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Review
. 2024 Dec;99(6):2304-2337.
doi: 10.1111/brv.13122. Epub 2024 Aug 2.

Turbinal bones are still one of the last frontiers of the tetrapod skull: hypotheses, challenges and perspectives

Quentin Martinez  1   2 , Eli Amson  2 , Irina Ruf  3   4   5 , Timothy D Smith  6 , Nelly Pirot  7   8 , Morgane Broyon  7   8 , Renaud Lebrun  1 , Guillaume Captier  9   10 , Cristina Gascó Martín  2 , Gabriel Ferreira  11   12 , Pierre-Henri Fabre  1   13   14   15
Affiliations
Review

Turbinal bones are still one of the last frontiers of the tetrapod skull: hypotheses, challenges and perspectives

Quentin Martinez et al. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Turbinals are bony or cartilaginous structures that are present in the nasal cavity of most tetrapods. They are involved in key functions such as olfaction, heat, and moisture conservation, as well as protection of the respiratory tract. Despite recent studies that challenged long-standing hypotheses about their physiological and genomic correlation, turbinals remain largely unexplored, particularly for non-mammalian species. Herein, we review and synthesise the current knowledge of turbinals using an integrative approach that includes comparative anatomy, physiology, histology and genomics. In addition, we provide synonyms and correspondences of tetrapod turbinals from about 80 publications. This work represents a first step towards drawing hypotheses of homology for the whole clade, and provides a strong basis to develop new research avenues.

Keywords: heat conservation; moisture conservation; olfaction; respiratory tract; turbinate.

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References

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