Precocial development of locomotor performance in a ground-dwelling bird (<i>Alectoris chukar</i>): negotiating a three-dimensional terrestrial environment

Jackson, Brandon E.; Segre, Paolo S.; Dial, Kenneth P.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.0794

Cited by 48 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…Brush turkeys hatch with full wings in an advanced stage of development, leading to the lowest wing-loadings during their growth. contrast to other Galliformes (20 -25-day incubation) that cannot generate useful aerodynamic forces for several days after hatching and lack the running speeds of the adults [7], but enjoy the protection of their parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figure 6. Wing-loading trends during development for brush turkeys (filled circle, this study) and chukar (circle, [7]). Brush turkeys hatch with full wings in an advanced stage of development, leading to the lowest wing-loadings during their growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recording and analysis techniques were the same as for brush turkeys, except that chukars were recorded only at 508 and 708. Chukar care, age and kinematic data are available in Jackson et al [7].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited available data demonstrate that among many precocial species, youngsters have similar or superior absolute escape performance when compared with adults (e.g. hares, Lepus [4,5]; lizards [6]; birds, Alectoris [7]. See [8] for review).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…WAIR involves simultaneous use of running hindlimbs and flapping forelimbs [14,15]. Since WAIR requires less aerodynamic output than flight [16] and is exhibited by all ages of brush turkeys and other Galliformes, it offers a common metric of locomotor performance during avian development [7,14,15,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When hatchlings outperform adults: locomotor development in Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami, Galliformes)

Dial

Jackson

2010

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Within Galliformes, megapods (brush turkey, malleefowl, scrubfowl) exhibit unique forms of parental care and growth. Hatchlings receive no post-hatching parental care and exhibit the most exaggerated precocial development of all extant birds, hatching with fully developed, flight-capable forelimbs. Rather than flying up to safety, young birds preferentially employ wing-assisted incline running. Newly hatched Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami) are extraordinarily proficient at negotiating all textured inclined surfaces and can flap-walk up inclines exceeding the vertical. Yet, as brush turkeys grow, their forelimb-dependent locomotor performance declines. In an attempt to elucidate how hatchlings perform so well, we analysed hindlimb forces and forelimb kinematics. We measured ground reaction forces (GRFs) for animals spanning the entire growth range (110 -2000 g) as they ascended a variably positioned inclined ramp that housed a forceplate. These data are compared with a similar dataset for a chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) that exhibit a growth strategy typical of most other Galliformes and that demonstrate improved incline performance with increasing age. The brush turkeys' ontogenetic decline in incline running performance is accompanied by loss of traction at steep angles, reduced GRFs and increased wing-loading. We hypothesize that Australian brush turkeys, in contrast to other Galliformes, develop from forelimb-dominated young that exploit a variable terrain (e.g. mound nests, boulders, embankments, cliffs, bushes and trees) into hindlimb-dominated adults dependent on size and running speed to avoid predation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When hatchlings outperform adults: locomotor development in Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami, Galliformes)

Dial

Jackson

2010

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Evolution of Avian Flight

Heers

2013

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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The origin of birds and of bird flight has drawn scientific interest since the inception of evolutionary thinking. Though early investigations were hampered by a paucity of fossils, new discoveries have filled in many gaps and provided unprecedented detail into morphological changes that attended the evolutionary appearance of birds and bird flight. Birds are now widely regarded as the descendents of theropod dinosaurs. In contrast, form–function relationships and behaviours that might have facilitated the evolutionary acquisition of flight remain widely debated. Given the versatility of extant birds, we should not expect to find only one solution to this problem. Nevertheless, much debate seems to stem not from looking for multiple plausible functions and behaviours, but rather from traditional ‘ground up’ versus ‘trees down’ assumptions and a general lack of experimental and ecological support for inferred form–function relationships. Many researchers have therefore called for more rigorous hypothesis testing, and a plethora of new techniques and perspectives are up to the challenge. Key Concepts: Birds are the descendents of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Evolutionary assembly of the avian body plan occurred gradually, with bird‐like wings evolving before bird‐like skeletons, in conjunction with a reduction in body size and then a cranial shift in centre of mass. These changes took place via a series of transitional anatomical stages that were presumably associated with transitional functions and behaviours before becoming co‐opted for flapping flight. Many origin‐of‐flight hypotheses have been proposed, and it is challenging to discriminate among them. Much debate seems to stem from traditional ‘ground up’ versus ‘trees down’ assumptions and a general lack of experimental and ecological support for inferred form–function relationships. A growing number of researchers have therefore suggested that hypotheses must be consistent not only with the fossil record, but also with experimental support for form–function relationships and behaviours inferred by origin‐of‐flight scenarios. New techniques and perspectives are meeting this challenge and providing more rigorous insight into the origin of flight in birds. For example, recent work on developing birds with dinosaur‐like anatomies clearly demonstrates that behaviours involving the cooperative use of wings and legs (e.g. wing‐assisted incline running and steaming) act as a developmental (or evolutionary) bridge between leg‐based terrestrial locomotion and wing‐based aerial locomotion, by allowing developing birds (or evolving dinosaurs) to supplement their wings with their legs until the wings can fully support body weight during flight.

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Behavioral Heterochrony

Wobber¹,

Hare²

2015

Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Behavioral heterochrony is the study of the timing and speed of development of behavior from an evolutionary perspective. Key to studies of behavioral heterochrony is the comparison of development across different species. Such studies can illuminate whether a trait thought to be unique to a given species might in fact have its precursors in the early development of a closely related species. They can inform our understanding of how behavioral development is constrained by elements of somatic or reproductive maturation. Studies of behavioral heterochrony can also elucidate mechanisms by which behavior evolves, by targeting evolutionary shifts in developmental pathways. Finally, such studies can enrich our knowledge of human evolution, in contextualizing the vast shifts in human life history patterns relative to other primates in terms of corresponding changes in behavioral and cognitive development. On the whole then, research in behavioral heterochrony can advance our understanding of behavior through forging interdisciplinary links between anthropology, biology, and psychology.

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Precocial development of locomotor performance in a ground-dwelling bird (Alectoris chukar): negotiating a three-dimensional terrestrial environment

Cited by 48 publications

References 39 publications

When hatchlings outperform adults: locomotor development in Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami, Galliformes)

When hatchlings outperform adults: locomotor development in Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami, Galliformes)

Evolution of Avian Flight

Behavioral Heterochrony

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