Allometry of the limb bones of mammals from shrews (Sorex) to elephant (Loxodonta)

Alexander, R. McNeill; Jayes, A. S.; Maloiy, G. M. O.; Wathuta, E. M.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1979.tb03964.x

Cited by 381 publications

(199 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…However, few have examined the epiphyses of those bones (i.e., near the joints), where muscle forces are transferred. For the humerus, it has been shown that the midshaft diameter and the humeral mass scale to body mass with scaling factors of 0.35 and 1.083, respectively [29,31,32]. These results indicate that the relationships between these values and body mass are nearly isometric; the geometry of the bone is maintained with increasing body size.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

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Allometry of the Tendon Enthesis: Mechanisms of Load Transfer Between Tendon and Bone

Deymier-Black

Pasteris²,

Genin

et al. 2015

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

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Several features of the tendon-to-bone attachment were examined allometrically to determine load transfer mechanisms. The humeral head diameter increased geometrically with animal mass. Area of the attachment site exhibited a near isometric increase with muscle physiological cross section. In contrast, the interfacial roughness as well as the mineral gradient width demonstrated a hypoallometric relationship with physiologic cross-sectional area (PCSA). The isometric increase in attachment area indicates that as muscle forces increase, the attachment area increases accordingly, thus maintaining a constant interfacial stress. Due to the presence of constant stresses at the attachment, the micrometer-scale features may not need to vary with increasing load.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 58%

“…It also points to nearly geometric scaling between the humeral head and body mass. A number of studies have examined the relationships between bone geometry and animal body size [27][28][29][30]. However, few have examined the epiphyses of those bones (i.e., near the joints), where muscle forces are transferred.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allometry of the Tendon Enthesis: Mechanisms of Load Transfer Between Tendon and Bone

Deymier-Black

Pasteris²,

Genin

et al. 2015

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

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“…(a) Body mass proxy data Femoral length was used as a body size proxy because it shows a consistent relationship with body mass in terrestrial vertebrates [33], and has been used in previous studies of archosauromorphs [31,32]. Femora have not been described for 77 per cent of the therapsids sampled, but use of femoral length was required to yield absolute values comparable with those of Archosauromorpha.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rise of dinosaurs reveals major body-size transitions are driven by passive processes of trait evolution

2012

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A major macroevolutionary question concerns how long-term patterns of body-size evolution are underpinned by smaller scale processes along lineages. One outstanding long-term transition is the replacement of basal therapsids (stem-group mammals) by archosauromorphs, including dinosaurs, as the dominant large-bodied terrestrial fauna during the Triassic (approx. 252 -201 million years ago). This landmark event preceded more than 150 million years of archosauromorph dominance. We analyse a new body-size dataset of more than 400 therapsid and archosauromorph species spanning the Late Permian -Middle Jurassic. Maximum-likelihood analyses indicate that Cope's rule (an active within-lineage trend of body-size increase) is extremely rare, despite conspicuous patterns of body-size turnover, and contrary to proposals that Cope's rule is central to vertebrate evolution. Instead, passive processes predominate in taxonomically and ecomorphologically more inclusive clades, with stasis common in less inclusive clades. Body-size limits are clade-dependent, suggesting intrinsic, biological factors are more important than the external environment. This clade-dependence is exemplified by maximum size of Middle -early Late Triassic archosauromorph predators exceeding that of contemporary herbivores, breaking a widelyaccepted 'rule' that herbivore maximum size greatly exceeds carnivore maximum size. Archosauromorph and dinosaur dominance occurred via opportunistic replacement of therapsids following extinction, but were facilitated by higher archosauromorph growth rates.

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“…If nothing else this can serve as a reminder that even excellent agreement with the data need not imply any support for the theoretical curve that was fitted (Kooijman accordingly defends his formula on the basis of a priori arguments 41 ). In the example of mammalian long bones, bone dimensions have been linked to body mass via power laws, with various arguments in favour of different values for the exponents 61,62 ; it quickly became clear that different groups of mammals seem to have different best-fitting exponents 63 , and advanced models are based on specific details regarding the animal's stance 62 . The gains come at the cost of sacrificing what might be the main appeal of allometry, which is the idea that the posited power laws owe their universality to fundamental structural-mechanical constraints.…”

Section: Biomechanics On All Scales Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Inceptions of Biomathematics from Lotka to Thom

Berg

2017

Science Progress

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Mathematical biology occupies a special place at the interface between the physical, mathematical and life sciences. Is this interface merely a meeting point for dabblers venturing out of their own proper domains to work on problems of mutual interest? Or is it an incipient science in its own right, with its own particular character, principles, and practices? The past century has seen vast advances in the application of mathematical and physical ideas and techniques to biological problems, in the process transforming many of them almost beyond recognition. Nonetheless, the question of a biomathematics as a new kind of science remains open, despite several fascinating, if sometimes problematic, attempts.

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Allometry of the limb bones of mammals from shrews (Sorex) to elephant (Loxodonta)

Cited by 381 publications

References 9 publications

Allometry of the Tendon Enthesis: Mechanisms of Load Transfer Between Tendon and Bone

Allometry of the Tendon Enthesis: Mechanisms of Load Transfer Between Tendon and Bone

Rise of dinosaurs reveals major body-size transitions are driven by passive processes of trait evolution

Inceptions of Biomathematics from Lotka to Thom

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