Randau, M;
Goswami, A;
(2017)
Unravelling intravertebral integration, modularity and disparity in Felidae (Mammalia).
Evolution & Development
, 19
(2)
pp. 85-95.
10.1111/ede.12218.
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Abstract
Morphological integration and modularity, which describe the relationships among morphological attributes and reflect genetic, developmental, and functional interactions, have been hypothesized to be major influences on trait responses to selection and thus morphological evolution. The mammalian presacral vertebral column shows little variation in vertebral count and therefore specialization for function occurs primarily through modification of vertebral shape. However, vertebral shape has been suggested to be under strong control from developmental canalization, although this has never been explicitly tested. Here, we assess hypotheses of developmental modules in the vertebrae of felids to determine whether developmental interactions are a primary influence on vertebral modularity. Additionally, we analyze the magnitudes of both intravertebral integration and disparity to evaluate if level of integration varies along the vertebral column and, if so, whether integration and disparity are associated. Our results confirm the hypothesis of vertebral developmental modularity, with most presacral vertebrae displaying two modules. Exceptions are concentrated in the boundaries among traditional and functional regions, suggesting that intravertebral modularity may reflect larger-scale modularity of the felid vertebral column. We further demonstrate that overall integration and disparity are highest in posterior vertebrae, thus providing an empirical example of integration potentially promoting greater morphological responses to selection.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Unravelling intravertebral integration, modularity and disparity in Felidae (Mammalia) |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ede.12218 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ede.12218 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2017 The Authors. Evolution and Development Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Morphological integration, disparity, vertebrae, Felidae, developmental modularity, eigenvalue dispersion |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1542981 |
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