Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift
Abstract Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07952-w |
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| author | Maria Ghazali Svitozar Davydenko Valeriia Telizhenko Pavlo Otriazhyi Karina Vishnyakova Maia Bukhsianidze Azucena Solis-Añorve Igor Dzeverin Pavel Gol’din |
| author_facet | Maria Ghazali Svitozar Davydenko Valeriia Telizhenko Pavlo Otriazhyi Karina Vishnyakova Maia Bukhsianidze Azucena Solis-Añorve Igor Dzeverin Pavel Gol’din |
| author_sort | Maria Ghazali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance concurs with the evolution of diverging baleen and toothed whales and is independent of allometry. It shows traits associated with aquatic locomotion: humeral head twist, diaphysis shortening and straightening, and epiphyses enlargement. Also, changes in the anatomy of the humeral head and greater tubercle, modularity and integration patterns are associated with phylogeny. We suggest relaxed negative selection and random drift as the likely main evolutionary patterns for the evolution of the humerus shape. The evolution of genes regulating the humerus shape corresponds to the anatomical transformations and shows relaxed selection, site-level positive selection and nonsense mutations in cetaceans. Overall, the observed pattern well illustrates a “fly in a tube model” and shows its importance as a framework of emerging evolutionary innovations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-13dec9ecef6b46318ca95a56ee3901b2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-13dec9ecef6b46318ca95a56ee3901b22025-08-20T02:10:14ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-03-018111510.1038/s42003-025-07952-wHumerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random driftMaria Ghazali0Svitozar Davydenko1Valeriia Telizhenko2Pavlo Otriazhyi3Karina Vishnyakova4Maia Bukhsianidze5Azucena Solis-Añorve6Igor Dzeverin7Pavel Gol’din8Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineSchmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineSchmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineSchmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineUkrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the SeaGeorgian National MuseumAutonomous University of Baja California SurSchmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineSchmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of UkraineAbstract Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance concurs with the evolution of diverging baleen and toothed whales and is independent of allometry. It shows traits associated with aquatic locomotion: humeral head twist, diaphysis shortening and straightening, and epiphyses enlargement. Also, changes in the anatomy of the humeral head and greater tubercle, modularity and integration patterns are associated with phylogeny. We suggest relaxed negative selection and random drift as the likely main evolutionary patterns for the evolution of the humerus shape. The evolution of genes regulating the humerus shape corresponds to the anatomical transformations and shows relaxed selection, site-level positive selection and nonsense mutations in cetaceans. Overall, the observed pattern well illustrates a “fly in a tube model” and shows its importance as a framework of emerging evolutionary innovations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07952-w |
| spellingShingle | Maria Ghazali Svitozar Davydenko Valeriia Telizhenko Pavlo Otriazhyi Karina Vishnyakova Maia Bukhsianidze Azucena Solis-Añorve Igor Dzeverin Pavel Gol’din Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift Communications Biology |
| title | Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| title_full | Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| title_fullStr | Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| title_full_unstemmed | Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| title_short | Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| title_sort | humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07952-w |
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