Ontogeny of head and caudal fin shape of an apex marine predator: The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

How morphology changes with size can have profound effects on the life history and ecology of an animal. For apex predators that can impact higher level ecosystem processes, such changes may have consequences for other species. Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are an apex predator in tropical seas, and, as adults, are highly migratory. However, little is known about ontogenetic changes in their body form, especially in relation to two aspects of shape that influence locomotion (caudal fin) and feeding (head shape). We captured digital images of the heads and caudal fins of live tiger sharks from Southern Florida and the Bahamas ranging in body size (hence age), and quantified shape of each using elliptical Fourier analysis. This revealed changes in the shape of the head and caudal fin of tiger sharks across ontogeny. Smaller juvenile tiger sharks show an asymmetrical tail with the dorsal (upper) lobe being substantially larger than the ventral (lower) lobe, and transition to more symmetrical tail in larger adults, although the upper lobe remains relatively larger in adults. The heads of juvenile tiger sharks are more conical, which transition to relatively broader heads over ontogeny. We interpret these changes as a result of two ecological transitions. First, adult tiger sharks can undertake extensive migrations and a more symmetrical tail could be more efficient for swimming longer distances, although we did not test this possibility. Second, adult tiger sharks expand their diet to consume larger and more diverse prey with age (turtles, mammals, and elasmobranchs), which requires substantially greater bite area and force to process. In contrast, juvenile tiger sharks consume smaller prey, such as fishes, crustaceans, and invertebrates. Our data reveal significant morphological shifts in an apex predator, which could have effects for other species that tiger sharks consume and interact with. J. Morphol. 277:556–564, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Variation in human limb joint articular morphology

Objectives

Synovial joints in human limbs strike a balance between mobility, stability, and articular fit, yet little is known about how these conflicting demands pattern intraspecific variation in articular shape. In this study, we use geometric morphometrics to establish the apportionment and magnitude of morphological variance of the articular surfaces of the human shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. We hypothesize that variances will be comparable between articulating surfaces within a joint and will be larger in joints with smaller ranges of motion, given their plurality of functional demands.

Materials and Methods

Three-dimensional landmarks were taken on the articular surfaces of the glenohumeral, humeroulnar, acetabulofemoral, and tibiofemoral joints from CT scans of 200 skeletons from the University of Tennessee Donated Skeletal Collection (84 females, 116 males). Root mean-squared distances between articulations calculated from Procrustes shape coordinates were used to determine variance distributions.

Results

We found no difference in variances for each articular surface between the sexes or between left and right articular surfaces. A high range of motion is associated with greater morphological variance; however, this pattern is largely driven by the concave articular surfaces of each joint, which consistently exhibit statistically greater variance than their convex counterparts.

Discussion

The striking pattern of differential variance between articulating morphologies points to potential disparities in development between them. Consistently higher variance in concave surfaces may relate to chondral modeling theory for the formation of joints. Establishing intraspecific morphological variance patterns is a first step in understanding coordinated evolution among articular features.     

Morphological variation in populations of the diatom Asterionella ralfsii W. Smith from Nova Scotia,Canada

Preliminary investigations of the diatom genus Asterionella ralfsii W. Smith from Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia indicate that its morphology differs from other reported forms. Mean cell length increased between the spring and the fall. Bimodal distribution of length classes occurred in several lakes and was not related to measured environmental variables. The need for further work on this species in this and other geographical areas is considered.     

Higher investment in flight morphology does not trade off with fecundity estimates in a poleward range‐expanding damselfly

1. Evolutionary increases in dispersal‐related traits are frequently documented during range expansions. Investment in flight‐related traits is energetically costly and a trade‐off with fecundity may be expected during range expansion. 2. However, in contrast to wing‐dimorphic species, this trade‐off is not general in wing‐monomorphic species. In the absence of a dispersal‐‐fecundity trade‐off, an increased investment in clutch size at the expansion front is expected possibly at a cost of reduced offspring size. 3. The study evaluated investment in female flight morphology and fecundity‐related traits (clutch size, hatchling size) and potential trade‐offs among these traits in replicated populations of the poleward range‐expanding damselfly Coenagrion scitulum. 4. Females at the expansion front had a higher relative thorax length, indicating an increased investment in flight; this can be explained by spatial sorting of dispersal ability or in situ natural selection at the expansion front. Edge females produced larger hatchlings, however, this pattern was totally driven by the population‐specific thermal larval regimes and could not be attributed to the range expansion per se. By contrast, clutch sizes did not differ between core and edge populations. There was no signal of a dispersal–fecundity trade‐off either for a trade‐off between clutch size and hatchling size. 5. These results indicate that evolution of a higher dispersal ability at the expansion front of C. scitulum does not trade off with investment in fecundity, hence a dispersal–fecundity trade‐off is unlikely to slow down range expansion of this species.     

