A Achouri, A Azizi, O Bennoune, H Aidoudi, H Belbedj
{"title":"Age-related morphometry, typology and spatial distribution of anterior latissimus dorsi muscle fibre in broiler chicken.","authors":"A Achouri, A Azizi, O Bennoune, H Aidoudi, H Belbedj","doi":"10.1111/joa.14276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14276","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The acquisition and processing of muscle tissue images through optical microscopy, along with manual and semi-automatic software techniques, present significant constraints on comprehensive research of a muscle's entire cross-sectional area. To address this limitation, we focused on the anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) muscle, enabling us to analyse its complete cross-section on a single slide throughout all study stages. This allowed for a detailed assessment, incorporating age-related variations, of histoenzymatic activity across the entire cross-sectional area, along with fibre typology and spatial distribution, and to encourage comparative research across vertebrates to examine species-specific, genetic, ecological and functional influences on histo-enzymomorphometric changes. Leveraging advancements in image acquisition and processing technologies, including slide scanning and automated software, we conducted a comprehensive study on broiler chickens (Gallus gallus Domesticus) at post-hatch ages (D0, D7, D14, D21, D28, D35, D42, D49 and D56), with 10 subjects per age group. The myofibrillar network was visualized using Azorubin staining, while identification of different fibre types in the ALD muscle was achieved through co-revelation of ATPase activity at acidic pH (4.10). Our investigation revealed a progressive decline in the total number of muscle fibres with age. The ALD muscle demonstrated variability in intramuscular distribution, with type IIIa fibres dispersed across the entire muscle surface, showing a consistent increase in percentage with age. Conversely, type IIIb fibres were initially well distributed across the muscle surface during early growth stages but exhibited a gradual decrease with age, particularly in the caudal half of the muscle, reaching minimal values in adulthood. Type IIa fibres were scarce in early ages but appeared in later stages, with percentages not exceeding 5%. The coefficient of variability of type IIa fibres was notably high, indicating the presence of multiple fibre types sharing a common negative reaction to ATPase revelation at acidic pH. This phenomenon suggests a potential conversion of type IIIb fibres into type IIa and IIb fibres. In conclusion, our histoenzymatic study of the entire cross-sectional area of the ALD muscle has provided novel insights into fibre typology and spatial distribution within muscle bundles. Further research to unravel the mechanisms of fibre-type distribution leading to explore the genetic effects of domestication and ecological pressures across species.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144101907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Issue Cover (June 2025)","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/joa.14281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14281","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cover image: Ochronosis 6 ways. Ochronotic pigmentation within the perichondrium surrounding hyaline cartilage from the secondary bronchus of an individual with alkaptonuria. Top row: Schmorl's, Safranin-O, fast green. Middle row: Haematoxylin & eosin and Masson's trichrome. Bottom row: Picrosirius red (light microscopy left and polarised light right). See J. Hughes et al., ‘An anatomical investigation of alkaptonuria: Novel insights into ochronosis of cartilage and bone’, this issue.</p><p>\u0000 \u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":"246 6","pages":"i"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joa.14281","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143949796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Joint function in marmosets and tamarins: Insights from computational modeling of hip extensor muscles.","authors":"Patricia Berles, Jan Wölfer, John A Nyakatura","doi":"10.1111/joa.14268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14268","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Analyses of the musculoskeletal system of callitrichid primates contribute to the understanding of the specializations of an apparently highly conserved body plan exhibited by this radiation of New World primates. This pilot study provides data from computational modeling of muscle function of five hip extensor muscles in four species of Callitrichidae to identify potential adaptations to previously documented differential leaping behaviors. Based on microCT scans of fresh cadavers, we reconstructed the muscle topology to inform the modeling of instantaneous muscle moment arms (MMAs) contributing to hip extension and accompanying muscle strains. Generally, muscle properties of the four species were surprisingly similar despite documented differences in leaping behavior. However, all extensors of Goeldi's marmoset (except for the semimembranosus) had the longest instantaneous MMAs. This may result in a greater capacity to generate hip torques in these marmosets (assuming identical force provided by the muscles), beneficial to their specialization in long-distance trunk-to-trunk leaps. The shorter instantaneous MMAs of the extensors of the three other studied species indicate specialization toward more rapid hip extension. Strain analysis showed that, in all four species, the two glutei optimally generate force during the entire extension of the hip from a strongly crouched leg position to take