Morphological variation, modularity and integration in the scapula and humerus of Lissotriton newts. 2024

Aleksandar Urošević, and Sanja Budečević, and Katarina Ljubisavljević, and Nataša Tomašević Kolarov, and Maja Ajduković
Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

The modular organization of tetrapod paired limbs and girdles, influenced by the expression of Hox genes is one of the primary driving forces of the evolution of animal locomotion. The increased morphological diversification of the paired limbs is correlated with reduced between-limb covariation, while correlation within the elements is usually higher than between the elements. The tailed amphibians, such as Lissotriton newts, have a biphasic lifestyle with aquatic and terrestrial environments imposing different constraints on limb skeleton. By employing the methods of computerized microtomography and 3D geometric morphometrics, we explored the pattern of morphological variation, disparity, modularity and morphological integration in the proximal parts of the anterior limbs of six species of Eurasian small bodied newts. Although the species significantly differ in limb shape, there is a great overlap in morphology of scapula and humerus, and there are no differences in morphological disparity. For the scapula, the shape differences related to the duration of the aquatic period are in length, depth and curvature. The shape of the humerus is not affected by the length of aquatic period, and shape differences between the species are related to robustness of the body. The length of aquatic period has statistically supported phylogenetic signal. The scapula and humerus are structures of varying modularity. For the humerus, the strongest support on the phylogenetic level was for the capitulum/shaft hypothesis, which can also be interpreted as functional modularity. For the scapula, the greatest support was for the antero-posterior hypothesis of modularity in case of Lissotriton vulgaris, which can be explained by different functional roles and muscle insertion patterns, while there was no phylogenetic modularity. The modularity patterns seem to correspond with the general tetrapod pattern, with modularity being more pronounced in the distal structure. The future research should include more salamandrid taxa with different habitat preferences and both adult and larval stages, in order to explore how size, phylogeny and ecology affect the morphology and covariation patterns of limbs.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010802 Phylogeny The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup. Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D005075 Biological Evolution The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics. Evolution, Biological
D006811 Humerus Bone in humans and primates extending from the SHOULDER JOINT to the ELBOW JOINT. Humeri,Greater Tubercle,Humeral Greater Tuberosity,Humeral Lesser Tuberosity,Lesser Tubercle,Olecranon Fossa,Olecranon Fossi,Greater Tubercles,Greater Tuberosities, Humeral,Greater Tuberosity, Humeral,Humeral Greater Tuberosities,Humeral Lesser Tuberosities,Lesser Tubercles,Lesser Tuberosities, Humeral,Lesser Tuberosity, Humeral,Tubercle, Greater,Tubercles, Greater
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012455 Salamandridae A family of Urodela consisting of 15 living genera and about 42 species and occurring in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Newts,Taricha,Newt,Tarichas
D012540 Scapula Also called the shoulder blade, it is a flat triangular bone, a pair of which form the back part of the shoulder girdle. Scapulae,Shoulder Blade,Shoulder Blades
D055114 X-Ray Microtomography X-RAY COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY with resolution in the micrometer range. MicroCT,Microcomputed Tomography,X-Ray Micro-CAT Scans,X-Ray Micro-CT,X-Ray Micro-CT Scans,X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography,X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography,X-ray MicroCT,Xray Micro-CT,Xray MicroCT,Micro-CAT Scan, X-Ray,Micro-CAT Scans, X-Ray,Micro-CT Scan, X-Ray,Micro-CT Scans, X-Ray,Micro-CT, X-Ray,Micro-CT, Xray,Micro-CTs, X-Ray,Micro-CTs, Xray,Micro-Computed Tomography, X-Ray,MicroCT, X-ray,MicroCT, Xray,MicroCTs,MicroCTs, X-ray,MicroCTs, Xray,Microcomputed Tomography, X-Ray,Microtomography, X-Ray,Scan, X-Ray Micro-CAT,Scan, X-Ray Micro-CT,Scans, X-Ray Micro-CAT,Scans, X-Ray Micro-CT,Tomography, Microcomputed,Tomography, X-Ray Micro-Computed,Tomography, X-Ray Microcomputed,X Ray Micro CAT Scans,X Ray Micro CT,X Ray Micro CT Scans,X Ray Micro Computed Tomography,X Ray Microcomputed Tomography,X Ray Microtomography,X ray MicroCT,X-Ray Micro-CAT Scan,X-Ray Micro-CT Scan,X-Ray Micro-CTs,X-ray MicroCTs,Xray Micro CT,Xray Micro-CTs,Xray MicroCTs

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