التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
| العنوان: |
Three areas of cranial evolution in the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis): An initial report on asymmetry, ontogeny and modularity. |
| المؤلفون: |
Samuel, O. M., Igado, O. O., Adekanmbi, A. J. |
| المصدر: |
Journal of Mammalian Evolution; Dec2023, Vol. 30 Issue 4, p995-1009, 15p |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: |
FORAMEN magnum, ONTOGENY, SYMMETRY (Biology), FOURIER analysis, NATURAL selection, SKULL, PANGOLINS |
| مستخلص: |
Small African pangolins (genus Phataginus) presently face a general decline in population due to reduced survivability resulting from captive breeding failure and trafficking. We here present a postnatal evaluation of skull developmental signaling in a small African pangolin, emphasizing evolutionary trends in ontogeny. Forty digitally processed skulls and foramina magna from different geographic locations were assessed for asymmetry, foramen magnum shape and modularity using geometric and elliptical Fourier analyses. Multivariate regression of log transformed centroid size and the asymmetric component of shape suggested significant asymmetry through ontogeny where size accounted for 81.34% of asymmetric shape changes. Analysis of variance demonstrated low but directional fluctuating asymmetry in dorsal and ventral views. Allometric trajectories followed rostro-caudal and caudo-lateral directions; intercepts for shape/size predictions were parallel. Mahalanobis distances between centroids were significant. Foramen magnum outline descriptors by incremental harmonics revealed that the first four effective PCs defined 96.98% of shape properties, and 3.02% constituted finer details. The studied samples confirmed directional "handedness" and fluctuating asymmetries. Foramen magnum shape assumed priority over size in ontogeny with profound asymmetry (from the 5th harmonic), suggestive of attenuated ability of paired symmetric bilaterality of cranial integration modules. Our observation postulates a rapid cranial evolution in the small African pangolin due to natural selection constraints occasioned by population inconsistencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| قاعدة البيانات: |
Complementary Index |
