Respiratory Evolution Facilitated the Origin of Pterosaur Flight and Aerial Gigantism

Pterosaurs, enigmatic extinct Mesozoic reptiles, were the first vertebrates to achieve true flapping flight. Various lines of evidence provide strong support for highly efficient wing design, control, and flight capabilities. However, little is known of the pulmonary system that powered flight in pterosaurs. We investigated the structure and function of the pterosaurian breathing apparatus through a broad scale comparative study of respiratory structure and function in living and extinct archosaurs, using computer-assisted tomographic (CT) scanning of pterosaur and bird skeletal remains, cineradiographic (X-ray film) studies of the skeletal breathing pump in extant birds and alligators, and study of skeletal structure in historic fossil specimens. In this report we present various lines of skeletal evidence that indicate that pterosaurs had a highly effective flow-through respiratory system, capable of sustaining powered flight, predating the appearance of an analogous breathing system in birds by approximately seventy million years. Convergent evolution of gigantism in several Cretaceous pterosaur lineages was made possible through body density reduction by expansion of the pulmonary air sac system throughout the trunk and the distal limb girdle skeleton, highlighting the importance of respiratory adaptations in pterosaur evolution, and the dramatic effect of the release of physical constraints on morphological diversification and evolutionary radiation.     

Evolution of Sexual Dimorphism in the Number of Tail Vertebrae in Salamanders: Comparing Multiple Hypotheses

The evolution of sexual dimorphism is an important topic of evolutionary biology, but few studies have investigated the determinants of sexual dimorphism over broad phylogenetic scales. The number of vertebrae is a discrete character influencing multiple traits of individuals, and is particularly suitable to analyze processes determining morphological variation. We evaluated the support of multiple hypotheses concerning evolutionary processes that may cause sexual dimorphism in the number of caudal vertebrae in Urodela (tailed amphibians). We obtained counts of caudal vertebrae from >2,000 individuals representing 27 species of salamanders and newts from Europe and the Near East, and integrated these data with a molecular phylogeny and multiple information on species natural history. Per each species, we estimated sexual dimorphism in caudal vertebrae number. We then used phylogenetic least squares to relate this sexual dimorphism to natural history features (courtship complexity, body size dimorphism, sexual ornamentation, aquatic phenology) representing alternative hypotheses on processes that may explain sexual dimorphism. In 18 % of species, males had significantly more caudal vertebrae than females, while in no species did females have significantly more caudal vertebrae. Dimorphism was highest in species where males have more complex courtship behaviours, while the support of other candidate mechanisms was weak. In many species, males use the tail during courtship displays, and sexual selection probably favours tails with more vertebrae. Dimorphism for the number of tail vertebrae was unrelated to other forms of dimorphism, such as sexual ornamentation or body size differences. Multiple sexually dimorphic features may evolve independently because of the interplay between sexual selection, fecundity and natural selection.     

Discovery of the Largest Orbweaving Spider Species: The Evolution of Gigantism in Nephila

Background

More than 41,000 spider species are known with about 400–500 added each year, but for some well-known groups, such as the giant golden orbweavers, Nephila, the last valid described species dates from the 19^th century. Nephila are renowned for being the largest web-spinning spiders, making the largest orb webs, and are model organisms for the study of extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual biology. Here, we report on the discovery of a new, giant Nephila species from Africa and Madagascar, and review size evolution and SSD in Nephilidae.

Methodology

We formally describe N. komaci sp. nov., the largest web spinning species known, and place the species in phylogenetic context to reconstruct the evolution of mean size (via squared change parsimony). We then test female and male mean size correlation using phylogenetically independent contrasts, and simulate nephilid body size evolution using Monte Carlo statistics.

Conclusions

Nephila females increased in size almost monotonically to establish a mostly African clade of true giants. In contrast, Nephila male size is effectively decoupled and hovers around values roughly one fifth of female size. Although N. komaci females are the largest Nephila yet discovered, the males are also large and thus their SSD is not exceptional.     

