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The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Dec 2023Sound production capabilities and characteristics in Loricariidae, the largest catfish family, have not been well examined. Sounds produced by three loricariid catfish...
Sound production capabilities and characteristics in Loricariidae, the largest catfish family, have not been well examined. Sounds produced by three loricariid catfish species, Otocinclus affinis, Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps, and Pterygoplichthys pardalis, were recorded. Each of these species produces pulses via pectoral-fin spine stridulation by rubbing the ridged condyle of the dorsal process of the pectoral-fin spine base against a matching groove-like socket in the pectoral girdle. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the dorsal process of the pectoral-fin spines of these species. Mean distances between dorsal process ridges of O. affinis, P. gibbiceps, and P. pardalis were 53, 161, and 329 μm, respectively. Stridulation sounds occurred during either abduction (type A) or adduction (type B). O. affinis produced sounds through adduction only and P. pardalis through abduction only, whereas P. gibbiceps often produced pulse trains alternating between abduction and adduction. In these species, dominant frequency was an inverse function of sound duration, fish total length, and inter-ridge distance on the dorsal process of the pectoral-fin spine and sound duration increased with fish total length. While stridulation sounds are used in many behavioral contexts in catfishes, the functional significance of sound production in Loricariidae is currently unknown.
Topics: Animals; Sound; Catfishes; Animal Communication; Body Size; Sound Spectrography
PubMed: 38059727
DOI: 10.1121/10.0022575 -
The Journal of Experimental Biology Dec 2017Fish acoustic signals play a major role during agonistic and reproductive interactions. Among the sound-generating fish, Gobiidae, a large fish family with 1866 valid...
Fish acoustic signals play a major role during agonistic and reproductive interactions. Among the sound-generating fish, Gobiidae, a large fish family with 1866 valid species, is one of the most studied groups of acoustic fishes, with sound production being documented in a number of species. Paradoxically, the sound-producing mechanism remains poorly studied in this group. The painted goby, , produces two distinct sounds called drums and thumps A combination of morphological and experimental analyses involving high-speed videos synchronized with sound recordings supports that drums are produced during lateral head movements involving at least the alternate contractions of the levator pectoralis muscles originating on the skull and inserting on the pectoral girdle. These movements are reported in many Gobiidae species, suggesting the pectoral-girdle-based mechanism is common in the family and could have evolved from locomotory movements.
Topics: Animals; Male; Perciformes; Sound; Video Recording; Vocalization, Animal
PubMed: 28982971
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.164863 -
ELife Mar 2022The morphology of the pectoral girdle, the skeletal structure connecting the wing to the body, is a key determinant of flight capability, but in some respects is poorly...
The morphology of the pectoral girdle, the skeletal structure connecting the wing to the body, is a key determinant of flight capability, but in some respects is poorly known among stem birds. Here, the pectoral girdles of the Early Cretaceous birds and are reconstructed for the first time based on computed tomography and three-dimensional visualization, revealing key morphological details that are important for our understanding of early-flight evolution. exhibits a double articulation system (widely present in non-enantiornithine pennaraptoran theropods including crown birds), which involves, alongside the main scapula-coracoid joint, a small subsidiary joint, though variation exists with respect to the shape and size of the main and subsidiary articular contacts in non-enantiornithine pennaraptorans. This double articulation system contrasts with in which a spatially restricted scapula-coracoid joint is formed by a single set of opposing articular surfaces, a feature also present in other members of Enantiornithines, a major clade of stem birds known only from the Cretaceous. The unique single articulation system may reflect correspondingly unique flight behavior in enantiornithine birds, but this hypothesis requires further investigation from a functional perspective. Our renderings indicate that both and had a partially closed triosseal canal (a passage for muscle tendon that plays a key role in raising the wing), and our study suggests that this type of triosseal canal occurred in all known non-euornithine birds except , representing a transitional stage in flight apparatus evolution before the appearance of a fully closed bony triosseal canal as in modern birds. Our study reveals additional lineage-specific variations in pectoral girdle anatomy, as well as significant modification of the pectoral girdle along the line to crown birds. These modifications produced diverse pectoral girdle morphologies among Mesozoic birds, which allowed a commensurate range of capability levels and styles to emerge during the early evolution of flight.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Birds; Fossils; Phylogeny; Wings, Animal
PubMed: 35356889
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.76086 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... May 2015Newly discovered pelvic and reproductive structures within placoderms, representing some of the most crownward members of the gnathostome stem group and the most basal...
