scholarly journals Untangling the ecological signal in the dental morphology in the bat superfamily Noctilionoidea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilo Lopez-Aguirre ◽  
Suzanne Hand ◽  
Nancy B Simmons ◽  
Mary Silcox
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Dental Morphology ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Crown Height ◽  
Topographic Analysis ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Topographic Complexity ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
Guild Composition ◽  
Different Dimensions

Diet has been linked to the diversification of the bat superfamily Noctilionoidea, a group that underwent an impressive ecological adaptive radiation within Mammalia. For decades, studies have explored morphological adaptations and diversity of noctilionoid bats to reveal macroevolutionary trajectories in their ecological diversity. Surprisingly, despite such interest and recent application of novel techniques, ecomorphological studies have failed to fully resolve the link between diet and a critical component of the feeding apparatus: dental morphology. Using multivariate dental topographic analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods, we examined the phylogenetic, biological and ecological signal in the dental morphology of noctilionoid bats. Analysing the lower first molars of 110 species, we tested the effect of diet on dental morphology, accounting for three different dimensions of diet (guild, composition and breadth). Phylogenetic and allometric structuring of the dental topography data shows it does not respond only to diet, highlighting the need to account for multiple sources of variation. Frugivorous noctilionoids have sharper molars compared to other frugivorous mammals. Nectarivorous noctilionoids showed reduced lower molar crown height and steepness, whereas animalivorous species had larger molars. Dietary composition suggested that the intensity of exploitation of a resource is also linked to different dimensions of dental morphology. Large molar area positively correlated with increased carnivory, whereas crown height and slope correlated positively with insectivory, and negatively with frugivory and nectarivory. Dietary breadth showed that generalist species had greater molar sharpness and topographic complexity, whereas specialist herbivores and specialist animalivores fell at opposite ends in the range of tooth steepness and crown height. Together, the results suggest that adaptations affecting different attributes of dental morphology likely facilitated the dietary diversity and specialisation found in Noctilionoidea.

SIDE

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashmi Malhotra
Keyword(s):  
Relative Efficiency ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Swarm Optimization ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Analytical Power ◽  
Decision Making Units ◽  
Analyze Data

To make sound decisions, managers analyze data from multiple sources using different dimensions and eventually integrate the results of their analysis. This study proposes the design of a multi-attribute-decision-support-system that combines the analytical power of two different tools: data envelopment analysis (DEA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), one of the major algorithms using swarm intelligence. DEA measures the relative efficiency of decision making units that use multiple inputs and outputs to provide non-objective measures without making any specific assumptions about data. On the other hand PSO's main strength lies in exploring the entire search space. This study proposes a modeling technique that jointly uses the two techniques to benefit from the two methodologies.

scholarly journals Statistical analysis of dental variation in the Oligocene equidMiohippus(Mammalia, Perissodactyla) of Oregon

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 1060-1068
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Famoso
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Dental Morphology ◽  
Crown Height ◽  
Ordered Logistic Regression ◽  
Coefficients Of Variation ◽  
Tapirus Terrestris ◽  
John Day ◽  
Analysis Of Variation ◽  
Anterior Posterior

AbstractAs many as eight species of the “anchitherine” equidMiohippushave been identified from the John Day Formation of Oregon, but no statistical analysis of variation in these horses has yet been conducted to determine if that level of diversity is warranted. Variation of the anterior-posterior length and transverse width of upper and lower teeth of Turtle Cove MemberMiohippuswas compared to that ofM.equinanus,Mesohippus bairdii,Equus quagga, andTapirus terrestrisusingttests of their coefficients of variation (V). None of thettests are significant, indicating that the variation seen in Turtle CoveMiohippusis not significantly different from any of the populations of other perissodactyls examined in this study. Data also indicate thatMesohippusis present in the Turtle Cove Member. Additionally, hypostyle condition, used to diagnose all species ofMiohippus, was found to be related to stage of wear using an ordered logistic regression. Only two species of equid, oneMiohippusand oneMesohippus, in the Turtle Cove Member can be identified, therefore onlyMiohippus annectens, the genotype and first species described from the region, can be recognized as the soleMiohippusspecies known from the Turtle Cove assemblage. There are insufficient data to determine which species ofMesohippusis present. The dependence of hypostyle condition on crown height inMiohippusimplies that wear stage must also be considered in investigations of dental morphology in the “Anchitheriinae.”