Structural and physiological responses of two invasive weeds, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mikania micrantha</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chromolaena odorata</Emphasis>, to contrasting light and soil water conditions

To better understand the requirement of light and soil water conditions in the invasion sites of two invasive weeds, Mikania micrantha and Chromolaena odorata, we investigated their structural and physiological traits in response to nine combined treatments of light [full, medium and low irradiance (LI)] and soil water (full, medium and low field water content) conditions in three glasshouses. Under the same light conditions, most variables for both species did not vary significantly among different water treatments. Irrespective of water treatment, both species showed significant decreases in maximum light saturated photosynthetic rate (P _max), photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency, and relative growth rate under LI relative to full irradiance; specific leaf area, however, increased significantly from full to LI though leaf area decreased significantly, indicating that limited light availability under extreme shade was the critical factor restricting the growth of both species. Our results also indicated that M. micrantha performed best under a high light and full soil water combination, while C. odorata was more efficient in growth under a high light and medium soil water combination.     

用笛卡儿座标对菲氏叶猴和黑叶猴颅骨的比较形态研究

本文利用三维笛卡儿空间座标对菲氏叶猴(Presbytis phayrei)和黑叶猴(P.francoisi)颅骨的形态结构作了比较研究,描绘了它们的侧视和俯视投影图形。结果表明,两种投影图形均显示黑叶猴的颅骨大于菲氏叶猴,且显著性增大的区域出现在眉点、囟门、枕骨大孔附近和下颌骨体的高度。但菲氏叶猴较黑叶猴具有更凸的面颅。据枕骨隆突至眉点的侧视投影弧长,两种叶猴的数学模式均为:Y=a+bX-cX~2(R=0.92)。从侧视投影看,两种叶猴自枕骨隆突至眉点主要表出大小的不同。若据俯视投影图,两种颅骨的差异主要出现在外耳道以前的部分。黑叶猴较菲氏叶猴具有十分显著性增高的下颌骨体以及相对应更发达的咬肌和咀嚼器官,这很可能与它取食更多的果类食物有关。     

Ammonite aptychi: Functions and role in propulsion

Seven previous proposals of aptychus (sensu stricto) function are reviewed: lower mandible, protection of gonads of females, protective operculum, ballasting, flushing benthic prey, filtering microfauna and pump for jet propulsion. An eighth is introduced: aptychi functioned to actively stabilize the rocking produced by the pulsating jet during forward foraging and backward swimming. Experiments with in-air models suggest that planispiral ammonites could lower their aperture by the forward shift of a mobile cephalic complex. In the experiments, the ventral part of the peristome is lowered from the lateral resting (neutral) position by the added “ballast” of a relatively thin Laevaptychus to an angle < 25° from horizontal with adequate stability to withstand the counter-force produced by the jet of the recurved hyponome. However, of the shell forms tested, only brevidomes with thick aptychi, e.g., the Upper Jurassic Aspidoceratidae with Laevaptychus and average whorl expansion rates, were stable enough to swim forward by jet propulsion at about Nautilus speed (∼ 25 cm/s). We propose that aptychus function most commonly combined feeding (jaw, flushing, filtering) with protection (operculum), and, more rarely, with locomotion (ballast, pump, diving and stabilizing plane). Aptychi may thus have been multi-functional.     

The arctic-alpine polyploids Cerastium alpinum and C. nigrescens (Caryophyllaceae) in a sympatric situation: breakdown of species integrity?

 The high polyploids Cerastium alpinum (8x) and C. nigrescens (12x) were investigated in a mixed population in central Norway to evaluate whether hybridisation has resulted in continuous variation in morphology and genetic markers, a hypothesis previously proposed to account for the extensive taxonomic confusion in this species group. Isozyme, fertility, and morphological (37 characters) variation were examined among 347, 265, and 237 plants, respectively. A PCO analysis based on 23 quantitative morphological characters identified two main groups, corresponding to C. alpinum and C. nigrescens. The groups were also clearly separated in isozyme markers, several qualitative morphological characters, and chromosome numbers. Only 20 plants (8.4%) were more or less intermediate in the PCO analysis. These plants had a parental or hybrid isozyme multilocus phenotype and typically few well-developed anthers, low pollen stainability, and no seed set. Several plants within the C. nigrescens group also had reduced pollen stainability. These results indicate that later-generation hybrids and/or backcrosses towards C. nigrescens are formed. Thus, interspecific, interploidal gene flow probably occurs, but at rates that are insufficient to break down species integrity. Received July 5, 2000 Accepted August 2, 2001