Relationships between dietary breadth and flexibility in jaw movement: A case study of two recently diverged insular populations of Podarcis lizards

Taverne, Maxime; Décamps, Thierry; Mira, Óscar; Sabolić, Iva; Silva, Joao Duarte Da; Glogoški, Marko; Lisičić, Duje; Štambuk, Anamaria; Herrel, Anthony

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111140

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…To ensure consistency in the output bite force generated by the MDA models, the location of the contact between the food particle and the teeth was prescribed to match the location of the contact between the teeth and the plates of the force transducer used to measure in vivo bite force in the field [37]. To run further simulations, the location of the item was then standardized at the middle of the maxillary toothrow, as observations revealed that lizards typically crush prey at that location [38]. The stiffness of the food particle was intentionally set beyond the hardness of prey typically consumed by the lizards to ensure that the gape angle did not change during a biting simulation and to obtain the maximal bite force.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These models allowed us to test the impact of changes in cranial morphology and muscle anatomy on the calculated bite force by comparing the results of the simulations. The bite force in each of the four models was calculated for 10 different gape angles, from 0° (closed jaw) to 45° (maximum gape typically attained at the onset of fast closing [38]), thereby effectively varying the size of the prey item. For each MDA model, the conversion rate of the total muscle force into bite force was calculated at every gape tested by dividing bite force by the total muscle force and was used to assess the efficiency of a muscle to translate intrinsic muscle force into bite force.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Form–function relationships underlie rapid dietary changes in a lizard

Taverne¹,

Watson

Dutel

et al. 2023

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Macroevolutionary changes such as variation in habitat use or diet are often associated with convergent, adaptive changes in morphology. However, it is still unclear how small-scale morphological variation at the population level can drive shifts in ecology such as observed at a macroevolutionary scale. Here, we address this question by investigating how variation in cranial form and feeding mechanics relate to rapid changes in diet in an insular lizard ( Podarcis siculus ) after experimental introduction into a new environment. We first quantified differences in the skull shape and jaw muscle architecture between the source and introduced population using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and dissections. Next, we tested the impact of the observed variation in morphology on the mechanical performance of the masticatory system using computer-based biomechanical simulation techniques. Our results show that small differences in shape, combined with variation in muscle architecture, can result in significant differences in performance allowing access to novel trophic resources. The confrontation of these data with the already described macroevolutionary relationships between cranial form and function in these insular lizards provides insights into how selection can, over relatively short time scales, drive major changes in ecology through its impact on mechanical performance.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%