off with an almost entirely extended leg. For the other three muscles (biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus), we found optimal strains for force generation only at 50°-140° hip extension. We tentatively conclude that a relatively generalized musculoskeletal system for hip extension, coupled with moderate biomechanical adaptations favoring either joint torque or rotational speed, enables callitrichids to achieve remarkable locomotor versatility within highly intricate arboreal environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144078231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multiple developmental origins of the avian propatagial muscle and their evolutionary implications.","authors":"Yurika Uno, Tatsuya Hirasawa","doi":"10.1111/joa.14271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14271","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ever since the origin of tetrapod limbs, the composition and arrangement of skeletal muscles in tetrapod limbs have been largely conserved throughout evolution. There are, however, several exceptions in which new musculoskeletal connections have been evolutionarily established. The propatagial muscle of birds represents such an example, and there is no comparable muscle in the other tetrapod lineages. Here, we investigate the detailed developmental process of forelimb muscles in the embryos of the chicken and the outgroup taxa. Based on histological and 3D morphological observations in the chicken, the propatagial muscle developed from multiple cell masses derived from parts of the developing musculus (m.) deltoideus scapularis, m. pectoralis, m. biceps brachii, and m. extensor carpi radialis, in association with the hypertrophied dermis along the cranial edge of the developing propatagium. We also performed in situ hybridization of Scx and found that there were no tendon progenitor cells along the cranial edge of the propatagium during this process. It is likely that the avian propatagial muscle evolved through recruitment of muscle progenitor cells derived from parts of the m. deltoideus scapularis, m. pectoralis, m. biceps brachii, and m. extensor carpi radialis, devoid of new interactions with tendon progenitor cells. This study will contribute to a better understanding of how novel musculoskeletal connections can arise from the highly evolutionarily conserved composition and arrangement of skeletal muscles in tetrapod limbs.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Camila Vitória Golçalves Ferreira, Davi Lettieri Dos Santos Abrahão, Alice Miranda Cardoso de Sá, Márcia Carolina Salomão, Leonardo Giovanella Kampmann, Helena Passeri Lavrado, Ana Paula de Castro Rodrigues, Fernando Augusto Pereira Tuna
{"title":"First record of hyperostosis in channel scabbardfish Evoxymetopon taeniatus Gill, 1863: An mesopelagic migratory fish.","authors":"Camila Vitória Golçalves Ferreira, Davi Lettieri Dos Santos Abrahão, Alice Miranda Cardoso de Sá, Márcia Carolina Salomão, Leonardo Giovanella Kampmann, Helena Passeri Lavrado, Ana Paula de Castro Rodrigues, Fernando Augusto Pereira Tuna","doi":"10.1111/joa.14275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14275","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The majority of records of hyperostosis in the literature are from highly active tropical species found in shallow waters, with information about hyperostotic deep-sea fish being scarce. This study describes the occurrence of hyperostosis, a skeletal anomaly, in two specimens of channel scabbardfish Evoxymetopon taeniatus Gill, 1863, obtained from two different regions in Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil. Through radiographic image analysis, the presence of hyperostosis was observed in two distinct bone regions: dorsal pterygiophores (DPT) and anal pterygiophores (APT), affecting a significant number of bones: DPT-83 of 87 (95.40%) and 40 of 85 (40.06%) and APT-55 of 55 (100%) and 23 of 54 (42.59%) for the largest and smallest collected individuals, respectively. Histological analyses of the DPT and APT affected by the condition revealed high porosity in the bone tissue, with a high number of vascular channels commonly reported during hyperostosis. This is the first report of hyperostosis in channel scabbardfish, a mesopelagic fish with rare sightings and characterized by its vertical migrations.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144019589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charlotte A King, Jackie Chappell, Martha M Robbins, Robin H Crompton, William I Sellers, Susannah K S Thorpe
{"title":"The locomotor ecology of wild western lowland gorillas: How does the largest ape exploit complex arboreal environments?","authors":"Charlotte A King, Jackie Chappell, Martha M Robbins, Robin H Crompton, William I Sellers, Susannah K S Thorpe","doi":"10.1111/joa.14277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14277","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Western lowland gorillas are the largest and most sexually dimorphic ape that habitually exploits arboreal environments. Their size, robust musculature and specialised adaptations in the hands and feet, which are suited for terrestrial quadrupedal locomotion, make them interesting models for understanding how great apes are able to exploit complex arboreal habitats. We present a comprehensive analysis of the arboreal locomotor ecology of western lowland gorillas by studying their behaviour and ecology in the context of their morphology. A group of fully habituated wild western lowland gorillas was followed for 12 months in Loango National Park, Gabon. Statistical analysis applying regression modelling and Akaike's Information Criterion was used to