Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Olivia Plateau, Todd L. L. Green, Paul M. M. Gignac, Christian Foth
Summary: This study investigates the ontogenetic skull variation of two bird species using mu CT based 3D reconstructions. The results show that although bone fusion occurs more rapidly in P. pica than in S. camelus, the general sequence of fusion follows a similar trend. However, a more detailed analysis reveals variation in fusion patterns between the two species. The different growth and fusion patterns suggest that the interspecific ontogenetic variation may be related to heterochronic developments, which should be further explored in a broader phylogenetic context.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Guillermo Navalon, Sergio M. Nebreda, Jen A. Bright, Matteo Fabbri, Roger B. J. Benson, Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, Jesus Marugan-Lobon, Emily J. Rayfield
Summary: The evolutionary role of ontogeny in the avian skull origin is important, but its influence in subsequent bird evolution remains largely unexplored. Nightbirds exhibit a wide range of craniofacial morphologies that undergo significant ontogenetic shape changes, diverging from common avian patterns. The cranial morphology of many adult nightbirds appears juvenile-like due to convergent evolution, while hummingbirds show a unique evolution of cranial shape originating from a reversal to a typical avian ontogenetic trajectory.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Philipp Thieme, Dario Vallainc, Timo Moritz
Summary: This study describes the skeletal development of mullets for the first time, based on observations of aquaculture-reared Mugil cephalus and wild-caught mugilid larvae. The fusion phenomena at different developmental stages have important implications for the adult morphology.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Review
Zoology
Evelyn Hueppi, Ingmar Werneburg, Marcelo R. Sanchez-Villagra
Summary: The chondrocrania morphology of birds is generally uniform in major features, with some variation in specific regions. Unique chondrocranial anatomy in certain bird species reflects their distinct adult skull shape. Differences in chondrification sequence can distinguish between different bird clades, with conservation seen in certain areas of the chondrocranium.
FRONTIERS IN ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Minghui Gao, Zhiqiang Wu, Liangliang Huang, Xichang Tan, Mingsi Li, Haibo Huang
Summary: This study assesses the otolith growth and microstructural features of Sinogastromyzon wui larvae and juveniles. It finds that the lapilli otolith is the most suitable for age determination and increment deposition rate confirmation. The shape changes of the sagittae otolith are closely related to fish ontogenesis. The findings support the use of lapillus increment deposition rate and the timing of the first daily increments for age determination of wild larval and juvenile S. wui.
Review
Cell Biology
Heather E. White, Anjali Goswami, Abigail S. Tucker
Summary: Phenotypic variation in mammals is influenced by their ecological diversification, with the skull playing a crucial role in supporting species survival. Sutures between cranial bones are important in growth and brain development, shaping overall skull morphology and function. The developmental mechanisms of sutures have a significant impact on cranial diversity and evolutionary patterns.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Greg Holmes, Ana S. Gonzalez-Reiche, Madrikha Saturne, Susan M. Motch Perrine, Xianxiao Zhou, Ana C. Borges, Bhavana Shewale, Joan T. Richtsmeier, Bin Zhang, Harm van Bakel, Ethylin Wang Jabs
Summary: Research found enriched expression of Hhip in the mesenchyme of the murine coronal suture, and sutural dysgenesis in Hhip-/- mutants, indicating the necessity of Hhip for normal development of the coronal suture.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Kaoru Ishikawa, Yuki Taguchi, Ryomei Kobayashi, Wataru Anzai, Toshinori Hayashi, Masayoshi Tokita
Summary: Skeletal development in salamanders is influenced by their complex life history, and skull development varies among different species. The Japanese giant salamander exhibits adaptive skull development, allowing it to feed using suction force generated by opening its mouth.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Pascal Abel, Ingmar Werneburg
Summary: The morphology of the temporal region in the tetrapod skull has been a widely discussed feature, sparking debates on the phylogenetic, developmental, and functional background. The history of research on the temporal region shows the development of the phylogenetic perspective from early recognition of differences to current assessments, highlighting remaining controversies. Different functional and developmental drivers proposed for morphological diversity are compared, along with interpretations of internal and external factors on tetrapod skull structure.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amane Tajika, Naoki Morimoto, Neil H. Landman
Summary: Assessing the taxonomic importance of the suture line in shelled cephalopods is crucial for understanding their diversity. The study on Nautilus and Allonautilus reveals that conch geometry is useful in distinguishing species and genetically distinct populations can be identified based on this feature. The results are applicable to closely related fossil cephalopods but may not extend to more distantly related forms like ammonoids.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Alexey A. Tsessarsky
Summary: Acipenseriformes, including sturgeons and paddlefishes, have unique preoral snouts covered by exoskeletal elements. The homologies of these ventral rostral bones remain unresolved. This study investigates the development of these bones in Siberian sturgeon and American paddlefish, providing insights into the evolutionary history of their snouts.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zane Walker, Gar W. Rothwell, Ruth A. Stockey
Summary: An anatomically preserved fossil fern sporeling has been found in Vancouver Island, Canada, providing insights into the growth patterns of an extinct species. The study reveals the occurrence of a new species and shows evidence of developmental changes as the sporeling increased in size.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Israel L. Cunha Neto, Marcelo R. Pace, Rebeca Hernandez-Gutierrez, Veronica Angyalossy
Summary: This study investigates the diversity and evolution of stem anatomy in Nyctaginaceae, a family of plants, by combining developmental data with a phylogenetic framework. The study reveals the presence of two cambial variants, interxylary phloem and successive cambia, which result from four different ontogenies. Interestingly, these cambial variants are not dependent on habits and their transitions are independent from species diversification.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ce Liang, Antonio Profico, Costantino Buzi, Roman H. Khonsari, David Johnson, Paul O'Higgins, Mehran Moazen
