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Vertebral Regionalization Facilitates Functional Diversification of the Mammalian Axial Skeleton
Author(s) -
Jones Katrina Elizabeth,
Angielczyk Kenneth,
Pierce Stephanie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.613.1
Subject(s) - vertebral column , biology , anatomy , evolutionary biology , dorsum , mammal , axial skeleton , zoology
The mammalian vertebral column is subdivided into semi‐autonomous modules – regions – which vary strongly in morphology along the column and between species. Although regional differentiation is an important component of the mammalian bauplan, very little is known about the impact of regionalization on vertebral function, nor the evolutionary steps which underlie its origin. To examine the link between regionalization and function, we conducted ex‐vivo biomechanical testing on presacral intervertebral joints of two species: Felis catus – a mammal with strongly‐defined vertebral regions, and Salvator merianae – a lizard with poorly‐defined regions. Regionalization patterns in biomechanical parameters (e.g., stiffness, range of motion) were compared to those in vertebral morphology to test the hypothesis that vertebral regionalization facilitates functional diversification of the axial skeleton. Results indicate tight correlations between presacral morphological and functional regions in Felis . By contrast, subtle morphological regions in Salvator were only associated with transitions in vertebral function at the cervico‐dorsal boundary. Further, form‐function relationships along the column were stronger in Felis and were highly differentiated between vertebral regions. Taken together, these results suggest that evolutionary differentiation of presacral regions in mammals has resulted in both functional diversification and enhanced plasticity in form‐function relationships in the axial skeleton. Support or Funding Information AAA Postdoctoral fellowship, NSF EAR 1524523 This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .