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Zhao X, Liu JX, Charles-Dominique T, Campos-Arceiz A, Dong B, Yan L, O'Hanlon JC, Zeng Y, Chen Z. Petal-shaped femoral lobes facilitate gliding in orchid mantises. Curr Biol 2024; 34:183-189.e4. [PMID: 38035884 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
To glide in forest canopies, arboreal vertebrates evolved various skin-derived aerodynamic structures, such as patagial membranes or webbing, but no comparable structure has been reported from wingless arboreal arthropods.1,2,3 Orchid mantises (Hymenopus coronatus) have been traditionally considered a textbook example of flower mimicry for ∼200 years due to their highly expanded, petal-shaped femoral lobes. However, the empirical evidence substantiating the petal-mimicry function of the femoral lobes has not been entirely conclusive.4,5,6 Observational and experimental evidence suggests that these lobes do not contribute to flower mimicry for luring pollinators6,7 and likely serve other functions.7,8 After observing their aerial escape initiated with active jumping, we hypothesized that orchid mantises can glide and that their femoral lobes are used for gliding. Through behavioral investigations and morphological analyses, we show that orchid mantis nymphs are excellent gliders, exhibiting the shallowest gliding trajectories observed in terrestrial invertebrates.9,10,11,12,13 The lobe extensions on their femoral segments are cambered airfoils, which increase the mantis projected area by ∼36% and play a vital role in the aerodynamic underpinning of the observed gliding. Despite a 165-fold increase in body mass throughout ontogeny, older female mantis nymphs maintained a persistent gliding capability. We further showed a notable 40%-56% reduction in wing loading attributed to the positive size allometry of these lobes, indicating a clear promotion of gliding throughout ontogeny. This is the first documentation of gliding-adapted "leg wings" in a wingless arthropod. The evolution of such structures is potentially common among arboreal arthropods and demands a systematic re-examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing-Xin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Tristan Charles-Dominique
- CNRS UMR5120, UMR AMAP, University Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier 34980, France; CNRS UMR7618, Sorbonne University, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China; Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Bing Dong
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyers Brae, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Lin Yan
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA
| | | | - Yu Zeng
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA.
| | - Zhanqi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China.
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2
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Rader JA, Hedrick TL. Morphological evolution of bird wings follows a mechanical sensitivity gradient determined by the aerodynamics of flapping flight. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7494. [PMID: 37980422 PMCID: PMC10657351 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43108-2] [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: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The physical principles that govern the function of biological structures also mediate their evolution, but the evolutionary drivers of morphological traits within complex structures can be difficult to predict. Here, we use morphological traits measured from 1096 3-dimensional bird wing scans from 178 species to test the interaction of two frameworks for relating morphology to evolution. We examine whether the evolutionary rate (σ2) and mode is dominated by the modular organization of the wing into handwing and armwing regions, and/or the relationship between trait morphology and functional output (i.e. mechanical sensitivity, driven here by flapping flight aerodynamics). Our results support discretization of the armwing and handwing as morphological modules, but morphological disparity and σ2 varied continuously with the mechanical sensitivity gradient and were not modular. Thus, mechanical sensitivity should be considered an independent and fundamental driver of evolutionary dynamics in biomechanical traits, distinct from morphological modularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Rader
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Tyson L Hedrick
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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3
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Simon MN, Moen DS. Bridging Performance and Adaptive Landscapes to Understand Long-Term Functional Evolution. Physiol Biochem Zool 2023; 96:304-320. [PMID: 37418608 DOI: 10.1086/725416] [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: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
AbstractUnderstanding functional adaptation demands an integrative framework that captures the complex interactions between form, function, ecology, and evolutionary processes. In this review, we discuss how to integrate the following two distinct approaches to better understand functional evolution: (1) the adaptive landscape approach (ALA), aimed at finding adaptive peaks for different ecologies, and (2) the performance landscape approach (PLA), aimed at finding performance peaks for different ecologies. We focus on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process as the evolutionary model for the ALA and on biomechanical modeling to estimate performance for the PLA. Whereas both the ALA and the PLA have each given insight into functional adaptation, separately they cannot address how much performance contributes to fitness or whether evolutionary constraints have played a role in form-function evolution. We show that merging these approaches leads to a deeper understanding of these issues. By comparing the locations of performance and adaptive peaks, we can infer how much performance contributes to fitness in species' current environments. By testing for the relevance of history on phenotypic variation, we can infer the influence of past selection and constraints on functional adaptation. We apply this merged framework in a case study of turtle shell evolution and explain how to interpret different possible outcomes. Even though such outcomes can be quite complex, they represent the multifaceted relations among function, fitness, and constraints.
