Convergent evolution of an extreme dietary specialisation, the olfactory system of worm-eating rodents
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Turbinal bones are key components of the mammalian rostrum that contribute to three critical functions: (1) homeothermy, (2) water conservation and (3) olfaction. With over 700 extant species, murine rodents (Murinae) are the most species-rich mammalian subfamily, with most of that diversity residing in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Their evolutionary history includes several cases of putative, but untested ecomorphological convergence, especially with traits related to diet. Among the most spectacular rodent ecomorphs are the vermivores which independently evolved in several island systems. We used 3D CT-scans (N = 87) of murine turbinal bones to quantify olfactory capacities as well as heat or water conservation adaptations. We obtained similar results from an existing 2D complexity method and two new 3D methodologies that quantify bone complexity. Using comparative phylogenetic methods, we identified a significant convergent signal in the rostral morphology within the highly specialised vermivores. Vermivorous species have significantly larger and more complex olfactory turbinals than do carnivores and omnivores. Increased olfactory capacities may be a major adaptive feature facilitating rats' capacity to prey on elusive earthworms. The narrow snout that characterises vermivores exhibits significantly reduced respiratory turbinals, which may reduce their heat and water conservation capacities.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Montpellier, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Louisiana State University, Museums Victoria, Monash University, Field Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, The University of Melbourne, University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Anatomy
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Funders: National Science Foundation, American Museum of Natural History, National Geographic Society, Field Museum, Centre Méditerranéen de l’Environnement et de la Biodiversité, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Office of International Science and Engineering
Awards: G109987274, Adaptations and convergences of the olfactory system in small insectivorous placental mammals, G2808606415, International Research Fellowship Program: Evolutionary History of SE Asian Shrews, G381665449, Resolving issues of species, phylogeny, and radiation in a diverse group of Old World tropical mammals, Mediterranean Center for Environment and Biodiversity, G4947185191, G6291571641, Collaborative Research: VertLife Terrestrial: A complete, global assembly of phylogenetic, trait, spatial and environment characteristics for a model clade, G6803667113, G7186232560, G7240651115, G801240736, Digital and Hardware Solutions and Modeling for the Environement and Life Sciences, G8221300203, G8221626369, G985392262
OpenAlex ID: W2904201686