Supermodeled sabercat, predatory behavior in
            <i>Smilodon fatalis</i>
            revealed by high-resolution 3D computer simulation

McHenry, Colin R.; Wroe, Stephen; Clausen, Philip; Moreno, Karen; Cunningham, Eleanor

doi:10.1073/pnas.0706086104

Cited by 176 publications

(293 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The application of loading is usually in the form of single force components representing entire muscle groups. More recent studies of skull loading have started to apply forces more widely over muscle attachment regions (e.g., Wroe et al, 2007;Grosse et al, 2007;McHenry et al, 2007). Whether single or several muscle forces are applied, muscle wrapping is rarely included, with only the most recent publications looking into its effects (Grosse et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Skull Loading: Applying Multibody Dynamics Analysis to a Macaque Skull

Curtis

Kupczik

O’Higgins

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

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Evaluating stress and strain fields in anatomical structures is a way to test hypotheses that relate specific features of facial and skeletal morphology to mechanical loading. Engineering techniques such as finite element analysis are now commonly used to calculate stress and strain fields, but if we are to fully accept these methods we must be confident that the applied loading regimens are reasonable. Multibody dynamics analysis (MDA) is a relatively new three dimensional computer modeling technique that can be used to apply varying muscle forces to predict joint and bite forces during static and dynamic motions. The method ensures that equilibrium of the structure is maintained at all times, even for complex statically indeterminate problems, eliminating nonphysiological constraint conditions often seen with other approaches. This study describes the novel use of MDA to investigate the influence of different muscle representations on a macaque skull model (Macaca fascicularis), where muscle groups were represented by either a single, multiple, or wrapped muscle fibers. The impact of varying muscle representation on stress fields was assessed through additional finite element simulations. The MDA models highlighted that muscle forces varied with gape and that forces within individual muscle groups also varied; for example, the anterior strands of the superficial masseter were loaded to a greater extent than the posterior strands. The direction of the muscle force was altered when temporalis muscle wrapping was modeled, and was coupled with compressive contact forces applied to the frontal, parietal and temporal bones of the cranium during biting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Skull Loading: Applying Multibody Dynamics Analysis to a Macaque Skull

Curtis

Kupczik

O’Higgins

et al. 2008

The Anatomical Record

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“…In FEA the structure of interest (e.g., a skull) is modeled as a mesh of simple bricks and tetrahedra (finite elements) joined at nodes, the elements are assigned material properties, certain nodes are constrained against motion, forces are applied, and displacements, stresses and strains at each node and within each element are calculated. Recent advances in computer software and imaging technology have made it possible to capture and digitally reconstruct skeletal geometry with great precision, thereby facilitating the generation of detailed finite element models (FEMs) of bony structures, including non-human vertebrate crania (Rayfield et al, 2001;Castañ o et al, 2002;Rayfield, 2004Rayfield, , 2005aRayfield, ,b, 2007Richmond et al, 2005;Strait et al, 2005Strait et al, , 2007Strait et al, , 2008Strait et al, , 2009Dumont et al, 2005;Wroe et al, 2007, Wroe andcoworkers 2008;McHenry et al, 2007;Kupczik et al, 2007;2009;Farke, 2008;Pierce et al, 2008;Rayfield and Milner, 2008;Bourke et al, 2008;Moreno and coworkers, 2008;Moazen et al, 2008Moazen et al, , 2009). However, the incorporation of realistic muscle forces, bone material properties, modeling constraints, and experimental bone strain data are equally important components of FEA that are necessary to ensure biologically meaningful results (e.g., Richmond et al, 2005;Strait et al, 2005;Ross et al, 2005;Rayfield, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Global Impact of Sutures Assessed in a Finite Element Model of a Macaque Cranium

