Life in Burrows Channelled the Morphological Evolution of the Skull in Rodents: the Case of African Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F16%3A43890710" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/16:43890710 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10914-015-9305-x" target="_blank" >http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10914-015-9305-x</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10914-015-9305-x" target="_blank" >10.1007/s10914-015-9305-x</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Life in Burrows Channelled the Morphological Evolution of the Skull in Rodents: the Case of African Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia)

Original language description

African mole-rats are fossorial rodents that consist of five chisel-tooth digging genera (Heterocephalus, Heliophobius, Georychus, Fukomys, and Cryptomys) and one scratch digger (Bathyergus). They are characterized by striking physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations intimately related to their subterranean life. The influence of their mode of life in shaping the cranial morphology has yet to be evaluated in comparison to other Ctenohystrica, especially fossorial genera, which include the subterranean genera Spalacopus and Ctenomys. In our study, we seek to determine to what extent subterranean life affects the morpho-functional properties of the skull among fossorial ctenohystricans. 3D geometric morphometric analyses were performed on 277 skulls, encompassing 63 genera of Ctenohystrica, and complemented by biomechanical studies. African mole-rats and other subterranean Ctenohystrica, especially chisel-tooth diggers, have a short snout, a wide cranium with enlarged zygomatic arches, and a strongly hystricognathous mandible. Even if convergences are also manifest between most fossorial Ctenohystrica, subterranean rodents departed from the main ctenohystrican allometric trends in having a skull shape less size-dependent, but under stronger directional selection with intense digging activity as a major constraint. African mole-rats, notably chisel-tooth diggers, show important mechanical advantage for the temporalis muscles favoring higher forces at the bite point, while mechanical advantage of the superficial masseter muscles is lower compared to other Ctenohystrica. If subterranean species can be clearly discriminated based on their skull morphology, the intrinsic mosaic of anatomical characters of each genus (e.g., skull, teeth, and muscles) can be understood only in the light of their ecology and evolutionary history.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

EG - Zoology

OECD FORD branch

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Project

<a href="/en/project/GB14-36098G" target="_blank" >GB14-36098G: Center for tropical biology</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2016

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Mammalian Evolution

ISSN

1064-7554

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

23

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

175-189

UT code for WoS article

000375573000004

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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