Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39496866›Full record

ArticleNature ecology & evolution2025

Exaptation of an evolutionary constraint enables behavioural control over the composition of secreted venom in a giant centipede.

Vanessa Schendel, Brett R Hamilton, Samuel D Robinson, Kathryn Green, Marcel E Sayre, Darren Brown, Jennifer L Stow, Jan Philip Øyen, Kjetil L Voje, S Sean Millard and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Vanessa SchendelCentre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6300-7558
Brett R HamiltonCentre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Samuel D RobinsonCentre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Kathryn GreenCentre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Marcel E SayreCentre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-2667-4228
Darren BrownInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Jennifer L StowInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5409-9101
Jan Philip ØyenCentre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-0116-2234
Kjetil L VojeNatural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
S Sean MillardSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Irina VetterInstitute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Lachlan D RashSchool of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3616-0279
Eivind A B UndheimCentre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. e.a.b.undheim@ibv.uio.no.ORCID 0000-0002-8667-3999

Funding

Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) DE160101142Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) DP160104025EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) 101039862Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway) 287462University of Queensland (UQ) International UQ Research Training PhD Scholarship
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Venoms are biochemical arsenals that have emerged in numerous animal lineages, where they have co-evolved with morphological and behavioural traits for venom production and delivery. In centipedes, venom evolution is thought to be constrained by the morphological complexity of their venom glands due to physiological limitations on the number of toxins produced by their secretory cells. Here we show that the uneven toxin expression that results from these limitations have enabled Scolopendra morsitans to regulate the composition of their secreted venom despite the lack of gross morphologically complex venom glands. We show that this control is probably achieved by a combination of this heterogenous toxin distribution with a dual mechanism of venom secretion that involves neuromuscular innervation as well as stimulation via neurotransmitters. Our results suggest that behavioural control over venom composition may be an overlooked aspect of venom biology and provide an example of how exaptation can facilitate evolutionary innovation and novelty.

Indexed as

ArthropodsArthropod VenomsBiological EvolutionAnimalsBehavior, AnimalArthropod Venoms

Identifiers

PMID39496866

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.