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Chondrogenesis and ossification of the lissamphibian pectoral girdle
Author(s) -
Shearman Rebecca M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.10597
Subject(s) - pectoral girdle , biology , anatomy , ossification , chondrogenesis , endochondral ossification , skeleton (computer programming) , zoology , cartilage
Knowledge of amphibian shoulder development is requisite for further understanding of gnathostome pectoral girdle evolution. Fish and amniotes share few pectoral girdle elements, but modern amphibians exhibit a unique combination of traits that bridge the morphological gap between these two groups. I analyzed patterns of chondrogenesis, ossification, and bone histology of the pectoral girdles of two anuran species ( Xenopus laevis and Bombina orientalis ) and two urodele species ( Ambystoma mexicanum and Desmognathus aeneus ) to provide new insight into the evolution of the tetrapod pectoral girdle. Comparisons reveal the following: 1) variation in the pattern of chondrogenesis among the anuran species analyzed correlates to variation in adult pectoral girdle morphology; 2) morphologically similar pectoral skeletons do not necessarily have similar patterns of bone histology; and 3) the urodele and anuran pectoral girdles included herein share a common morphology despite differences in patterns of chondrogenesis. J. Morphol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.