences and Department of Integrative Biology University of South Florida Tampa FL USA
| | | | - A. C. Kitchener
- Department of Natural Sciences National Museums Scotland Edinburgh UK
- Institute of Geography School of Geosciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
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23
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Álvarez A, Ercoli MD, Olivares AI, De Santi NA, Verzi DH. Evolutionary Patterns of Mandible Shape Diversification of Caviomorph Rodents. J MAMM EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-020-09511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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Verde Arregoitia LD, Teta P, D’Elía G. Patterns in research and data sharing for the study of form and function in caviomorph rodents. J Mammal 2020; 101:604-612. [PMID: 32454535 PMCID: PMC7236905 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of morphometrics, phylogenetic comparative methods, and open data sets has renewed interest in relating morphology to adaptation and ecological opportunities. Focusing on the Caviomorpha, a well-studied mammalian group, we evaluated patterns in research and data sharing in studies relating form and function. Caviomorpha encompasses a radiation of rodents that is diverse both taxonomically and ecologically. We reviewed 41 publications investigating ecomorphology in this group. We recorded the type of data used in each study and whether these data were made available, and we re-digitized all provided data. We tracked two major lines of information: collections material examined and trait data for morphological and ecological traits. Collectively, the studies considered 63% of extant caviomorph species; all extant families and genera were represented. We found that species-level trait data rarely were provided. Specimen-level data were even less common. Morphological and ecological data were too heterogeneous and sparse to aggregate into a single data set, so we created relational tables with the data. Additionally, we concatenated all specimen lists into a single data set and standardized all relevant data for phylogenetic hypotheses and gene sequence accessions to facilitate future morphometric and phylogenetic comparative research. This work highlights the importance and ongoing use of scientific collections, and it allows for the integration of specimen information with species trait data. Recientemente ha resurgido el interés por estudiar la relación entre morfología, ecología, y adaptación. Esto se debe al desarrollo de nuevas herramientas morfométricas y filogenéticas, y al acceso a grandes bases de datos para estudios comparados. Revisamos 41 publicaciones sobre ecomorfología de roedores caviomorfos, un grupo diverso y bien estudiado, para evaluar los patrones de investigación y la transparencia para la liberación de datos. Registramos los tipos de datos que se utilizaron para cada estudio y si los datos están disponibles. Cuando estos datos se compartieron, los redigitalizamos. Nos enfocamos en los ejemplares consultados, y en datos que describen rasgos ecológicos y morfológicos para las especies estudiadas. Los estudios que revisamos abarcan el 63% de las especies de caviomorfos que actualmente existen. Encontramos que raramente fueron compartidos los datos que se tomaron para especies, y menos aún para ejemplares. Los datos morfológicos y ecológicos eran demasiado heterogéneos e exiguos para consolidar en un solo banco de datos; debido a esta circunstancia, creamos tablas relacionales con los datos. Además, enlazamos todas las listas individuales de especímenes para crear un solo banco de datos y estandarizamos todos los datos pertinentes a hipótesis filogenéticas, así como los números de acceso de secuencias genéticas, para así facilitar eventuales estudios comparados de morfometría y filogenia. Este trabajo resalta la importancia de las colecciones científicas y documenta su uso, además permitiendo la futura integración de datos derivados de ejemplares con datos sobre rasgos ecomorfológicos a nivel de especie.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis D Verde Arregoitia
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia CP, Chile
| | - Pablo Teta
- División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo D’Elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia CP, Chile
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25
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Chevret P, Renaud S, Helvaci Z, Ulrich RG, Quéré J, Michaux JR. Genetic structure, ecological versatility, and skull shape differentiation in
Arvicola
water voles (Rodentia, Cricetidae). J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Chevret
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 CNRS Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1Université de Lyon Villeurbanne France
| | - Sabrina Renaud
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 CNRS Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1Université de Lyon Villeurbanne France
| | - Zeycan Helvaci
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory Institut de Botanique Liège Belgium
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases Friedrich‐Loeffler‐Institut Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald ‐ Insel Riems Germany
| | - Jean‐Pierre Quéré
- Centre de Biologie et Gestion des Populations (INRA/IRD/Cirad/Montpellier SupAgro)Campus International de Baillarguet Montferrier‐sur‐Lez Cedex France
| | - Johan R. Michaux
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory Institut de Botanique Liège Belgium
- CIRAD/INRA UMR117 ASTRECampus International de Baillarguet Montpellier Cedex France
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26
