Tamika Nash-Hahn, Natasha Stepanova, Alison R Davis Rabosky, Emma Sherratt
{"title":"Modification of vertebral regions explains heart position in arboreal colubrids (Serpentes: Colubridae)","authors":"Tamika Nash-Hahn, Natasha Stepanova, Alison R Davis Rabosky, Emma Sherratt","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae022","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"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.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae022","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ZOOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
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.
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.