scholarly journals Quantification of the Dental Morphology of Orangutans

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Nambiar ◽  
J. John ◽  
Samah M. Al-Amery ◽  
K. Purmal ◽  
W. L. Chai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Canal ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Dental Morphology ◽  
Crown Height ◽  
Posterior Teeth ◽  
Crown Length ◽  
Bornean Orangutan ◽  
Anterior Teeth ◽  
Root Canal Morphology ◽  
Canal Morphology

Orangutans are believed to have close biological affinities to humans. Teeth being the hardest tissue provide useful information on primate evolution. Furthermore, knowledge of the pulp chamber and root canal morphology is important for dental treatment. A female Bornean orangutan and a Sumatran male orangutan skull were available for this study. Both of their dentitions, comprising 50 teeth, were scanned employing the cone-beam computed tomography for both metrical and nonmetrical analyses. Measurements included tooth and crown length, root length, enamel covered crown height, root canal length (posterior teeth), length of pulpal space (anterior teeth), and root canal width. Nonmetrical parameters included number of canals per root, number of foramina in each root, and root canal morphology according to Vertucci’s classification. It was found that the enamel covered crown height was the longest in the upper central incisors although the canine was the longest amongst the anterior teeth. Both the upper premolars were three-rooted while the lower second premolar of the Sumatran orangutan was two-rooted, with two foramina. The mandibular lateral incisors of the Bornean orangutan were longer than the central incisors, a feature similar to humans. In addition, secondary dentine deposition was noticed, a feature consistent with aged humans.

scholarly journals Long-term changes in the breeding period diet of Bonelli

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 409
Author(s):  
M. Di Vittorio ◽  
M. Lo Valvo ◽  
E. Di Trapani ◽  
A. Sanguinetti ◽  
A. Ciaccio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Wild Rabbit ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
Bonelli’S Eagle

Context Dietary analyses are essential to achieve a better understanding of animal ecology. In the case of endangered species, assessing dietary requirements is crucial to improve their management and conservation. The Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) has experienced a severe decline throughout its breeding range in Europe and, in Italy, fewer than 50 pairs remain, and only in Sicily. This species is subject to major threats, including changes in landscape composition and, consequently, prey availability, which is further aggravated by the occurrence of viral diseases in the case of rabbits. Aims To provide current data on the diet of the Bonelli’s eagle in Sicily during the breeding period and to examine dietary shifts with regard to previous studies conducted in the same study area. To discuss possible implications for conservation of the Italian population of this endangered species. Methods We used a combination of three methods, including pellet analysis, collection of prey remains, and imagery from camera-traps installed at nests, to examine the diet of 12 breeding pairs of Bonelli’s eagle from 2011 to 2017. We compared this information with data collected between 1993 and 1998 in the same study area. Key results In number, birds were the most frequently predated items (61.6%), followed by mammals (36.88%) and reptiles (1.52%). However, in terms of biomass, mammals were the main prey (65.71%), followed by birds (34.12%) and reptiles (0.17%). There was a decrease over the course of the current decade in the consumption of European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), which was compensated for with an increase in both dietary diversity and breadth in bird consumption, a trend not observed in the earlier study in the same region. Conclusions Here, we provide an updated assessment of diet composition of Bonelli’s eagle during the breeding period. Interestingly, we found significant differences within the study period (2011–2017) in terms of frequency of occurrence, percentage of biomass, dietary diversity and dietary breadth in a species at risk. Furthermore, we found significant differences between the two study periods in both frequency and percentage of biomass, with significant changes in the consumption of lagomorphs and birds. Implications Our results indicated that shifts in the diet are linked to changes in prey abundance, which may be contributing to population declines in the Bonelli’s eagle population in Sicily. Overall, measures aimed at increasing main dietary prey should be promoted to favour occupation of new territories and enhance vital demographic parameters (i.e. breeding success and survival rate) of Bonelli’s eagle across the species range. This would be particularly important for small isolated populations such as the Sicilian one.

Reassessment of Lower Eocene Seggeurius amourensis: aspects of primitive dental morphology in the mammalian order Hyracoidea

1993 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Court ◽  
Mohamed Mahboubi
Keyword(s):  
Dental Material ◽  
Dental Morphology ◽  
Crown Height ◽  
Lower Eocene ◽  
Precise Characterization ◽  
Molar Morphology ◽  
Upper Molar ◽  
Lower Molar