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Cox PG, Faulkes CG, Bennett NC. Masticatory musculature of the African mole-rats (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). PeerJ 2020; 8:e8847. [PMID: 32231887 PMCID: PMC7100595 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Bathyergidae, commonly known as blesmols or African mole-rats, is a family of rodents well-known for their subterranean lifestyle and tunnelling behaviour. Four of the five extant bathyergid genera (Cryptomys, Fukomys, Georychus and Heliophobius) are chisel-tooth diggers, that is they dig through soil with their enlarged incisors, whereas the remaining genus (Bathyergus) is a scratch-digger, only using its forelimbs for burrowing. Heterocephalus glaber, the naked mole-rat, is also a chisel-tooth digger and was until recently included within the Bathyergidae (as the most basally branching genus), but has now been placed by some researchers into its own family, the Heterocephalidae. Given the importance of the masticatory apparatus in habitat construction in this group, knowledge and understanding of the morphology and arrangement of the jaw-closing muscles in Bathyergidae is vital for future functional analyses. Here, we use diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced microCT to reveal and describe the muscles of mastication in representative specimens of each genus of bathyergid mole-rat and to compare them to the previously described musculature of the naked mole-rat. In all bathyergids, as in all rodents, the masseter muscle is the most dominant component of the masticatory musculature. However, the temporalis is also a relatively large muscle, a condition normally associated with sciuromorphous rodents. Unlike their hystricomorphous relatives, the bathyergids do not show an extension of the masseter through the infraorbital foramen on to the rostrum (other than a very slight protrusion in Cryptomys and Fukomys). Thus, morphologically, bathyergids are protrogomorphous, although this is thought to be secondarily derived rather than retained from ancestral rodents. Overall, the relative proportions of the jaw-closing muscles were found to be fairly consistent between genera except in Bathyergus, which was found to have an enlarged superficial masseter and relatively smaller pterygoid muscles. It is concluded that these differences may be a reflection of the behaviour of Bathyergus which, uniquely in the family, does not use its incisors for digging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip G Cox
- Department of Archaeology and Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK
| | - Chris G Faulkes
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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27
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28
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Álvarez A, Ercoli MD, Verzi DH. Integration and diversity of the caviomorph mandible (Rodentia: Hystricomorpha): assessing the evolutionary history through fossils and ancestral shape reconstructions. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCaviomorph rodents constitute a highly diverse clade of Neotropical mammals. They are recorded since at least the late Middle Eocene and have a long and complex evolutionary history. Using geometric morphometric data, we analysed the variation in mandibular shape of this clade through integration analyses, allometry and shape optimizations onto a phylogenetic tree of 104 extant and extinct species. The analyses of shape variation revealed a strong influence of phylogenetic structure and life habits. A remarkable allometric effect was observed for specific mandibular traits. Morphological changes occurring in the alveolar and muscular functional units were moderately associated. Interestingly, the coordinated evolution of these two functional units was decoupled in the clade of extant abrocomids. A sequential and nearly synchronic acquisition of convergent traits has occurred in chinchillids and derived cavioids since at least the early Middle Oligocene, probably derived from grass-feeding habits or similar adaptations to other abrasive items. Convergences between fossorial taxa evolved in two main events through the Oligocene and middle Late Miocene. Morphological analysis of the fossil representatives allowed a better understanding of the timing of trait acquisitions during the evolutionary history of caviomorphs and its relationship with global and regional palaeoenvironmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Álvarez
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, CONICET, IdGyM, San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Marcos D Ercoli
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, CONICET, IdGyM, San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Diego H Verzi
- Sección Mastozoología, Museo de La Plata, CONICET, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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29
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Durão AF, Ventura J, Muñoz-Muñoz F. Comparative post-weaning ontogeny of the mandible in fossorial and semi-aquatic water voles. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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30
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Calede JJM, Samuels JX, Chen M. Locomotory adaptations in entoptychine gophers (Rodentia: Geomyidae) and the mosaic evolution of fossoriality. J Morphol 2019; 280:879-907. [PMID: 31006903 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Pocket gophers (family Geomyidae) are the dominant burrowing rodents in North America today. Their fossil record is also incredibly rich; in particular, entoptychine gophers, a diverse extinct subfamily of the Geomyidae, are known from countless teeth and jaws from Oligocene and Miocene-aged deposits of the western United States and Mexico. Their postcranial remains, however, are much rarer and little studied. Yet, they offer the opportunity to investigate the locomotion of fossil gophers, shed light on the evolution of fossoriality, and enable ecomorphological comparisons with contemporaneous rodents. We present herein a quantitative study of the cranial and postcranial remains of eight different species of entoptychine gophers as well as many contemporary rodent species. We find a range of burrowing capabilities within Entoptychinae, including semifossorial scratch-digging animals and fossorial taxa with cranial adaptations to burrowing. Our results suggest the repeated evolution of chisel-tooth digging across genera. Comparisons between entoptychine gophers and contemporaneous rodent taxa show little ecomorphological overlap and suggest that the succession of burrowing rodent taxa on the landscape may have had more to do with habitat partitioning than competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, Marion, Ohio