Neuromuscular Involvement in Pituitary Gigantism

Investigation of two pituitary giants complaining of severe muscular weakness showed a peripheral neuropathy in both cases. Histological appearances suggestive of myopathy were also present in one case.     

Gigantism inPrimula sinesis

Ohne Zusammenfassung

---

Gigantism inPrimula sinesis

     

Gigantism associated with McCune-Albright's syndrome

The case of a 16 year-old boy with McCune-Albright's syndrome which is rarely accompanied by gigantism was studied endocrinologically. The stimulation of growth hormone (GH) release by hypoglycemia, the decline of elevated GH by hyperglycemia and a little lower somatostatin like immunoreactivity (SLI) may support abnormalities of hypothalamic function, but the existence of pituitary microadenoma cannot be ruled out because of the paradoxical suppression of GH release by oral administration of bromocriptine (CB-154) and L-DOPA and the stimulation of GH release by intravenous administration of TRH.     

Territorial Pheromones of Female Red-backed Salamanders

Pheromones provide an important source of communication during social interactions of caudate amphibians. To further examine their use in territorial defense, we performed a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that non-courting female red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) deposit pheromones in or on fecal pellets, as males are known to do during territorial advertisement. Four conditions were tested: (1) a burrow marked with a female's own pellet vs. a burrow marked by a conspecific female's pellet, (2) own vs. unmarked burrows, (3) conspecific vs. unmarked burrows, and (4) paired unmarked burrows as a control. Females nose-tapped (for olfactory cues) their own and conspecific pellets about equally. However, they spent significantly more time in both threat and submissive behavior toward the conspecific pellets and spent significantly more time in their own marked burrows. We infer that female P. cinereus do deposit pheromones in or on fecal pellets and that these pellets may be used to advertise territories. The behavioral responses of females toward pellets of other females were more aggressive than those of males (in a previous study) toward pellets of other males.     

Fungal Cell Gigantism during Mammalian Infection

The interaction between fungal pathogens with the host frequently results in morphological changes, such as hyphae formation. The encapsulated pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is not considered a dimorphic fungus, and is predominantly found in host tissues as round yeast cells. However, there is a specific morphological change associated with cryptococcal infection that involves an increase in capsule volume. We now report another morphological change whereby gigantic cells are formed in tissue. The paper reports the phenotypic characterization of giant cells isolated from infected mice and the cellular changes associated with giant cell formation. C. neoformans infection in mice resulted in the appearance of giant cells with cell bodies up to 30 µm in diameter and capsules resistant to stripping with γ-radiation and organic solvents. The proportion of giant cells ranged from 10 to 80% of the total lung fungal burden, depending on infection time, individual mice, and correlated with the type of immune response. When placed on agar, giant cells budded to produce small daughter cells that traversed the capsule of the mother cell at the speed of 20–50 m/h. Giant cells with dimensions that approximated those in vivo were observed in vitro after prolonged culture in minimal media, and were the oldest in the culture, suggesting that giant cell formation is an aging-dependent phenomenon. Giant cells recovered from mice displayed polyploidy, suggesting a mechanism by which gigantism results from cell cycle progression without cell fission. Giant cell formation was dependent on cAMP, but not on Ras1. Real-time imaging showed that giant cells were engaged, but not engulfed by phagocytic cells. We describe a remarkable new strategy for C. neoformans to evade the immune response by enlarging cell size, and suggest that gigantism results from replication without fission, a phenomenon that may also occur with other fungal pathogens.     

Bergmann's Principle and Deep-Water Gigantism in Marine Crustaceans

We present a review of the Bergmann's principle and deep-water gigantism in marine crustaceans. An increase in the geographic latitude and depth of crustaceans habitat (correlating mainly with lower temperatures) leads to an increased cell size, life span of the animal, and, as a result, an increase in the body size. Since Bergmann's principle and deep-water gigantism appear to be based on the same biological mechanisms, we propose a unified principle, according to which the size of the crustacean's body increases along the temperature gradient.     