New lower dental material of the fossil hyracoid mammal, Seggeurius amourensis Crochet, 1986, from Eocene deposits of the Southern Atlas in Algeria, has prompted a reevaluation of the genus. The dentition as a whole is first described in detail, thus providing a more precise characterization of the genus than has hitherto been available. Peculiarities, particularly in upper molar morphology, are sufficient to uphold a generic distinction. However, based largely on lower molar morphology Seggeurius amourensis is transferred from the subfamily Geniohyinae to Saghatheriinae. In the upper molars, absence of a postmetacrista and the presence of a preprotocrista continuous with the parastyle are interpreted as primitive features in hyracoids. In the lower molars, extreme reduction of the paracristid and the presence of a mesoconid are also considered primitive for hyracoids. These features together with small size, bunodonty, low crown height, and very simple premolar morphology indicate that Seggeurius amourensis is the most primitive hyrax yet recovered.

scholarly journals Individual Variation in Dietary Wariness Is Predicted by Head Color in a Specialist Feeder, the Gouldian Finch

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina R. Eccles ◽  
Emily J. Bethell ◽  
Alison L. Greggor ◽  
Claudia Mettke-Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Novel Food ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Adaptive Combination ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
The Social ◽  
Gouldian Finch ◽  
The Individual

Shifts in resource availability due to environmental change are increasingly confronting animals with unfamiliar food types. Species that can rapidly accept new food types may be better adapted to ecological change. Intuitively, dietary generalists are expected to accept new food types when resources change, while dietary specialists would be more averse to adopting novel food. However, most studies investigating changes in dietary breadth focus on generalist species and do not delve into potential individual predictors of dietary wariness and the social factors modulating these responses. We investigated dietary wariness in the Gouldian finch, a dietary specialist, that is expected to avoid novel food. This species occurs in two main head colors (red, black), which signal personality in other contexts. We measured their initial neophobic responses (approach attempts before first feed and latency to first feed) and willingness to incorporate novel food into their diet (frequency of feeding on novel food after first feed). Birds were tested in same-sex pairs in same and different head color pairings balanced across experiments 1 and 2. Familiar and novel food (familiar food dyed) were presented simultaneously across 5 days for 3 h, each. Gouldian finches fed on the familiar food first demonstrating food neophobia, and these latencies were repeatable. Birds made more approach attempts before feeding on novel than familiar food, particularly red-headed birds in experiment 1 and when partnered with a black-headed bird. Individuals consistently differed in their rate of incorporation of novel food, with clear differences between head colors; red-headed birds increased their feeding visits to novel food across experimentation equaling their familiar food intake by day five, while black-headed birds continually favored familiar food. Results suggest consistent among individual differences in response to novel food with red-headed birds being adventurous consumers and black-headed birds dietary conservatives. The differences in food acceptance aligned with responses to novel environments on the individual level (found in an earlier study) providing individuals with an adaptive combination of novelty responses across contexts in line with potential differences in movement patterns. Taken together, these novelty responses could aid in population persistence when faced with environmental changes.

scholarly journals Topographic Analysis of Intertidal Polychaete Reefs (Sabellaria alveolata) at a Very High Spatial Resolution

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Guillaume Brunier ◽  
Simon Oiry ◽  
Yves Gruet ◽  
Stanislas F. Dubois ◽  
Laurent Barillé
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Confusion Matrix ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Habitat Directive ◽  
Topographic Analysis ◽  
Topographic Complexity ◽  
Biogenic Structures ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Very High

In temperate coastal regions of Western Europe, the polychaete Sabellaria alveolata (Linné) builds large intertidal reefs of several hectares on soft-bottom substrates. These reefs are protected by the European Habitat Directive EEC/92/43 under the status of biogenic structures hosting a high biodiversity and providing ecological functions such as protection against coastal erosion. As an alternative to time-consuming field campaigns, a UAV-based Structure-from-Motion photogrammetric survey was carried out in October 2020 over Noirmoutier Island (France) where the second-largest known European reef is located in a tidal delta. A DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral UAV provided a topographic dataset at very high resolutions of 5 cm/pixel for the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and 2.63 cm/pixel for the multispectral orthomosaic images. The reef footprint was mapped using a combination of two topographic indices: the Topographic Openness Index and the Topographic Position Index. The reef structures covered an area of 8.15 ha, with 89% corresponding to the main reef composed of connected and continuous biogenic structures, 7.6% of large isolated structures (<60 m2), and 4.4% of small isolated reef clumps (<2 m2). To further describe the topographic complexity of the reef, the Geomorphon landform classification was used. The spatial distribution of tabular platforms considered as a healthy stage of the reef in contrast to a degraded stage was mapped with a proxy that consists in comparing the reef volume to a theoretical tabular-shaped reef volume. Epibionts colonizing the reef (macroalgae, mussels, and oysters) were also mapped by combining multispectral indices such as the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index and simple band ratios with topographic indices. A confusion matrix showed that macroalgae and mussels were satisfactorily identified but that oysters could not be detected by an automated procedure due to their spectral complexity. The topographic indices used in this work should now be further exploited to propose a health index for these large intertidal reefs.

