Abstract
In this study, three-dimensional landmark-based methods of geometric morphometrics are used for estimating the influence of phylogeny, allometry and locomotor performance on forelimb shape in living and extinct carnivorans (Mammalia, Carnivora). The main objective is to investigate morphological convergences towards similar locomotor strategies in the shape of the major forelimb bones. Results indicate that both size and phylogeny have strong effects on the anatomy of all forelimb bones. In contrast, bone shape does not correlate in the living taxa with maximum running speed or daily movement distance, two proxies closely related to locomotor performance. A phylomorphospace approach showed that shape variation in forelimb bones mainly relates to changes in bone robustness. This indicates the presence of biomechanical constraints resulting from opposite demands for energetic efficiency in locomotion –which would require a slender forelimb– and resistance to stress –which would be satisfied by a robust forelimb–. Thus, we interpret that the need of maintaining a trade-off between both functional demands would limit shape variability in forelimb bones. Given that different situations can lead to one or another morphological solution, depending on the specific ecology of taxa, the evolution of forelimb morphology represents a remarkable “one-to-many mapping” case between anatomy and ecology.
Highlights
Locomotion is crucial for an animal’s ecology
The results of principal components analysis (PCA) can be interpreted as evidencing that most of the morphological variation in all these bones is associated with two morphological solutions for affording several ecological problems
Different ecological requirements can be solved with a single morphology, in this case having robust bones, as they have similar biomechanical demands
Summary
Locomotion is crucial for an animal’s ecology. Animals move in their home ranges to forage for food resources, to search for mating partners, to avoid stressful environments, to pursue their prey, or to escape from potential predators [1,2]. This is important in the case of the forelimbs, as they withstand the largest amount of body mass in carnivorans [37,38] and other mammals [39,40,41,42] relative to the hindlimbs For these reasons, to explore the influence of phylogeny, body mass and locomotor performance on the shape of the major limb bones is crucial to any study on the evolution of the appendicular skeleton. To explore the influence of phylogeny, body mass and locomotor performance on the shape of the major limb bones is crucial to any study on the evolution of the appendicular skeleton This information can be used for deciphering the autecological attributes of extinct taxa and their sinecological roles within past communities
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