Summary: This study investigates the growth and development of the craniofacial region during the first 48 months of life using clinical CT scans. The research focuses on the changes in cranial form and their association with the growth and development of soft tissues, such as the brain, eyes, tongue, and nasal cavity. The results reveal different patterns of cranial form changes in early childhood and the absence of significant sexual dimorphism in overall cranial shape within the age range studied. The findings provide a single model for future studies on the physio-mechanical interactions of craniofacial growth.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Eric G. Ekdale, Thomas A. Demere
Summary: Through the study of fossils and CT imaging, it has been shown that teeth and baleen coexisted in ancient toothed mysticetes and that they shared the same neurovascular system. These findings are crucial for understanding the transition from teeth to baleen in whales and the evolution of filter-feeding.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Valentina Segura
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Zoology
Daniela L. del Castillo, Valentina Segura, David A. Flores, Humberto L. Cappozzo
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcelo R. Sanchez-Villagra, Valentina Segura, Madeleine Geiger, Laura Heck, Kristof Veitschegger, David Flores
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2017)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Santiago A. Catalano, Valentina Segura, Florencia Vera Candioti
Article
Zoology
Mauro Ignacio Schiaffini, Valentina Segura, Francisco Juan Prevosti
Review
Evolutionary Biology
Valentina Segura, Guillermo H. Cassini, Francisco J. Prevosti, Fabio Andrade Machado
Summary: The study reveals that the mandibular shape of canids is influenced by ecological factors, especially in highly specialized taxa. Macroevolutionary patterns are more integrated than intraspecific patterns, indicating that correlational selection plays a significant role in the evolution of mandibular form and function. There is no evidence of an evolutionary line of least resistance in shaping mandible disparity.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Valentina Segura, Guillermo H. Cassini, Francisco J. Prevosti
Summary: The skull ontogeny study of South American canids reveals similar shape and diet among the species, possibly due to similar mechanical commitments or a shared evolutionary history with short divergence time. Specific species like Speothos venaticus and Chrysocyon brachyurus exhibit differences in their ontogenetic trajectory and skull structure, related to their hyper-carnivorous diet or large body size.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
A. M. Balcarcel, M. R. Sanchez-Villagra, V Segura, A. Evin
Summary: Patterns of selection in South American camelids (Lamini) and their unique demographic history establish the llama and alpaca as remarkable cases of domestication among large herd animals. Domesticated llamas and alpacas show minimal changes compared to their wild counterparts, with statistically significant differences in skull shape, brain size, and body size. This suggests that selection pressures and recent population bottlenecks have influenced the morphological patterns observed in Lamini. High-resolution 3D morphospace allows for the differentiation of all four species based on skull size, shape, and form, with form providing the greatest separation. The relationship between alpacas and vicunas appears to be closer than with guanacos, supporting genetic relationships within this group. Brain size reductions in domestic populations are lower than previously thought, with the smallest reduction in brain size reported among domesticated Artiodactyla.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Valentina Segura, Marcelo R. Sanchez-Villagra
Summary: There are 19 species of wild canids in the Americas that interact with humans in different ways, but none of these species have been domesticated. To successfully domesticate a canid species, it is necessary to have the biological attributes to facilitate the process and for the potential domesticator to have a worldview consistent with the practice.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Santiago Andres Catalano, Valentina Segura, Florencia Vera Candioti
Summary: SPASOS is a software for inferring ancestral landmark-based shape ontogenies, incorporating an interpolating function and weighted moving averages for analysis. It can handle landmark coordinate data with developmental timing information, producing visual results and data files for post-processing.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Valentina Segura, David Flores, Pablo Jayat, Gabriel Martin
Summary: Sigmodontines exhibit a conservative growth pattern in cranial development, with no distinctive patterns defining different tribes. Most cranial variables show negative allometric growth, with neurocranial variables displaying more pronounced trends compared to variables linked to trophic functions. A general cranial lengthening is observed, while variables associated with cranial width or height grow at lower rates.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Valentina Segura, Madeleine Geiger, Tesla A. Monson, David Flores, Marcelo R. Sanchez-Villagra
Summary: Domestication has had a significant impact on the cultural and biological evolution of human history and domesticated species. Dogs were domesticated earlier in the Americas compared to other domesticated animals. By reviewing various aspects of American dogs, it is clear that the history of domestication in the Americas is complex and requires more comprehensive studies.
Article
Zoology
Valentina Segura, David Flores, Guillermo Deferrari
Summary: Beavers and muskrats are invasive semi-aquatic rodents in southern South America, with significant impacts on the ecosystem. Despite sharing some skull morphological characters, they exhibit distinct shape differences in the skulls during ontogeny, attributed to different body sizes and phylogenetic history. Through quantitative analysis of ontogenetic series, we found high differences in the ontogenetic trajectories of the two species, suggesting contrasting muscular, functional, and structural conditions in their skulls. These findings indicate that similar behavioral and ecological specializations can be achieved through distinct patterns of skull development.
ZOOLOGISCHER ANZEIGER
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Valentina Segura, Guillermo H. Cassini, Francisco J. Prevosti
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2017)