Wang

Smith

Strait

et al. 2010

The Anatomical Record

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The biomechanical significance of cranial sutures in primates is an open question because their global impact is unclear, and their material properties are difficult to measure. In this study, eight suture-bone functional units representing eight facial sutures were created in a finite element model of a monkey cranium. All the sutures were assumed to have identical isotropic linear elastic material behavior that varied in different modeling experiments, representing either fused or unfused sutures. The values of elastic moduli employed in these trials ranged over several orders of magnitude. Each model was evaluated under incisor, premolar, and molar biting conditions. Results demonstrate that skulls with unfused sutures permitted more deformations and experienced higher total strain energy. However, strain patterns remained relatively unaffected away from the suture sites, and bite reaction force was likewise barely affected. These findings suggest that suture elasticity does not substantially alter load paths through the macaque skull or its underlying rigid body kinematics. An implication is that, for the purposes of finite element analysis, omitting or fusing sutures is a reasonable modeling approximation for skulls with small suture volume fraction if the research objective is to observe general patterns of craniofacial biomechanics under static loading conditions. The manner in which suture morphology and ossification affect the mechanical integrity of skulls and their ontogeny and evolution awaits further investi-

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“…The application of 2 powerful computational toolsmultibody dynamic analysis (MDA) and finite element analysis (FEA)-is becoming widespread in the field of functional morphology to answer questions surrounding the biomechanical significance of cranial design (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33). We implemented both of these techniques on Uromastyx hardwickii, a streptostylic but otherwise akinetic herbivorous lizard.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical assessment of evolutionary changes in the lepidosaurian skull

Moazen

Curtis

O’Higgins

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The lepidosaurian skull has long been of interest to functional morphologists and evolutionary biologists. Patterns of bone loss and gain, particularly in relation to bars and fenestrae, have led to a variety of hypotheses concerning skull use and kinesis. Of these, one of the most enduring relates to the absence of the lower temporal bar in squamates and the acquisition of streptostyly. We performed a series of computer modeling studies on the skull of Uromastyx hardwickii, an akinetic herbivorous lizard. Multibody dynamic analysis (MDA) was conducted to predict the forces acting on the skull, and the results were transferred to a finite element analysis (FEA) to estimate the pattern of stress distribution. In the FEA, we applied the MDA result to a series of models based on the Uromastyx skull to represent different skull configurations within past and present members of the Lepidosauria. In this comparative study, we found that streptostyly can reduce the joint forces acting on the skull, but loss of the bony attachment between the quadrate and pterygoid decreases skull robusticity. Development of a lower temporal bar apparently provided additional support for an immobile quadrate that could become highly stressed during forceful biting.biomechanics ͉ Lepidosauria ͉ lower temporal bar ͉ streptostyly L epidosauria is composed of 2 subgroups: Rhynchocephalia (Sphenodon and its extinct relatives) and Squamata (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians). Several stem taxa (as part of the more inclusive Lepidosauromorpha) are known from fossil deposits of Permian to Jurassic age (Ϸ250 million to 164 million years ago; ref. 1). In relation to lepidosaurian evolution, paleontologists, comparative anatomists, and functional morphologists have focused particularly on changes in cranial morphology, most notably with respect to the evolution of streptostyly (anteroposterior quadrate movement) and cranial kinesis. A longstanding hypothesis held that the ancestral lepidosaur possessed a fully diapsid skull (upper and lower temporal openings) with a complete lower temporal bar (2-6). Loss of that bar supposedly ''freed'' the quadrate, resulting in streptostyly. Elements of this hypothesis persist in the literature, even though it has been demonstrated unequivocally (1, 7-9) that the ancestral lepidosauromorph, the ancestral lepidosaur, and the ancestral rhynchocephalian (7, 8) all had a fixed quadrate (strong quadratepterygoid and squamosal-quadrate joints) but no lower temporal bar (Fig. 1). Indeed, the same seems to have been true for the last common ancestor of lepidosaurs and archosaurs ( Fig. 1) (9). A complete lower temporal bar was developed de novo one or more times within Rhynchocephalia (7,8). The ancestral squamate, on the other hand, inherited a skull without a lower temporal bar but underwent a reduction of the palatoquadrate and its derivatives, as well as a reduction of the connections between those derivatives (quadrate and epipterygoid) and the rest of the skull (quadrate-pterygoid, quadrate-squamosal, and epip...

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Supermodeled sabercat, predatory behavior in Smilodon fatalis revealed by high-resolution 3D computer simulation

Cited by 176 publications

References 29 publications

Predicting Skull Loading: Applying Multibody Dynamics Analysis to a Macaque Skull

Predicting Skull Loading: Applying Multibody Dynamics Analysis to a Macaque Skull

The Global Impact of Sutures Assessed in a Finite Element Model of a Macaque Cranium

Biomechanical assessment of evolutionary changes in the lepidosaurian skull

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