Increased variation in numbers of presacral vertebrae in suspensory mammals

Williams, Scott A.; Spear, Jeffrey K.; Petrullo, Lauren; Goldstein, Deanna M.; Lee, Amanda B.; Peterson, Amy L.; Miano, Danielle A.; Kaczmarek, Elska B; Shattuck, Milena R.

doi:10.1038/s41559-019-0894-2

Cited by 25 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…2017; Williams et al. 2019). For example, the variability in the number of presacral vertebrae significantly differs between fast and slow running carnivorans, where fast, agile carnivorans exhibit no variation in presacral vertebral counts whereas slow carnivorans exhibit ∼25% abnormal counts (Galis et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and morphological patterns underlying carnivoran body shape diversity

Law

2020

Evolution

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The diversity of body shapes is one of the most prominent features of phenotypic variation in vertebrates. Biologists, however, still lack a full understanding of the underlying morphological components that contribute to its diversity, particularly in endothermic vertebrates such as mammals. In this study, hypotheses pertaining to the evolution of the cranial and axial components that contribute to the diversity of carnivoran body shapes were tested. Three trends were found in the evolution of carnivoran body shapes: (1) carnivorans exhibit diverse body shapes with intrafamilial variation predicted best by family clade age, (2) body shape is driven by strong allometric effects of body size where species become more elongate with decreasing size, and (3) the thoracic and lumbar regions and rib length contribute the most to body shape variation, albeit pathways differ between different families. These results reveal the morphological patterns that led to increased diversity in carnivoran body shapes and elucidate the similarities and dissimilarities that govern body shape diversity across vertebrates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary and morphological patterns underlying carnivoran body shape diversity

Law

2020

Evolution

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“…Because of its role in posture, locomotion and overall trunk stability and mobility, the vertebral column represents a key region for reconstructing mammal behaviour (e.g., [1][2][3] ). In particular, the atlas, or first cervical vertebra, acts as the main interface between the head and the axial skeleton and, therefore, plays a critical role in directing and stabilizing head movements (rev.…”

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confidence: 99%

The atlas of StW 573 and the late emergence of human-like head mobility and brain metabolism

Beaudet

Clarke

Heaton

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Functional morphology of the atlas reflects multiple aspects of an organism's biology. More specifically, its shape indicates patterns of head mobility, while the size of its vascular foramina reflects blood flow to the brain. Anatomy and function of the early hominin atlas, and thus, its evolutionary history, are poorly documented because of a paucity of fossilized material. Meticulous excavation, cleaning and high-resolution micro-CT scanning of the StW 573 ('Little Foot') skull has revealed the most complete early hominin atlas yet found, having been cemented by breccia in its displaced and flipped over position on the cranial base anterolateral to the foramen magnum. Description and landmark-free morphometric analyses of the StW 573 atlas, along with other less complete hominin atlases from Sterkfontein (StW 679) and Hadar (AL 333-83), confirm the presence of an arboreal component in the positional repertoire of Australopithecus. Finally, assessment of the cross-sectional areas of the transverse foramina of the atlas and the left carotid canal in StW 573 further suggests there may have been lower metabolic costs for cerebral tissues in this hominin than have been attributed to extant humans and may support the idea that blood perfusion of these tissues increased over the course of hominin evolution.

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“…Respective numbers of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae can be altered in animals by homeotic transformation and cranial-caudal border somatic shifts [7,28]. In comparison with slow-running mammals, a low variability in numerical changes of the thoracolumbar part of the vertebral column was observed in previous studies in fast-running and agile mammals [29], although a most recent hypothesis posits that range of dorsoventral movement of the vertebral column during running and leaping is a most important parameter for numerical changes of presacral vertebrae [30]. In dorsomobile runners, the vertebral column flex and extend sharply during running and there is a lower tendency to numerical change of presacral vertebral column.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertebral Formulae and Congenital Vertebral Anomalies in Guinea Pigs: A Retrospective Radiographic Study

Proks

Johansen

Nývltová

et al. 2021

Animals

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The objectives of this retrospective study of 240 guinea pigs (148 females and 92 males) were to determine the prevalence of different vertebral formulae and the type and anatomical localization of congenital vertebral anomalies (CVA). Radiographs of the cervical (C), thoracic (Th), lumbar (L), sacral (S), and caudal (Cd) part of the vertebral column were reviewed. Morphology and number of vertebrae in each segment of the vertebral column and type and localization of CVA were recorded. In 210/240 guinea pigs (87.50%) with normal vertebral morphology, nine vertebral formulae were found with constant number of C but variable number of Th, L, and S vertebrae: C7/Th13/L6/S4/Cd5-7 (75%), C7/Th13/L6/S3/Cd6-7 (4.17%), C7/Th13/L5/S4/Cd6-7 (2.50%), C7/Th13/L6/S5/Cd5-6 (1.67%), C7/Th12/L6/S4/Cd6 (1.25%), C7/Th13/L7/S4/Cd6 (1.25%), C7/Th13/L7/S3/Cd6-7 (0.83%), C7/Th12/L7/S4/Cd5 (0.42%), C7/Th13/L5/S5/Cd7 (0.42%). CVA were found in 30/240 (12.5%) of guinea pigs, mostly as a transitional vertebra (28/30), which represents 100% of single CVA localised in cervicothoracic (n = 1), thoracolumbar (n = 22) and lumbosacral segments (n = 5). Five morphological variants of thoracolumbar transitional vertebrae (TTV) were identified. Two (2/30) guinea pigs had a combination of CVA: cervical block vertebra and TTV (n = 1) and TTV and lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LTV) (n = 1). These findings suggest that guinea pigs’ vertebral column displays more morphological variants with occasional CVA predominantly transitional vertebrae.

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Increased variation in numbers of presacral vertebrae in suspensory mammals

Cited by 25 publications

References 99 publications

Evolutionary and morphological patterns underlying carnivoran body shape diversity

Evolutionary and morphological patterns underlying carnivoran body shape diversity

The atlas of StW 573 and the late emergence of human-like head mobility and brain metabolism

Vertebral Formulae and Congenital Vertebral Anomalies in Guinea Pigs: A Retrospective Radiographic Study

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