| | - Joshua X Samuels
- Department of Geosciences, Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
| | - Meng Chen
- Nanjing University, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Centre for Research and Education on Biological Evolution and Environment, Qixia District, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
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31
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Adams NF, Rayfield EJ, Cox PG, Cobb SN, Corfe IJ. Functional tests of the competitive exclusion hypothesis for multituberculate extinction. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181536. [PMID: 31032010 PMCID: PMC6458384 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Multituberculate mammals thrived during the Mesozoic, but their diversity declined from the mid-late Paleocene onwards, becoming extinct in the late Eocene. The radiation of superficially similar, eutherian rodents has been linked to multituberculate extinction through competitive exclusion. However, characteristics providing rodents with a supposed competitive advantage are currently unknown and comparative functional tests between the two groups are lacking. Here, a multifaceted approach to craniomandibular biomechanics was taken to test the hypothesis that superior skull function made rodents more effective competitors. Digital models of the skulls of four extant rodents and the Upper Cretaceous multituberculate Kryptobaatar were constructed and used (i) in finite-element analysis to study feeding-induced stresses, (ii) to calculate metrics of bite force production and (iii) to determine mechanical resistances to bending and torsional forces. Rodents exhibit higher craniomandibular stresses and lower resistances to bending and torsion than the multituberculate, apparently refuting the competitive exclusion hypothesis. However, rodents optimize bite force production at the expense of higher skull stress and we argue that this is likely to have been more functionally and selectively important. Our results therefore provide the first functional lines of evidence for potential reasons behind the decline of multituberculates in the changing environments of the Paleogene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil F. Adams
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
- Author for correspondence: Neil F. Adams e-mail:
| | - Emily J. Rayfield
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
- Author for correspondence: Emily J. Rayfield e-mail:
| | - Philip G. Cox
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York YO1 7EP, UK
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Samuel N. Cobb
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York YO1 7EP, UK
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Ian J. Corfe
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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32
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Ginot S, Herrel A, Claude J, Hautier L. Morphometric models for estimating bite force in Mus and Rattus: mandible shape and size do better than lever-arm ratios. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:jeb.204867. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.204867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Morphological traits are frequently used as proxies for functional outputs such as bite force performance. This allows researchers to infer and interpret the impacts of functional variation, notably in adaptive terms. Despite their mechanical bases, the predictive power of these proxies for performance is not always tested. In particular, their accuracy at the intraspecific level is rarely assessed, and they have sometimes been shown to be unreliable. Here, we compare the performance of several morphological proxies in estimating in vivo bite force, across five species of murine rodents, at the interspecific and intraspecific levels. Proxies used include the size and shape of the mandible, as well as individual and combined muscular mechanical advantages (temporal, superficial masseter and deep masseter). Maximum voluntary bite force was measured in all individuals included. To test the accuracy of predictions allowed by the proxies, we combined linear regressions with a leave-one-out approach, estimating an individual bite force based on the rest of the dataset. The correlations between estimated values and the in vivo measurements were tested. At the interspecific and intraspecific levels, size and shape were better estimators than mechanical advantages. Mechanical advantage showed some predictive power at the interspecific level, but generally not within species, except for the deep masseter in Rattus. In few species, size and shape did not allow us to predict bite force. Extrapolations of performance based on mechanical advantage should therefore be used with care, and are mostly unjustified within species. In the latter case, size and shape are preferable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Ginot
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (UMR5554), Montpellier, France
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon (UMR5242), Lyon, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (UMR7179), Paris, France
| | - Julien Claude
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (UMR5554), Montpellier, France
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (UMR5554), Montpellier, France