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4
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Akeda T, Fujiwara SI. Coracoid strength as an indicator of wing-beat propulsion in birds. J Anat 2023; 242:436-446. [PMID: 36380603 PMCID: PMC9919476 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13788] [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: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds generate a propulsive force by flapping their wings. They use this propulsive force for various locomotion styles, such as aerodynamic flight, wing-paddle swimming and wing-assisted incline running. It is therefore important to reveal the origin of flapping ability in the evolution from theropod dinosaurs to birds. However, there are no quantitative indices to reconstruct the flapping abilities of extinct forms based on their skeletal morphology. This study compares the section modulus of the coracoid relative to body mass among various extant birds to test whether the index is correlated with flapping ability. According to a survey of 220 historical bird specimens representing 209 species, 180 genera, 83 families and 30 orders, the section modulus of the coracoid relative to body mass in non-flapping birds was significantly smaller than that of flapping birds. This indicates that coracoid strength in non-flapping birds is deemphasised, whereas in flapping birds the strength is emphasised to withstand the contractile force produced by powerful flapping muscles, such as the m. pectoralis and m. supracoracoideus. Therefore, the section modulus of the coracoid is expected to be a powerful tool to reveal the origin of powered flight in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Akeda
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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5
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Maher AE, Burin G, Cox PG, Maddox TW, Maidment SCR, Cooper N, Schachner ER, Bates KT. Body size, shape and ecology in tetrapods. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4340. [PMID: 35896591 PMCID: PMC9329317 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32028-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Body size and shape play fundamental roles in organismal function and it is expected that animals may possess body proportions that are well-suited to their ecological niche. Tetrapods exhibit a diverse array of body shapes, but to date this diversity in body proportions and its relationship to ecology have not been systematically quantified. Using whole-body skeletal models of 410 extinct and extant tetrapods, we show that allometric relationships vary across individual body segments thereby yielding changes in overall body shape as size increases. However, we also find statistical support for quadratic relationships indicative of differential scaling in small-medium versus large animals. Comparisons of locomotor and dietary groups highlight key differences in body proportions that may mechanistically underlie occupation of major ecological niches. Our results emphasise the pivotal role of body proportions in the broad-scale ecological diversity of tetrapods. Here, the authors examine how body size, shape, and segment proportions correspond to ecology in models of 410 tetrapods. They find variable allometric relationships, differential scaling in small and large animals, and body proportions as a potential niche occupation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice E Maher
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK.
| | - Gustavo Burin
- Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Philip G Cox
- Department of Archaeology and Hull York Medical School, University of York, PalaeoHub, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Thomas W Maddox
- School of Veterinary Science, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Small Animal Teaching Hospital, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston, CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Susannah C R Maidment
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Emma R Schachner
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Karl T Bates
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
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6
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Holzman R, Keren T, Kiflawi M, Martin CH, China V, Mann O, Olsson KH. A new theoretical performance landscape for suction feeding reveals adaptive kinematics in a natural population of reef damselfish. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275892. [PMID: 35647659 PMCID: PMC9339911 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how organismal traits determine performance and, ultimately, fitness is a fundamental goal of evolutionary eco-morphology. However, multiple traits can interact in non-linear and context-dependent ways to affect performance, hindering efforts to place natural populations with respect to performance peaks or valleys. Here, we used an established mechanistic model of suction-feeding performance (SIFF) derived from hydrodynamic principles to estimate a theoretical performance landscape for zooplankton prey capture. This performance space can be used to predict prey capture performance for any combination of six morphological and kinematic trait values. We then mapped in situ high-speed video observations of suction feeding in a natural population of a coral reef zooplanktivore, Chromis viridis, onto the performance space to estimate the population's location with respect to the topography of the performance landscape. Although the kinematics of the natural population closely matched regions of high performance in the landscape, the population was not located on a performance peak. Individuals were furthest from performance peaks on the peak gape, ram speed and mouth opening speed trait axes. Moreover, we found that the trait combinations in the observed population were associated with higher performance than expected by chance, suggesting that these combinations are under selection. Our results provide a framework for assessing whether natural populations occupy performance optima. Highlighted Article: The in situ feeding performance of Chromis viridis indicates that the population resides close to a local performance peak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roi Holzman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Tal Keren
