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Comparative Study
. 2019 Nov;248(11):1129-1143.
doi: 10.1002/dvdy.90. Epub 2019 Aug 6.

Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Jasmin Camacho  1 , Alexander Heyde  1 , Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar  1   2 , Danny Haelewaters  1 , Nancy B Simmons  3 , Arhat Abzhanov  1
Affiliations
Free article
Comparative Study

Peramorphosis, an evolutionary developmental mechanism in neotropical bat skull diversity

Jasmin Camacho et al. Dev Dyn. 2019 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

Background: The neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) are an ecologically diverse group of mammals with distinctive morphological adaptations associated with specialized modes of feeding. The dramatic skull shape changes between related species result from changes in the craniofacial development process, which brings into focus the nature of the underlying evolutionary developmental processes.

Results: In this study, we use three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to describe, quantify, and compare morphological modifications unfolding during evolution and development of phyllostomid bats. We examine how changes in development of the cranium may contribute to the evolution of the bat craniofacial skeleton. Comparisons of ontogenetic trajectories to evolutionary trajectories reveal two separate evolutionary developmental growth processes contributing to modifications in skull morphogenesis: acceleration and hypermorphosis.

Conclusion: These findings are consistent with a role for peramorphosis, a form of heterochrony, in the evolution of bat dietary specialists.

Keywords: craniofacial; evo-devo; heterochrony; microCT; peramorphosis; phyllostomidae; skull; three-dimensional geometric morphometrics.

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References

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