Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/140431
Citations | ||
Scopus | Web of Science® | Altmetric |
---|---|---|
?
|
?
|
Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Modification of vertebral regions explains heart position in arboreal colubrids (Serpentes: Colubridae) |
Author: | Nash-Hahn, T. Stepanova, N. Davis Rabosky, A.R. Sherratt, E. |
Citation: | Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2024 |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP) |
Issue Date: | 2024 |
ISSN: | 0024-4082 1096-3642 |
Statement of Responsibility: | Tamika Nash-Hahn, Natasha Stepanova, Alison R. Davis Rabosky, Emma Sherratt |
Abstract: | Recent research into the snake vertebral column has highlighted the importance of considering regionalization and its implications for the life history of snakes. Our research delves into the distinctions in vertebral column morphology and regionalization within the snake family Colubridae, comparing arboreal and terrestrial species. Our results provide significant support for dissociation between two pre-cloacal regions: the ‘pre-atrial’ (anterior to heart) and the ‘post-atrial’ (posterior to heart). Furthermore, the two ecological groups display distinct proportional compositions between the two pre-cloacal regions and the one post-cloacal region (caudal); arboreal species tend to possess a higher proportion of caudal vertebrae, whereas terrestrial species exhibit a higher proportion of post-atrial vertebrae. Our study reveals that the axial morphology of arboreal species is distinct from that of terrestrial species; however, this was not attributable to a convergent evolution process. By estimating the evolutionary history of vertebral number in each region between the ecological groups, we find each region has a unique pattern, further highlighting evolutionary disassociation between the regions. This study adds to the growing evidence on regionalization of the pre-cloacal snake vertebral column and underscores the importance in continuing to develop our understanding of snake evolution. |
Keywords: | adaptation; arboreality; axial elongation; axial skeleton; body plan; ecomorphology; regionalization; vertebrae |
Description: | Advance access publication 27 February 2024. OnlinePubl |
Rights: | © 2024 The Linnean Society of London. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
DOI: | 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae022 |
Grant ID: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP200102328 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT190100803 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae022 |
Appears in Collections: | Zoology publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
hdl_140431.pdf | Published version | 3.49 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.