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Moshe Kiflawi
- The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel.,Department of life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Christopher H Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology, and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Victor China
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
| | - Ofri Mann
- The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel.,Department of life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Karin H Olsson
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences, POB 469, Eilat 88103, Israel
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7
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Cheney JA, Stevenson JPJ, Durston NE, Maeda M, Song J, Megson-Smith DA, Windsor SP, Usherwood JR, Bomphrey RJ. Raptor wing morphing with flight speed. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210349. [PMID: 34255986 PMCID: PMC8277465 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, Tyto alba; tawny owl, Strix aluco, and goshawk, Accipiter gentilis). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack. The three birds shared common spanwise patterns of wing twist, an inverse relationship between twist and peak camber, and held their wings depressed below their shoulder in an anhedral configuration. With increased speed, all three birds tended to reduce camber throughout the wing, and their wings bent in a saddle-shape pattern. A number of morphing features suggest that the coordinated movements of the wing and tail support efficient flight, and that the tail may act to modulate wing camber through indirect aeroelastic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorn A. Cheney
- Structure and Motional Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | | | - Nicholas E. Durston
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
| | - Masateru Maeda
- Structure and Motional Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Jialei Song
- Structure and Motional Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - David A. Megson-Smith
- Interface Analysis Centre, School of Physics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
| | - Shane P. Windsor
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
| | - James R. Usherwood
- Structure and Motional Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Richard J. Bomphrey
- Structure and Motional Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
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8
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Waldrop LD, Rader JA. Melding Modeling and Morphology: A Call for Collaboration to Address Difficult Questions about the Evolution of Form and Function. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1188-1192. [PMID: 33220060 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The nascent field of evolutionary biomechanics seeks to understand how form begets function, and researchers have taken two tacks toward this goal: inferring form based on function (comparative biomechanics) or inferring function based on form (functional morphology). Each tack has strengths and weaknesses, which the other could improve. The symposium, "Melding modeling and morphology-integrating approaches to understand the evolution of form and function" sought to highlight research stitching together the two tacks. In this introduction to the symposium's issue, we highlight these works, discuss the challenges of interdisciplinary collaborations, and suggest possible avenues available to create new collaborations to create a unifying framework for evolutionary biomechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay D Waldrop
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Jonathan A Rader
- Department of Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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9
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Waldrop LD, He Y, Hedrick TL, Rader JA. Functional Morphology of Gliding Flight I: Modeling Reveals Distinct Performance Landscapes Based on Soaring Strategies. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1283-1296. [PMID: 32766844 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The physics of flight influences the morphology of bird wings through natural selection on flight performance. The connection between wing morphology and performance is unclear due to the complex relationships between various parameters of flight. In order to better understand this connection, we present a holistic analysis of gliding flight that preserves complex relationships between parameters. We use a computational model of gliding flight, along with analysis by uncertainty quantification, to (1) create performance landscapes of gliding based on output metrics (maximum lift-to-drag ratio, minimum gliding angle, minimum sinking speed, and lift coefficient at minimum sinking speed) and (2) predict what parameters of flight (chordwise camber, wing aspect ratio [AR], and Reynolds number) would differ between gliding and nongliding species of birds. We also examine performance based on the soaring strategy for possible differences in morphology within gliding birds. Gliding birds likely have greater ARs than non-gliding birds, due to the high sensitivity of AR on most metrics of gliding performance. Furthermore, gliding birds can use two distinct soaring strategies based on performance landscapes. First, maximizing distance traveled (maximizing lift-to-drag ratio and minimizing gliding angle) should result in wings with high ARs and middling-to-low wing chordwise camber. Second, maximizing lift extracted from updrafts should result in wings with middling ARs and high wing chordwise camber. Following studies can test these hypotheses using morphological measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay D Waldrop
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Yanyan He
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
| | - Tyson L Hedrick
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jonathan A Rader
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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