Ontogenetic development of limb bone microstructure in the king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus (Miller, 1778), with considerations for palaeoecological inferences in Sphenisciformes
Aurore Canoville, Jean-Patrice Robin, Vivian de Buffrénil
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Birds have colonized various habitats during their evolutionary history, including the aquatic environment. Several studies have investigated the gross morphological changes of the avian skeleton in response to increasing swimming capabilities, but few have documented in detail the microstructural specializations associated with this process. Bone microstructure is nevertheless often used to reconstruct the ecology of extinct aquatic birds, although this relationship is incompletely understood in modern forms, especially for the extent of intra-specific variability related, or not, to age. In an attempt to fill this gap, we investigated the change in limb bone microstructure from hatching to adulthood in 34 Aptenodytes patagonicus specimens. Our results reveal substantial intraspecific variability, regardless of the ontogenetic stage considered. Although most skeletal growth is achieved in the first few months after hatching, limb bone microstructure undergoes important maturation throughout ontogeny until fledging, which occurs in 1-year-old chicks. Architecture and compactness in hindlimb bones mature earlier than in forelimb bones, reflecting the time offset in the use of musculoskeletal elements involved in terrestrial locomotion in chicks (hindlimbs) and sub-aquatic locomotion in adults (forelimbs). These observations allow critical reassessment of previous palaeoecological reconstructions in extinct Sphenisciformes and set a good comparative framework for rigorous inferences.
期刊介绍:
The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society publishes papers on systematic and evolutionary zoology and comparative, functional and other studies where relevant to these areas. Studies of extinct as well as living animals are included. Reviews are also published; these may be invited by the Editorial Board, but uninvited reviews may also be considered. The Zoological Journal also has a wide circulation amongst zoologists and although narrowly specialized papers are not excluded, potential authors should bear that readership in mind.