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33
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McIntosh AF, Cox PG. The impact of digging on the evolution of the rodent mandible. J Morphol 2018; 280:176-183. [PMID: 30570152 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are two main (but not mutually exclusive) methods by which subterranean rodents construct burrows: chisel-tooth digging, where large incisors are used to dig through soil; and scratch digging, where forelimbs and claws are used to dig instead of incisors. A previous study by the authors showed that upper incisors of chisel-tooth diggers were better adapted to dig but the overall cranial morphology within the rodent sample was not significantly different. This study analyzed the lower incisors and mandibles of the specimens used in the previous study to show the impact of chisel-tooth digging on the rodent mandible. We compared lower incisors and mandibular shape of chisel-tooth digging rodents with nonchisel-tooth digging rodents to see if there were morphological differences between the two groups. The shape of incisors was quantified using incisor radius of curvature and second moment of area (SMA). Mandibular shape was quantified using landmark based geometric morphometrics. We found that lower incisor shape was strongly influenced by digging group using a Generalized Phylogenetic ancova (analysis of covariance). A phylogenetic Procrustes anova (analysis of variance) showed that mandibular shape of chisel-tooth digging rodents was also significantly different from nonchisel-tooth digging rodents. The phylogenetic signal of incisor radius of curvature was weak, whereas that of incisor SMA and mandibular shape was significant. This is despite the analyses revealing significant differences in the shape of both mandibles and incisors between digging groups. In conclusion, we showed that although the mandible and incisor of rodents are influenced by function, there is also a degree of phylogenetic affinity that shapes the rodent mandibular apparatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F McIntosh
- Department of Science, School of Arts and Sciences, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, Georgia
| | - Philip G Cox
- Department of Archaeology, and Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
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Martinez Q, Lebrun R, Achmadi AS, Esselstyn JA, Evans AR, Heaney LR, Miguez RP, Rowe KC, Fabre PH. Convergent evolution of an extreme dietary specialisation, the olfactory system of worm-eating rodents. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17806. [PMID: 30546026 PMCID: PMC6293001 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35827-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Turbinal bones are key components of the mammalian rostrum that contribute to three critical functions: (1) homeothermy, (2) water conservation and (3) olfaction. With over 700 extant species, murine rodents (Murinae) are the most species-rich mammalian subfamily, with most of that diversity residing in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Their evolutionary history includes several cases of putative, but untested ecomorphological convergence, especially with traits related to diet. Among the most spectacular rodent ecomorphs are the vermivores which independently evolved in several island systems. We used 3D CT-scans (N = 87) of murine turbinal bones to quantify olfactory capacities as well as heat or water conservation adaptations. We obtained similar results from an existing 2D complexity method and two new 3D methodologies that quantify bone complexity. Using comparative phylogenetic methods, we identified a significant convergent signal in the rostral morphology within the highly specialised vermivores. Vermivorous species have significantly larger and more complex olfactory turbinals than do carnivores and omnivores. Increased olfactory capacities may be a major adaptive feature facilitating rats' capacity to prey on elusive earthworms. The narrow snout that characterises vermivores exhibits significantly reduced respiratory turbinals, which may reduce their heat and water conservation capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Martinez
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS-IRD-UM), Université de Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon - CC 064 - 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | - Renaud Lebrun
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS-IRD-UM), Université de Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon - CC 064 - 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Anang S Achmadi
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center For Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jl.Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km.46, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Jacob A Esselstyn
- Museum of Natural Science, 119 Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, United States
| | - Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, 18 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia
- Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia
| | - Lawrence R Heaney
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 60605, United States
| | - Roberto Portela Miguez
- Natural History Museum of London, Department of Life Sciences, Mammal Section, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin C Rowe
- Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Pierre-Henri Fabre
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS-IRD-UM), Université de Montpellier, Place E. Bataillon - CC 064 - 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Tavares WC, Pessôa LM, Seuánez HN. Changes in Ontogenetic Allometry and their Role in the Emergence of Cranial Morphology in Fossorial Spiny Rats (Echimyidae, Hystricomorpha, Rodentia). J MAMM EVOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-018-9433-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Morgan CC, Verzi DH, Olivares AI, Vieytes EC. Craniodental and forelimb specializations for digging in the South American subterranean rodent Ctenomys (Hystricomorpha, Ctenomyidae). Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Maestri R, Monteiro LR, Fornel R, Upham NS, Patterson BD, Freitas TRO. The ecology of a continental evolutionary radiation: Is the radiation of sigmodontine rodents adaptive? Evolution 2017; 71:610-632. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Renan Maestri