identify the relationships between locomotor behaviours, height, contextual behaviour, support use, hand posture and body size. Our findings suggest that the gorillas were not restricted in their ability to access and move around in tree canopies because of their size or postcranial morphology. Instead, they exhibited considerable behavioural flexibility and engaged in locomotor behaviours that contradicted classic body size predictions for primates. To offset the risks of moving on small supports, the gorillas used hand-assisted bipedal locomotion on multiple small supports, rather than relying on suspensory locomotion. We suggest that this is linked to their hand dimensions, which have been selected to facilitate efficient quadrupedal walking on the ground. The silverback gorilla engaged in less horizontal locomotion in the canopy, spent less time at heights above 20 m, and used large supports more often than the adult females, blackback and adolescents, but the type and number of supports used did not vary between body size groups. We also found that the reproductive status of the females (presence or absence of small infants) may have shaped how they responded to risks when solving the problem of gap-crossing in the trees. Overall, our results highlight that the gorillas likely prioritised risk minimisation in the supports that they used in arboreal environments at the cost of increased energy expenditure.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144010828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Viktoria Witowski, Lisa Lorbeer, Laura Schmid, Benedict Wilhelmi, Victor A Hoursch, Matthew J Carty, Hugh M Herr, Roland Blumer, Massimo Sartori, Utku Ş Yavuz, Corey L Sullivan, Stephan Sehmisch, Andreas Schmiedl, Jennifer Ernst
{"title":"Intramuscular tendon length in agonist-antagonist myoneural interface components in transtibial amputation: An anatomic study.","authors":"Viktoria Witowski, Lisa Lorbeer, Laura Schmid, Benedict Wilhelmi, Victor A Hoursch, Matthew J Carty, Hugh M Herr, Roland Blumer, Massimo Sartori, Utku Ş Yavuz, Corey L Sullivan, Stephan Sehmisch, Andreas Schmiedl, Jennifer Ernst","doi":"10.1111/joa.14250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14250","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the role of tendons in muscle function and proprioception is crucial for enhancing amputation surgery. Muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs provide essential feedback for muscle control. Preservation of tendon function in amputation surgery and the development of the agonist-antagonist myoneural interface (AMI) have shown promising results restoring muscle-tendon proprioception and in improving prosthetic control. However, challenges remain in constructing AMI due to anatomical limitations in residual limbs. A total of 25 lower legs from fresh-frozen human Caucasian donors were dissected, and the muscles relevant to the AMI technique, such as the gastrocnemius complex, the tibialis posterior, the tibialis anterior, and the peroneus longus, were analyzed. Demographic and anthropometric measurements, muscle preparation and weight, markings, imaging, and statistical analysis methods were described in detail. In all muscles examined, the intramuscular course of the tendon extended over more than 75% of the distal muscle belly. The muscle belly length of the peroneus longus muscle and the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle showed a significant positive correlation with the weight and height of the donors. There were no significant correlations between the ratio of the intramuscular course of the tendon to muscle belly length and the weight or height of the donor. The AMI technique can enhance proprioceptive feedback for transtibial amputees wearing prostheses. The study indicates that gender does not impact muscle characteristics, but weight and height show correlations. These results offer valuable insights into muscle anatomy for informing future research on the functional effects of AMI and prosthetic limb design.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144010825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Paleohistology of Cretaceous-Paleogene pan-trionychian turtle shells.","authors":"Nathan Ong, Eric Snively, Holly N Woodward","doi":"10.1111/joa.14272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>At the end of the Cretaceous, a bolide impact wiped out ~75% of life on Earth, but turtles show minimal gross anatomical changes. Herein, we examine the shell histology from trionychid turtles 2 million years before and 8 million years after the extinction event. We collected over 25,000 semi-quantitative and quantitative measurements and statistically compared them against latitude, stratigraphic position, lithologic context, ontogeny, phylogeny, and K/Pg survivorship to better understand the various ways in which each respective variable influences histology. We find that trionychids from mudstones and higher in section were larger and older. Traits hypothesized to be biomechanically relevant, like the plywood-like structure and suture margins, showed minimal change across the boundary, but shells in northern Danian deposits do appear to be selected for biomechanical resistivity. Turtles like Helopanoplia and Gilmoremys had well-vascularized external cortices with deep ornamentation pits devoid of Sharpey's fibers, which likely enclosed a dense vascular capillary bed. These turtles also have more intact primary cortical tissues and smaller medullary regions, meaning that they remodeled their shell infrequently compared with other turtles. Because the shell is used as a calcium storage reservoir to combat metabolic and respiratory blood acidosis, we suggest that the vascular capillary bed nestled among ornamentation may have aided in cutaneous respiration, which in turn lessened reliance on shell remodeling. Helopanoplia and Gilmoremys are among the few trionychids to go extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, suggesting that this adaptation was maladaptive during and after the extinction, though we lack the chronological resolution required to infer intermediate selective mechanisms. Paleocene taxa generally show subtle ornamentation with uniform Sharpey's fiber distribution and abundant remodeling. Specimens from ~9500 years after the K/Pg extinction are only modestly more remodeled compared with later Paleogene specimens, suggesting that freshwater ecosystems had almost fully recovered by this interval.