Newly discovered pelvic and reproductive structures within placoderms, representing some of the most crownward members of the gnathostome stem group and the most basal jawed vertebrates, challenge established ideas on the origin of the pelvic girdle and reproductive complexity. Here we critically review previous descriptions of the pelvic structures in placoderms and reinterpret the morphology of the pelvic region within the arthrodires and ptyctodonts, in particular the position of the pelvic fin and the relationship of the male clasper to the pelvic girdle. Absence of clear articular surfaces on the clasper and girdle in the Arthrodira, along with evidence from the Ptyctodontida, suggest that these are separate structures along the body. We describe similarities between the pectoral and pelvic girdles and claspers, for example, all these have both dermal and perichondral (cartilaginous) components. Claspers in placoderms and chondrichthyans develop in very different ways; in sharks, claspers develop from the pelvic fin while the claspers in placoderms develop separately, suggesting that their independent development involved a posterior extension of the 'competent stripes' for fin development previously limited to the region between the paired pectoral and pelvic fins. Within this expanded zone, we suggest that clasper position relative to the pelvic fins was determined by genes responsible for limb position. Information on early gnathostome reproductive processes is preserved in both the Ptyctodontida and Arthrodira, including the presence of multiple embryos in pregnant females, embryos of differing sizes and of different sexes (e.g. male claspers preserved in some embyros). By comparison with chondrichthyans, these observations suggest more complex reproductive strategies in placoderms than previously appreciated.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Fishes; Fossils; Genitalia; Pelvis
PubMed: 24889865
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12118 -
Journal of Fish Biology Aug 2018The morphology of the pectoral girdle and fin of Anguillidae is reconsidered via the inclusion of skeletal components that have previously been unassessed. For example,...
The morphology of the pectoral girdle and fin of Anguillidae is reconsidered via the inclusion of skeletal components that have previously been unassessed. For example, the pectoral girdle and fin in Anguilla were erroneously reported to lack a scapular bone, a cartilaginous scapulocoracoid plate and a cartilaginous propterygium. The pectoral morphology of Anguilla is also compared with the closely related genus Nemichthys, including additional data on the anatomy of this eel family.
Topics: Anguilla; Animal Fins; Animals; Cartilage; Skeleton
PubMed: 29956329
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13737 -
The Journal of Chiropractic Education Oct 2022The aim of this study is to conduct a pilot survey to determine core anatomy content for chiropractic curriculum based on the perception of chiropractors and anatomy...
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to conduct a pilot survey to determine core anatomy content for chiropractic curriculum based on the perception of chiropractors and anatomy educators involved in teaching in an Australian chiropractic program.
METHODS
A survey of anatomical structures previously used in a medical survey, with similar criteria for synthesizing responses, was used and classified according to whether the respondents rated an item as essential, important, acceptable, or not required in a chiropractic program. The item was scored as core if ≥60% of respondents rated it essential, recommended if 30%-59% rated it essential, not recommended if 20%-29% rated it essential, or not core if <20% rated it essential.
RESULTS
The respondents rated 81.6% of all musculoskeletal concepts as core and 18.4% as recommended, 88.8% of the vertebral column items as core, and 11.2% of the items as recommended, 69.4% upper limb and pectoral girdle items as core, 23.7% of items as recommended, 5.5% as not recommended and 1.3% as not core items for inclusion, 85.3% of all lower limb and pelvic girdle items as core, 14.4% as recommended and 0.3% not recommended.
CONCLUSION
Chiropractors and anatomists involved in teaching in an Australian chiropractic program rated most musculoskeletal items as essential for inclusion in a chiropractic teaching program to ensure adequate preparation for safe practice and to promote alignment with the standards of anatomy education delivered into the clinical professions.
