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Ecomorphological specialization leads to loss of evolvability in primate limbs*
- Source :
- Evolution. 74:702-715
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Primate limb morphology is often described as either generalized, that is, suited to a range of locomotor and positional behaviors, or specialized for unique locomotor behaviors such as brachiation or bipedalism. The evolution of highly specialized limb morphology may result in loss of evolvability, that is, in a decreased capacity of the locomotor skeleton to evolve in response to selection towards alternative ecomorphological niches. Using evolutionary simulations, I show that the highly specialized limb anatomy of hominoids is associated with a significant loss of evolvability, defined as the number of generations to reach alternative adaptive peaks, and in parallel an increased risk of extinction, particularly in simulated evolution toward generalized quadrupedal limb proportions. Loss of evolvability in apes and humans correlates with three factors: (1) decreased correlation among limb bone lengths (i.e., integration), which slows the rate of change along lines of least evolutionary resistance; (2) limb specialization, which places apes and humans in relatively remote areas of morphospace; and (3) increased skeletal size as a proxy for body size. Thus, locomotor over-specialization can lead to evolutionary dead-ends that significantly increase the probability of hominoid populations going extinct before evolving new adaptive morphologies.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine
Brachiation
Hylobatidae
Macroevolution
Models, Biological
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
03 medical and health sciences
Quadrupedalism
biology.animal
Genetics
Animals
Body Size
Humans
Primate
Bipedalism
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Limb bone
biology
Cercopithecidae
Extremities
Hominidae
Biological Evolution
Evolvability
030104 developmental biology
Increased risk
Evolutionary biology
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Locomotion
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15585646 and 00143820
- Volume :
- 74
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Evolution
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3f566b91e0196ff1b65e85836c6eda7f