scholarly journals A difference between sexes: temporal variation in the diet of Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) at the Macaregua cave, Santander (Colombia)

2020 ◽  
pp. 27-35
Author(s):  
A. Alviz ◽  
J. Pérez-Torres
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Time Series Analysis ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Carollia Perspicillata ◽  
Series Analysis ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
Males And Females

Organisms adjust their foraging strategies to optimize the energetic costs during foraging with respect to benefits gained. These strategies are usually different in males and females due to their specific requirements during reproduction. Knowing the temporal dietary composition and variation may help us understand how intrinsic factors can influence diet during the breeding season. Seba’s short–tailed fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata) plays an important role in seed dispersal throughout the Neotropics. Seasonal dietary changes related to resource availability have been documented but dietary differences between males and females have not been analyzed. We tested the hypothesis that dietary breadth increases and varies between males and females of Carollia perspicillata during the breeding season. We collected 295 fecal samples (from 236 males and 182 females) between June 2012 and April 2013 at the Macaregua cave (Santander, Colombia). Sex, diet and overlap were recorded. Time series analysis of dietary variation were estimated and related to food (fruits and flowers) availability. Males were found to include 18 seed morphospecies within their diet, while females included 16 seed morphospecies. Ficus, Vismia and Acacia were the most commonly consumed plant genera within the diet of both males and females. The time series analysis throughout the year indicated that males had greater dietary diversity than females. Dietary richness for males peaked multiple times, while dietary richness for females peaked only once during the transition period between pregnancy and lactation. We recorded significant sex differences in the value of importance of plants in the diet, evenness, and dominance of plant species consumed, as well as differential consumption over the seasons. Knowing the variations in the diet allows us to address the differences between the foraging strategies that females and males use in response to energy demands, movement patterns and habitat use. This is essential to understand all those processes that organisms must carry out for their survival and maintenance.

SIDE

2018 ◽  
pp. 809-832
Author(s):  
Rashmi Malhotra
Keyword(s):  
Relative Efficiency ◽  
Search Space ◽  
The Other ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Swarm Optimization ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Analytical Power ◽  
Decision Making Units

To make sound decisions, managers analyze data from multiple sources using different dimensions and eventually integrate the results of their analysis. This study proposes the design of a multi-attribute-decision-support-system that combines the analytical power of two different tools: data envelopment analysis (DEA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), one of the major algorithms using swarm intelligence. DEA measures the relative efficiency of decision making units that use multiple inputs and outputs to provide non-objective measures without making any specific assumptions about data. On the other hand PSO's main strength lies in exploring the entire search space. This study proposes a modeling technique that jointly uses the two techniques to benefit from the two methodologies.

scholarly journals Quantitative analyses of squamate dentition demonstrate novel morphological patterns

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257427
Author(s):  
Kiana Christensen ◽  
Keegan M. Melstrom
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Dental Morphology ◽  
Amblyrhynchus Cristatus ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Dietary Shifts ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Marine Iguana ◽  
Dental Complexity

Squamates are ideal subjects for investigating relationships between diet and dental patterns because they exhibit wide dietary diversity, marked variation in dental shape, and are taxonomically abundant. Despite this, well-established links between diet and dental morphology are primarily qualitative in nature, with specific patterns of squamate dental complexity remaining largely unknown. Here, we use quantitative methods and a broad taxonomic dataset to quantify key patterns in squamate dental morphology, including re-examining the relationship between dentition and diet, testing for differences in complexity between dentigerous elements, and exploring the effect of ontogenetic dietary shifts in dental complexity in two iguanid genera. Our findings support previous research by demonstrating that species consuming more plant material possess more complex teeth. We did not find significant complexity differences between the left and right dentigerous elements nor the upper and lower jaws, with the exception of Amblyrhynchus cristatus, the marine iguana, which possesses significantly more complex dentary teeth than premaxillary and maxillary teeth. We find discordant patterns when testing for dental complexity changes through ontogeny. Amblyrhynchus, which is primarily herbivorous throughout its lifetime, increases dental complexity through ontogeny, whereas Ctenosaura, which is generally insectivorous as juveniles and herbivorous as adults, decreases dental complexity. Although preliminary, this research documents and quantifies novel patterns of squamate dental complexity and exhibits the possibilities for further research on the diversity of squamate dental morphology.

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