PubMed: 35561322
DOI: 10.7899/JCE-21-18 -
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic... Nov 2018Blackleg is an infectious disease of cattle and rarely other ruminants, produced by Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by necrotizing myositis. In most cases of...
Blackleg is an infectious disease of cattle and rarely other ruminants, produced by Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by necrotizing myositis. In most cases of blackleg, the large muscles of the pectoral and pelvic girdles are affected, with other skeletal muscles and the heart involved less frequently. We studied 29 blackleg cases selected from the archives of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, 1991-2015. Immunohistochemistry was also evaluated to detect C. chauvoei in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues of cattle. Nineteen animals had gross and/or microscopic lesions in both skeletal muscle and heart, 9 had lesions in the skeletal musculature alone, and 1 in the heart alone. Gross lesions in the skeletal musculature involved the following muscle groups: hindquarters ( n = 8), forequarters ( n = 5), neck ( n = 5), lumbar area ( n = 3), brisket ( n = 2), diaphragm ( n = 2), abdominal wall ( n = 1), thoracic wall ( n = 1), and tongue ( n = 1). Of the 20 animals that had lesions in the heart, 11 had pericarditis and myocarditis; 7 had pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis; and 1 each had pericarditis and myocarditis. Immunohistochemistry was 100% sensitive to detect C. chauvoei in FFPE skeletal muscle and/or heart of cattle with blackleg. Simultaneous lesions in skeletal musculature and heart were relatively common in blackleg cases in California; the most affected skeletal muscles were those of the hindlimbs.
Topics: Animals; California; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Clostridium Infections; Clostridium chauvoei; Female; Hindlimb; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Myocarditis; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 30358517
DOI: 10.1177/1040638718808567 -
Journal of Anatomy Mar 2017The pectoral girdle is a complex structure which varies in its morphology between species. A major component in birds is the furcula, which can be considered equivalent...
The pectoral girdle is a complex structure which varies in its morphology between species. A major component in birds is the furcula, which can be considered equivalent to a fusion of the paired clavicles found in many mammals, and the single interclavicle found in many reptiles. These elements are a remnant of the dermal skeleton and the only intramembranous bones in the trunk. Postnatally, the furcula plays important mechanical roles by stabilising the shoulder joint and acting as a mechanical spring during flight. In line with its mechanical role, previous studies indicate that, unlike many other intramembranous bones, furcula growth during development can be influenced by mechanical stimuli. This study investigated the response of individual aspects of furcula growth to both embryo immobilisation and hypermotility in the embryonic chicken. The impact of altered incubation temperature, which influences embryo motility, on crocodilian interclavicle development was also explored. We employed whole-mount bone and cartilage staining and 3D imaging by microCT to quantify the impact of rigid paralysis, flaccid paralysis and hypermobility on furcula growth in the chicken, and 3D microCT imaging to quantify the impact of reduced temperature (32-28 °C) and motility on interclavicle growth in the crocodile. This revealed that the growth rates of the clavicular and interclavicular components of the furcula differ during normal development. Total furcula area was reduced by total unloading produced by flaccid paralysis, but not by rigid paralysis which maintains static loading of embryonic bones. This suggests that dynamic loading, which is required for postnatal bone adaptation, is not a requirement for prenatal furcula growth. Embryo hypermotility also had no impact on furcula area or arm length. Furcula 3D shape did, however, differ between groups; this was marked in the interclavicular component of the furcula, the hypocleideum. Hypocleideum length was reduced by both methods of immobilisation, and interclavicle area was reduced in crocodile embryos incubated at 28 °C, which are less motile than embryos incubated at 32 °C. These data suggest that the clavicular and interclavicle components of the avian furcula respond differently to alterations in embryo movement, with the interclavicle requiring both the static and dynamic components of movement-related loading for normal growth, while static loading preserved most aspects of clavicle growth. Our data suggest that embryo movement, and the mechanical loading this produces, is important in shaping these structures during development to suit their postnatal mechanical roles.
