The role of cranial osteoderms on the mechanics of the skull in scincid lizards.

Autor: Marghoub A; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK., Kéver L; Département Adaptations du Vivant, Bâtiment, UMR 7179 MECADEV C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, d'Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France., Williams CJA; Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada., Abzhanov A; Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Silkwood Park Campus, Berkshire, UK., Vickaryous M; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada., Herrel A; Département Adaptations du Vivant, Bâtiment, UMR 7179 MECADEV C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N, d'Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France., Evans SE; Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK., Moazen M; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) [Anat Rec (Hoboken)] 2023 Oct; Vol. 306 (10), pp. 2415-2424. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Feb 07.
DOI: 10.1002/ar.25168
Abstrakt: Osteoderms (ODs) are calcified organs formed directly within the skin of most major extant tetrapod lineages. Lizards possibly show the greatest diversity in ODs morphology and distribution. ODs are commonly hypothesized to function as a defensive armor. Here we tested the hypothesis that cranial osteoderms also contribute to the mechanics of the skull during biting. A series of in vivo experiments were carried out on three specimens of Tiliqua gigas. Animals were induced to bite a force plate while a single cranial OD was strain gauged. A finite element (FE) model of a related species, Tiliqua scincoides, was developed and used to estimate the level of strain across the same OD as instrumented in the in vivo experiments. FE results were compared to the in vivo data and the FE model was modified to test two hypothetical scenarios in which all ODs were (i) removed from, and (ii) fused to, the skull. In vivo data demonstrated that the ODs were carrying load during biting. The hypothetical FE models showed that when cranial ODs were fused to the skull, the overall strain across the skull arising from biting was reduced. Removing the ODs showed an opposite effect. In summary, our findings suggest that cranial ODs contribute to the mechanics of the skull, even when they are loosely attached.
(© 2023 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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