Article
Phylogenetic, Allometric, and Ecological Factors Affecting Morphological Variation in the Scapula and Humerus of Spiny Rats (Rodentia: Echimyidae)
Registro en:
CARVALHAES, Jeiel Gabrir et al. Phylogenetic, Allometric, and Ecological Factors Affecting Morphological Variation in the Scapula and Humerus of Spiny Rats (Rodentia: Echimyidae). Journal of Mammalian Evolution, v. 29, p.997-1014, Aug. 2022.
1573-7055
10.1007/s10914-022-09617-5
Autor
Carvalhaes, Jeiel Gabrir
Tavares, William Corrêa
Vilela, Roberto do Val
D’Andrea, Paulo Sérgio
Resumen
Locomotion, as a fundamental function in mammals directly associated with the use of ecological resources, is expected
to have anatomical structures functionally committed that evolved under intense selective pressure, possibly carrying specializations
for different locomotor habits. Among caviomorph rodents, the family Echimyidae stands out for having the
greatest species richness, with relatively well-resolved phylogenetic relationships, wide variation in body mass, and remarkable
diversity of locomotor habits, including arboreal, scansorial, semi-aquatic, semifossorial, and terrestrial forms. Thus,
Echimyidae constitutes a promising model for understanding how phylogenetic, allometric, and ecological factors affect the
evolution of postcranial structures directly linked to locomotor function. We investigated the influence of these three factors
on scapular and humeral morphological variation in 38 echimyid species using two-dimensional geometric morphometry
and phylogenetically informed comparative methods. Scapular and humeral shape variation had a low correlation with body
mass and structure size, conveying a small or negligible allometric effect. Conversely, a significant moderate to strong phylogenetic
signal was detected in both structures, suggesting that an important part of their morphometric variation results
from shared evolutionary history. Notably, morphological variation of the scapula was extensively structured by phylogeny,
without the marked influence of locomotor habits, suggesting that its shape may be a suitable taxonomic marker. Finally,
locomotor habits were important in structuring the morphological variation of the humerus. Our results suggest that the
morphologies of the scapula and humerus, despite being anatomically and functionally interconnected, were differentially
shaped by ecological factors associated with locomotor habits.