Variation in vertebrae shape across small-bodied newts reveals functional and developmental constraints acting upon the trunk region
2021
Document Type:
Article (Published version)
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© 2021 Anatomical Society
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Show full item recordAbstract:
The salamander vertebral column is largely undifferentiated, with a series of more or less uniform rib bearing presacral vertebrae traditionally designated as the trunk region. We explored regionalisation of the salamander trunk in seven species and two subspecies of the salamander genus Lissotriton by the combination of micro computed tomography scanning and geometric morphometrics. The detailed information on trunk vertebral shape was subjected to a multidimensional cluster analysis and a phenotypic trajectory analysis. With these complementary approaches, we observed a clear morphological regionalization. Clustering analysis showed that the anterior trunk vertebrae (T1 and T2) have distinct morphologies that are shared by all taxa, whereas the subsequent, more posterior vertebrae show significant disparity between species. The phenotypic trajectory analysis revealed that all taxa share a common pattern and amount of shape change along the trunk region. Altogether, our results support the hypothesis of a conserved anterior-posterior developmental patterning which can be associated with different functional demands, reflecting (sub)species’ and possibly, regional ecological divergences within species.
Keywords:
Geometric morphometrics; Lissotriton; High-dimensional clustering analysis; Micro computed tomography; Phenotypic trajectory analysis; Trunk vertebrae; RegionalizationSource:
Journal of Anatomy, 2021Funding / projects:
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200007 (University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković') (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200007)
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200178 (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology) (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200178)
Related info:
- Referenced by
https://radar.ibiss.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4661
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13591
ISSN: 0021-8782
PubMed: 34761388