The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection
The neural crest domestication syndrome (NCDS) hypothesis suggests that selection pressures for tameness during animal domestication resulted in a down-regulation of neural crest cell migration and proliferation, providing a mechanistic explanation for traits commonly observed across domesticates. W...
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The Royal Society
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250430 |
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| author | Jacob Hansen Nicole D. S. Grunstra W. Tecumseh Fitch Andrew C. Kitchener Michaela Gumpenberger Raffaela Lesch |
| author_facet | Jacob Hansen Nicole D. S. Grunstra W. Tecumseh Fitch Andrew C. Kitchener Michaela Gumpenberger Raffaela Lesch |
| author_sort | Jacob Hansen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The neural crest domestication syndrome (NCDS) hypothesis suggests that selection pressures for tameness during animal domestication resulted in a down-regulation of neural crest cell migration and proliferation, providing a mechanistic explanation for traits commonly observed across domesticates. We test the viability of this hypothesis via a derived prediction. According to the NCDS hypothesis, neural crest-derived structures should be reduced throughout the entire organism in domesticated variants compared to their wild ancestors. Here, we test this prediction by comparing the larynges of wolves and domestic dogs. Anatomical landmarking of the cricoid and thyroid cartilages confirmed absolutely and relatively shorter vocal folds and smaller larynges in normal (mesocephalic) dogs compared to wolves. Additional quantification of laryngeal anatomy shows that mesocephalic dogs have a smaller cricoid diameter and shape-altered thyroid shields. In addition, we quantify the concrete anatomical changes to the laryngeal cartilages caused by brachycephaly, finding that a flattened thyroid shield and ventral cricoid ring fit the symptomatic descriptions of laryngeal collapse. Our comparison of the larynges of wolves and dogs are consistent with the NCDS-derived prediction and support the validity of the NCDS hypothesis. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-74ef2c64d1244f4c8f460dbea859fe01 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-74ef2c64d1244f4c8f460dbea859fe012025-08-20T02:47:58ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-07-0112710.1098/rsos.250430The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connectionJacob Hansen0Nicole D. S. Grunstra1W. Tecumseh Fitch2Andrew C. Kitchener3Michaela Gumpenberger4Raffaela Lesch5Department of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USADepartment of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, UKClinic of Diagnostic Imaging, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USAThe neural crest domestication syndrome (NCDS) hypothesis suggests that selection pressures for tameness during animal domestication resulted in a down-regulation of neural crest cell migration and proliferation, providing a mechanistic explanation for traits commonly observed across domesticates. We test the viability of this hypothesis via a derived prediction. According to the NCDS hypothesis, neural crest-derived structures should be reduced throughout the entire organism in domesticated variants compared to their wild ancestors. Here, we test this prediction by comparing the larynges of wolves and domestic dogs. Anatomical landmarking of the cricoid and thyroid cartilages confirmed absolutely and relatively shorter vocal folds and smaller larynges in normal (mesocephalic) dogs compared to wolves. Additional quantification of laryngeal anatomy shows that mesocephalic dogs have a smaller cricoid diameter and shape-altered thyroid shields. In addition, we quantify the concrete anatomical changes to the laryngeal cartilages caused by brachycephaly, finding that a flattened thyroid shield and ventral cricoid ring fit the symptomatic descriptions of laryngeal collapse. Our comparison of the larynges of wolves and dogs are consistent with the NCDS-derived prediction and support the validity of the NCDS hypothesis.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250430domesticationwolflarynxneural crestNCDS |
| spellingShingle | Jacob Hansen Nicole D. S. Grunstra W. Tecumseh Fitch Andrew C. Kitchener Michaela Gumpenberger Raffaela Lesch The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection Royal Society Open Science domestication wolf larynx neural crest NCDS |
| title | The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection |
| title_full | The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection |
| title_fullStr | The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection |
| title_full_unstemmed | The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection |
| title_short | The domestication of the wolf larynx—testing the neural crest connection |
| title_sort | domestication of the wolf larynx testing the neural crest connection |
| topic | domestication wolf larynx neural crest NCDS |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250430 |
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