Effects of Timber Management on Pond-Breeding Salamanders

Abstract: Pond-breeding salamanders spend most of their lives in forested habitat surrounding the vernal pools where they breed. Timber harvesting has been demonstrated to have negative impacts on salamander populations due to changes in soil temperature, soil compaction, and general degradation of habitat. However, little is known about how long it takes for harvested forest habitat to once again become suitable for salamanders. Questions also remain as to whether salamanders will use an area that has been harvested in recent years if an older intact forest area is available. We used drift fences and pitfall traps to capture adult spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and marbled salamanders (A. opacum) migrating to 3 vernal ponds during their breeding seasons. The study area contained tracts of forest that were clear-cut 11–12 years prior to the study. All 3 ponds were surrounded by areas of clear-cut and intact forest and drift fences were placed in both habitat types. Similar numbers of spotted salamanders entered the ponds from clear-cut and intact forest areas. The number of marbled salamanders migrating to the ponds did not differ between areas of clear-cut and intact forest. These results suggest that clear-cut habitats may become suitable for adult pond-breeding salamanders after a relatively short regeneration period.     

Morphology and Function of Lateral Hypaxial Musculature in Salamanders

SYNOPSIS. The lateral hypaxial musculature (LHM) of salamandersmay serve as a useful model for understanding the functionsof LHM in tetrapods more generally. Salamanders have betweentwo and four layers of LHM, arranged segmentally in myomeres.These layers produce three primary mechanical actions: theybend the body, pressurize the body, and produce or resist torsionabout the long axis of the body. The optimum muscle fiber anglefor forceful bending is 0° to the long axis, the optimumangle for pressurization is 90°, and the optimum angle fortorsion is 45°. For generating bending and torsional moments,lateral (superficial) muscle layers have greater mechanicaladvantage than medial (deep) layers. For increasing body pressure,by contrast, medial layers have greater mechanical advantage.A comparison of muscle fiber angles in aquatic and terrestrialsalamanders reveals that some aquatic salamanders have one musclelayer with a low fiber angle which may represent a specializationfor swimming. Overall, however, the fiber angles in the LHMof terrestrial and aquatic salamanders are surprisingly similar.In contrast, the pattern of fiber angles in caecilians is different,suggesting that these amphibians use their LHM differently.The fiber angle models and morphological observations presentedhere form a framework which may be useful in future studiesof lateral hypaxial musculature.     

Gigantism, temperature and metabolic rate in terrestrial poikilotherms

The mechanisms dictating upper limits to animal body size are not well understood. We have analysed body length data for the largest representatives of 24 taxa of terrestrial poikilotherms from tropical, temperate and polar environments. We find that poikilothermic giants on land become two-three times shorter per each 10 degrees of decrease in ambient temperature. We quantify that this diminution of maximum body size accurately compensates the drop of metabolic rate dictated by lower temperature. This supports the idea that the upper limit to body size within each taxon can be set by a temperature-independent critical minimum value of mass-specific metabolic rate, a fall below which is not compatible with successful biological performance.     

Primary and secondary somatosensory projections in direct-developing Plethodontid Salamanders

In three species of plethodontid salamanders (Plethodon jordani, Hydromantes italicus, and Bolitoglossa subpalmata), primary and secondary somatosensory pathways were investigated by means of tract-tracing in vivo and in vitro using biocytin, horseradish peroxidase, and neurobiotin. Afferent sensory fibers of cranial nerves V, VII, and X and the brachial nerve run in the dorsal funiculus of the medulla oblongata and spinal cord. Fibers ascend to the level of, but do not enter, the cerebellum. In the caudal medulla oblongata, sensory tracts of the cranial nerves descend in a dorsal and a dorsolateral bundle and reach the level of the fourth spinal nerve. Two bundles are likewise formed by spinal afferent fibers, which descend to the level of the seventh spinal nerve. Secondary somatosensory projections ascend in contralateral ventral, contralateral lateral, and ipsilateral lateral tracts, the latter two corresponding to the spinal lemniscal tracts of Herrick. These tracts reach the cerebellum, mesencephalic, and diencephalic targets (tegmentum, torus, tectum, tuberculum posterius, pretectum, and ventral thalamus) ipsi- and contra-laterally. The projection to the tectum is confined to fiber layer 4. Fibers of the ascending tracts cross in the cerebellar and tectal commissure. Our study demonstrates that the ascending secondary somatosensory pathways of plethodontid salamanders differ remarkably from those of other amphibians. J. Morphol. 238:307–326, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Quantitative Genetics and Evolution of Head Shape in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plethodon</Emphasis> Salamanders

