Sexual dimorphism, bite force and diet in the diamondback terrapin

Herrel, Anthony; Petrochic, S.; Draud, Matt

doi:10.1111/jzo.12520

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…McLellan [68] addressed evolutionary explanations for sex differences in size, but our study suggests a different explanation might be necessary. It has recently been demonstrated that convergence in habitat specialists is not restricted to limb size and shape, but also occurs in other aspects of morphology, such as sexual size dimorphism and head shape [73]. Although functional demands imposed by prey traits, such as hardness and elusiveness may select for certain head shapes [28,33] in different sexes and age classes, it remains to be studied which aspects of the trophic niche may select for convergence in head shape in different ecomorphs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

Ramírez-Fráncel

García-Herrera

Losada-Prado

et al. 2021

Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Neotropical bats, studies on bite force have focused mainly on differences in trophic ecology, and little is known about whether factors other than body size generate interspecific differences in bite force amongst insectivorous bats and, consequently, in their diets. We tested if bite force is related to skull morphology and also to diet in an assemblage of Neotropical insectivorous bats from tropical dry forests in the inter-Andean central valley in Colombia. It is predicted that the preference of prey types among insectivorous species is based on bite force and cranial characteristics. We also evaluated whether skull morphology varies depending on the species and sex. Cranial measurements and correlations between morphological variation and bite force were examined for 10 insectivorous bat species. We calculated the size-independent mechanical advantage for the mandibular (jaw) lever system. In all species, bite force increased with length of the skull and the jaw more than other cranial measurements. Obligate insectivorous species were morphologically different from the omnivorous Noctilio albiventris, which feeds primarily on insects, but also consumes fish and fruits. Our results show that bite force and skull morphology are closely linked to diets in Neotropical insectivorous bats and, consequently, these traits are key to the interactions within the assemblage and with their prey.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

Ramírez-Fráncel

García-Herrera

Losada-Prado

et al. 2021

Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A long screw with a flattened free end (surface area of 3 mm 2 ) was mounted on the force transducer, and pushed onto the crab exoskeleton until mechanical failure of its external surface occurred and the maximal force was recorded. We compared data for Geograpsus grayi to previously collected data for other crustaceans 83 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Terrific Skink bite force suggests insularity as a likely driver to exceptional resource use

Jowers¹,

Simone²,

Herrel

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Natural history museum collections hold extremely rare, extinct species often described from a single known specimen. On occasions, rediscoveries open new opportunities to understand selective forces acting on phenotypic traits. Recent rediscovery of few individuals of Bocourt´s Terrific Skink Phoboscincus bocourti, from a small and remote islet in New Caledonia allowed to genetically identify a species of land crab in its diet. To explore this further, we CT- and MRI-scanned the head of the holotype, the only preserved specimen dated to about 1870, segmented the adductor muscles of the jaw and bones, and estimated bite force through biomechanical models. These data were compared with those gathered for 332 specimens belonging to 44 other skink species. Thereafter we recorded the maximum force needed to generate mechanical failure of the exoskeleton of a crab specimen. The bite force is greater than the prey hardness, suggesting that predation on hard-shelled crabs may be an important driver of performance. The high bite force seems crucial to overcome low or seasonal variations in resource availability in these extreme insular environments. Phoboscincus bocourti appears to be an apex predator in a remote and harsh environment and the only skink known to predate on hard-shelled land crabs.

show abstract

“…The relationships between skull morphology, bite force, and diet have been investigated in a variety of animal groups, including fish [29,30], lizards [24,31], crocodilians [32], turtles [33], rodents [12,34], birds [23]. Many studies have also focused on bats [19][20][21][35][36][37][38][39][40], but studies involving skull morphology, in vivo bite force, and diets in a single study are limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat (Ia io; Vespertilionidae)

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Genetic and ecological factors influence morphology, and morphology is compatible with function. The morphology and bite performance of skulls of bats show a number of characteristic feeding adaptations. The great evening bat, Ia io (Thomas, 1902), eats both insects and birds (Thabah et al. J Mammal 88: 728-735, 2007), and as such, it is considered to represent a case of dietary niche expansion from insects to birds. How the skull morphology or bite force in I. io are related to the expanded diet (that is, birds) remains unknown. We used three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the skulls and measurements of bite force and diets from I. io and 13 other species of sympatric or closely related bat species to investigate the characteristics and the correlation of skull morphology and bite force to diets.Results: Significant differences in skull morphology and bite force among species and diets were observed in this study. Similar to the carnivorous bats, bird-eaters (I. io) differed significantly from insectivorous bats; I. io had a larger skull size, taller crania, wider zygomatic arches, shorter but robust mandibles, and larger bite force than the insectivores. The skull morphology of bats was significantly associated with bite force whether controlling for phylogeny or not, but no significant correlations were found between diets and the skulls, or between diets and residual bite force, after controlling for phylogeny.Conclusions: These results indicated that skull morphology was independent of diet, and phylogeny had a greater impact on skull morphology than diet in these species. The changes in skull size and morphology have led to variation in bite force, and finally different bat species feeding on different foods. In conclusion, I. io has a larger skull size, robust mandibles, shortened dentitions, longer coronoid processes, expanded angular processes, low condyles, and taller cranial sagittal crests, and wider zygomatic arches that provide this species with mechanical advantages; their greater bite force may help them use larger and hard-bodied birds as a dietary component.

show abstract

Sexual dimorphism, bite force and diet in the diamondback terrapin

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

Skull Morphology, Bite Force, and Diet in Insectivorous Bats from Tropical Dry Forests in Colombia

The Terrific Skink bite force suggests insularity as a likely driver to exceptional resource use

Correlation of skull morphology and bite force in a bird-eating bat (Ia io; Vespertilionidae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About