ArticleeLife2023
Mammalian forelimb evolution is driven by uneven proximal-to-distal morphological diversity.
Article in eLife, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechanisms of Phenotypic Evolution from Molecules to Organisms: Integrating Evolutionary Biochemistry and Evolutionary Developmental Biology.Annual review of ecology, evolution, and systematics · 2026Article
- A cetacean-specific CNE suppresses osteogenesis to drive appendicular modification in secondary aquatic adaptation.iScience · 2026Article
- The Impact of Substrate Properties on the Kinematics of Locomotion in a Limb-Reduced Skink, Ablepharus kitaibelii (Squamata: Scincidae).Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2026Article
- Regionally specific and highly pleiotropic loci together mediate skeletal evolution in tropical and temperate house mice.Genetics · 2026Article
- Great expectations: altricial developmental strategies are associated with more flexible evolution of limb skeleton proportions in birds.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Developmentally cascading structures do not lose evolutionary potential, but compound developmental instability in rat molars.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Body mass evolution as a driver of morphological and ecological diversity in terrestrial mammals.BMC ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path from sprawling to upright forelimb function and posture in mammals.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Adaptive evolution ofZoological research · 2025Article
- Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Role of forelimb morphology in muscle sensorimotor functions during locomotion in the cat.The Journal of physiology · 2025Article
- Evolutionary integration of forelimb and hindlimb proportions within the bat wing membrane inhibits ecological adaptation.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- ROLE OF FORELIMB MORPHOLOGY IN MUSCLE SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTIONS DURING LOCOMOTION IN THE CAT.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Small body size is associated with increased evolutionary lability of wing skeleton proportions in birds.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Mammalian forelimb evolution is driven by uneven proximal-to-distal morphological diversity.eLife · 2023Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Vertebrate limb morphology often reflects the environment due to variation in locomotor requirements. However, proximal and distal limb segments may evolve differently from one another, reflecting an anatomical gradient of functional specialization that has been suggested to be impacted by the timing of development. Here, we explore whether the temporal sequence of bone condensation predicts variation in the capacity of evolution to generate morphological diversity in proximal and distal forelimb segments across more than 600 species of mammals. Distal elements not only exhibit greater shape diversity, but also show stronger within-element integration and, on average, faster evolutionary responses than intermediate and upper limb segments. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that late developing distal bones display greater morphological variation than more proximal limb elements. However, the higher integration observed within the autopod deviates from such developmental predictions, suggesting that functional specialization plays an important role in driving within-element covariation. Proximal and distal limb segments also show different macroevolutionary patterns, albeit not showing a perfect proximo-distal gradient. The high disparity of the mammalian autopod, reported here, is consistent with the higher potential of development to generate variation in more distal limb structures, as well as functional specialization of the distal elements.
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