Marghoub, Arsalan;
Williams, CA;
Vasco Leite, J;
Kirby, AC;
Kever, L;
Porro, L;
Barrett, PM;
... Moazen, Mehran; + view all
(2022)
Unravelling the structural variation of lizard osteoderms.
Acta Biomaterialia
, 146
pp. 306-316.
10.1016/j.actbio.2022.05.004.
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Abstract
Vertebrate skin is a remarkable organ that supports and protects the body. It consists of two layers, the epidermis and the underlying dermis. In some tetrapods, the dermis includes mineralised organs known as osteoderms (OD). Lizards, with over 7,000 species, show the greatest diversity in OD morphology and distribution, yet we barely understand what drives this diversity. This multiscale analysis of five species of lizards, whose lineages diverged ∼100–150 million years ago, compared the micro- and macrostructure, material properties, and bending rigidity of their ODs, and examined the underlying bones of the skull roof and jaw (including teeth when possible). Unsurprisingly, OD shape, taken alone, impacts bending rigidity, with the ODs of Corucia zebrata being most flexible and those of Timon lepidus being most rigid. Macroscopic variation is also reflected in microstructural diversity, with differences in tissue composition and arrangement. However, the properties of the core bony tissues, in both ODs and cranial bones, were found to be similar across taxa, although the hard, capping tissue on the ODs of Heloderma and Pseudopus had material properties similar to those of tooth enamel. The results offer evidence on the functional adaptations of cranial ODs, but questions remain regarding the factors driving their diversity.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Unravelling the structural variation of lizard osteoderms |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.05.004 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2022.05.004 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc. under a Creative Commons license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Biomechanics, Skull, Cranial bone, Material characterisation, Biomaterials |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10148509 |
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