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS 91501 Brazil
- Integrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History Chicago Illinois 60605
| | - Leandro Rabello Monteiro
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Campos dos Goytacazes RJ 28013 Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Fornel
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões Campus Erechim RS 99709 Brazil
| | - Nathan S. Upham
- Integrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History Chicago Illinois 60605
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven Connecticut 06511
| | - Bruce D. Patterson
- Integrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History Chicago Illinois 60605
| | - Thales Renato Ochotorena Freitas
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS 91501 Brazil
- Departamento de Genética Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS 91501 Brazil
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McIntosh AF, Cox PG. The impact of gape on the performance of the skull in chisel-tooth digging and scratch digging mole-rats (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160568. [PMID: 27853575 PMCID: PMC5099000 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) are a family of rodents highly adapted for life underground. Previous research has shown that chisel-tooth digging mole-rats (which use their incisors to dig burrows) are clearly distinguishable from scratch diggers (which only use the forelimbs to tunnel) on the basis of morphology of the skull, and that the differences are linked to the production of high bite forces and wide gapes. We hypothesized that the skull of a chisel-tooth digging mole-rat would perform better at wider gapes than that of a scratch digging mole-rat during incisor biting. To test this hypothesis, we created finite-element models of the cranium of the scratch digging Bathyergus suillus and the chisel-tooth digging Fukomys mechowii, and loaded them to simulate incisor bites at different gapes. Muscle loads were scaled such that the ratio of force to surface area was the same in both models. We measured three performance variables: overall stress across the cranium, mechanical efficiency of biting and degree of deformation across the skull. The Fukomys model had a more efficient incisor bite at all gapes, despite having greater average stress across the skull. In addition, the Fukomys model deformed less at wider gapes, whereas the Bathyergus model deformed less at narrower gapes. These properties of the cranial morphology of Fukomys and Bathyergus are congruent with their respective chisel-tooth and scratch digging behaviours and, all other factors being equal, would enable the more efficient production of bite force at wider gapes in Fukomys. However, in vivo measurements of muscle forces and activation patterns are needed to fully understand the complex biomechanics of tooth digging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. McIntosh
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Philip G. Cox
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
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McIntosh AF, Cox PG. The impact of digging on craniodental morphology and integration. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:2383-2394. [PMID: 27521516 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between the form and function of the skull has been the subject of a great deal of research, much of which has concentrated on the impact of feeding on skull shape. However, there are a number of other behaviours that can influence craniodental morphology. Previous work has shown that subterranean rodents that use their incisors to dig (chisel-tooth digging) have a constrained cranial shape, which is probably driven by a necessity to create high bite forces at wide gapes. Chisel-tooth-digging rodents also have an upper incisor root that is displaced further back into the cranium compared with other rodents. This study quantified cranial shape and upper incisors of a phylogenetically diverse sample of rodents to determine if chisel-tooth-digging rodents differ in craniodental morphology. The study showed that the crania of chisel-tooth-digging rodents shared a similar place in morphospace, but a strong phylogenetic signal within the sample meant that this grouping was nonsignificant. It was also found that the curvature of the upper incisor in chisel-tooth diggers was significantly larger than in other rodents. Interestingly, most subterranean rodents in the sample (both chisel-tooth and scratch diggers) had upper incisors that were better able to resist bending than those of terrestrial rodents, presumably due to their similar diets of tough plant materials. Finally, the incisor variables and cranial shape were not found to covary consistently in this sample, highlighting the complex relationship between a species' evolutionary history and functional morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- A F McIntosh
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - P G Cox
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK.,Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
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Convergent Traits in Mammals Associated with Divergent Behaviors: the Case of the Continuous Dental Replacement in Rock-Wallabies and African Mole-Rats. J MAMM EVOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-016-9348-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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