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Influences of ontogeny and latitude on the osteohistology of Apalone spinifera.","authors":"Nathan Ong, Eric Snively, Holly N Woodward","doi":"10.1111/joa.14269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14269","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>All paleohistological observations should be contextualized with modern taxa, and although the importance of variables like latitude, body size, and age are broadly acknowledged for all animals, quantification of the importance of these variables has not been undertaken for many groups, including soft-shelled turtles. In an effort to both better understand the model taxon itself and further contextualize fossil taxa, we herein systematically sample the osteohistology of a modern soft shelled turtle from various latitudes and across ontogeny. Apalone spinifera is a large soft shelled turtle with a wide native range in the United States, making it a perfect organism to study how ontogeny and latitude impact trionychid growth dynamics. Specimens with Carapacial Lengths ranging from 6 to 24 cm were procured from across 12° of latitude within the Mississippi river basin. Using standard petrographic thin sectioning techniques, slides were prepared from the mid-diaphysis of the femur, the hyo-hyploplastral bridge, and halfway point of the 4th costal. A. spinifera shows histology that is remarkably intact and unremodeled, but otherwise resembles that of other trionychids, suggesting that they can effectively serve as a modern analog for ancient soft-shelled turtles. Costal width was a robust indicator of Carapacial Length, demonstrating that fragmentary specimens can still provide reliable Carapacial Length estimations, provided that the full width of the costal is preserved. Carapacial Length and growth mark counts were correlative (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.736), but they are not interchangeable, suggesting that this measure of body size is a decent approximation of age. There was notable variance between retrocalculated GM Estimations, femur GM Counts, costal GM Counts, hypoplastral GM Counts, and hyoplastral GM Counts, demonstrating the importance of a standardized plane of section. The highest number of GMs were typically present in the plastron, but no element reached retrocalculated growth mark (GM) estimates, and variance was larger with advanced ontogeny. Turtles at higher latitudes do grow modestly slower than turtles at low latitudes (y = -21.056x + 41.396) but this relationship is weak (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.2843), suggesting that it may be negligible when comparing specimens from across multiple localities.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143990783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lily Hou, Ornella C Bertrand, Hiruni N Mudannayake, Campbell Rolian, Susanne Cote
{"title":"Semicircular canal morphology in Rodentia and its relationship to locomotion.","authors":"Lily Hou, Ornella C Bertrand, Hiruni N Mudannayake, Campbell Rolian, Susanne Cote","doi":"10.1111/joa.14263","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.14263","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anatomical structures vary among mammals with different locomotor behaviours, including sensory structures such as the semicircular canals (SCCs) in the inner ear. Recent SCC research has examined various mammalian groups, but there has been a lack of research on rodents, the most speciose and diverse mammalian order. In this study, an extant sample of 98 rodent SCCs from 56 species across seven different locomotor behaviour categories (arboreal, fossorial, gliding, ricochetal, semiaquatic, semifossorial, terrestrial) was used to understand the correlations between SCC morphology and locomotion in rodents. Morphological correlates considered include the radius of curvature (R), overall 3-dimensional shape, and angles between pairs of canals (orthogonality). Our results show that agile arboreal taxa have larger R for their body size, and fossorial taxa have smaller R for their body size. Shape among specialized locomotor behaviours (arboreal, gliding vs. fossorial) can be differentiated, while other \"generalist\" categories overlap in morphospace. Specialized locomotor categories can be predicted with greater precision and sensitivity, while other generalist categories tend to be miscategorized as terrestrial. Angles between canals are not consistent across locomotor categories, and more agile groups do not have more orthogonal angles, contrary to our predictions. SCC R and overall shape are robust indicators of specialized locomotor behaviours and can be informative in reconstructing the behaviour of fossil rodents.</p>","PeriodicalId":14971,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Anatomy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144019076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}