Topics: Alligators and Crocodiles; Animals; Bone Development; Bone and Bones; Chick Embryo; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Movement; X-Ray Microtomography
PubMed: 27921302
DOI: 10.1111/joa.12571 -
Integrative and Comparative Biology Oct 2022Research on the water-to-land transition tends to focus on the locomotor changes necessary for terrestriality. However, the evolution from water breathing to air...
Research on the water-to-land transition tends to focus on the locomotor changes necessary for terrestriality. However, the evolution from water breathing to air breathing was also a necessary precursor to the invasion of land. Air is approximately 1000 times less dense and 50 times less viscous, and contains hundreds of times more oxygen than water. However, unlike the transition to terrestrial locomotion, breathing air does not require body weight support, so the evolution of air breathing may have necessitated smaller changes to morphology and function. We used X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology to compare the cranial kinematics of aquatic buccal pumping, such as that seen in suction feeding, with the aerial buccal pumping required for lung ventilation in the West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens). During buccal pumping behaviors, the cranial bones and associated soft tissues act as valves and pumps, and the sequence of their motions controls the pattern of fluid flow. Both behaviors are characterized by an anterior-to-posterior wave of expansion and an anterior-to-posterior wave of compression. We found that the pectoral girdle and cranial rib rotate consistently during air breathing and suction feeding, and that the muscle between them shortens during buccal expansion. Overall, we conclude that the major cranial bones maintain the same basic functions (i.e., acting as valves or pumps, or transmitting power) across aquatic and aerial buccal pumping. The cranial morphology that enables aquatic buccal pumping is well suited to perform air breathing and accommodates the physical differences between air and water.
Topics: Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Suction; Fishes; Respiration; Water
PubMed: 35798019
DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac109 -
Journal of Anatomy Dec 2021Describing osteological development is of great importance for understanding vertebrate phenotypic variations, form-functional transitions and ecological adaptations....
Describing osteological development is of great importance for understanding vertebrate phenotypic variations, form-functional transitions and ecological adaptations. Anurans exhibit dramatic changes in their morphology, habitat preferences, diet and behaviour between the tadpole and frog stages. However, the anatomical details of their cranial and postcranial development have not been extensively studied, especially in Microhylidae. In this work, we studied the microhylid Microhyla fissipes, commonly known as the ornamented pygmy frog, a small-sized frog with fast metamorphosis. Its osteological development was comprehensively described based on 120 cleared and stained specimens, including six tadpoles for each stage between 28 and 45, six juveniles and six adults. Additionally, 22 osteological traits of these specimens involved in food acquisition, respiration, audition and locomotion were selected and measured to reflect the changes in tadpole ecological functions during metamorphosis. Our study provides the first detailed qualitative and quantitative developmental information about these structures. Our results have confirmed that skeletal elements (viz., neopalatines, omosternum, clavicles and procoracoids) absent in adults are not detected during development. Our data reveal that morphologically, radical transformations of the cranial structures related to feeding and breathing are completed within stages 42-45 (72 h), but the relative length and width of these skeletons have changed in earlier stages. The postcranial skeletons correlated with locomotion are well developed before stage 42 and approach the adult morphology at stage 45. Indeed, the relative length of the pectoral girdle and forelimb reaches the adult level at stage 42 and stage 45, respectively, whereas that of the vertebral column, pelvic girdle and hind limbs increases from their appearance until reaching adulthood. Based on published accounts of 19 species from Neobatrachia, Mesobatrachia and Archaeobatrachia, cranial elements are among the first ossified skeletons in most studied species, whereas sphenethmoids, neopalatines, quadratojugals, mentomeckelians, carpals and tarsals tend to ossify after metamorphosis. These results will help us to better understand the ecomorphological transformations of anurans from aquatic to terrestrial life. Meanwhile, detailed morphological and quantitative accounts of the osteological development of Microhyla fissipes will provide a foundation for further study.
Topics: Animals; Anura; Forelimb; Larva; Metamorphosis, Biological; Osteology
PubMed: 34268788
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13510