The evolution of morphological diversity via selection requires that morphological traits display significant heritable genetic variation. In Plethodon salamanders, considerable evidence suggests that head shape evolves in response to selection from interspecific competition, yet the genetic underpinnings of head shape have not been quantitatively examined. Here I used geometric morphometrics and quantitative genetics to assess heritable patterns of head shape variation from hatchling salamanders in two Plethodon species (P. cinereus and P. nettingi). Head shape differed significantly between species and among clutches within species, suggesting that a sizeable proportion of head shape variation was the result of clutch effects. Further, using a full-sib animal model and restricted maximum likelihood (REML), I identified large values of maximal additive heritability for all study localities ($ h_{\max }^{2} > 0.65 $ h_{\max }^{2} > 0.65 ), revealing that Plethodon exhibit considerable heritable genetic variation for head shape. Comparisons of the components of heritable shape variation showed that the magnitude of shape heritability (h_max² h_{\max }^{2} ) did not differ among localities or species. Therefore, the potential microevolutionary shape change displayed by the two species would be similar if they were exposed to comparable selective forces. However, the direction of maximal shape heritability in morphospace differed between P. cinereus and P. nettingi, indicating that potential evolutionary shape change along these heritability trajectories would diverge between the two species. This finding implies that distinct head shapes could evolve in the two species, even if subjected to the same selection pressure. When combined with previous knowledge of patterns of head shape variation among species and ecological selection on head shape, these findings suggest that microevolutionary and macroevolutionary trends of morphological diversification in Plethodon may be explained as a result of the interaction between ecological selection and underlying patterns of genetic covariance for this multi-dimensional trait.     

Estimating Survival for Elusive Juvenile Pond-Breeding Salamanders

Juvenile vital rates have important effects on population dynamics for many species, but this demographic is often difficult to locate and track. As such, we frequently lack reliable estimates of juvenile survival, which are necessary for accurately assessing population stability and potential management approaches to conserve biodiversity. We estimated survival rates for elusive juveniles of 3 species, the ringed salamander (Ambystoma annulatum), spotted salamander (A. maculatum), and small-mouthed salamander (A. texanum), using 2 approaches. First, we conducted an 11-month (2016–2017) mark-recapture study within semi-natural enclosures and used Bayesian Cormack-Jolly-Seber models to estimate survival and recapture probabilities. Second, we inferred the expected annual juvenile survival rate given published vital rates for pre-metamorphic and adult ambystomatids assuming stable population growth. For all 3 species, juvenile survival probabilities were constant across recapture occasions, whereas recapture probability estimates were time-dependent. Further, survival and recapture probabilities among study species were similar. Post-study sampling revealed that the initial study period median estimate of annual survival probability (0.39) underestimated the number of salamanders known alive at 11 months. We therefore appended approximately 1 year of opportunistic data, which produced a median annual survival probability of 0.50, encompassing salamanders that we knew to have been alive. Calculation from literature values suggested a mean annual terrestrial juvenile ambystomatid survival probability of 0.49. Similar results among our approaches indicated that juvenile survival estimates for the study species were robust and likely comparable to rates in nature. These estimates can now be confidently applied to research, monitoring, and management efforts for the study species and ecologically similar taxa. Our findings indicated that similarly robust vital rate estimates for subsets of ecologically and phylogenetically similar species can provide reasonable surrogate demographic information that can be used to reveal key factors influencing population viability for data-deficient species. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.