Osteology and Life History: the Formation of the Skeleton in theAsian Narrow-Mouthed Frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) Depends uponTadpole Ecologyтезисы доклада
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 11 ноября 2019 г.
Аннотация:The morphology of the amphibian skeleton is known to be influenced
by a set of heterochronic processes, mostly related to paedomorphosis.
Certain paedomorphic underdevelopments, such as reduction of
some cranial and postcranial bones, are believed to accompany the
trend of body miniaturization. At the same time, the role of reproductive
mode and life history in the skeletal development in amphibians is
also widely recognized. The anuran family Microhylidae is a speciose
and diverse taxon encompassing frogs of various sizes, from rather
large to extremely miniature, and with various reproductive modes.
Thus, microhylids represent a good model system to study diversification
of skeletal morphology and development. Using ontogenetic
series of larvae, metamorphs, and adults, we compared osteology in
frogs from the genera Glyphoglossus, Microhyla, Kalophrynus, and Kaloula
from Southeast Asia (Vietnam). To estimate the impact of miniaturization,
skeletal structure and development were compared in the
most large- and small-sized species. In the latter, adult osteology was
revealed to be affected by the pattern of larval development rather
than miniaturization per se. As compared with typical pond-breeders,
in hole-breeding Microhyla arboricola with oophagous tadpoles,
reduction of cranial elements (columella, quadratojugal) and vertebrae
count (6 presacral vertebrae instead of 8) presumably results
from the heterochronic shift in the timing of bone formation.
Abbreviated larval development in the medium-sized Kalophrynus
interlineatus, which breeds in ephemeral pools, accounts for the
underdevelopment of the skeleton in metamorphs and loss of some
bones in adults (palatine, sphenethmoid). These findings suggest that
the ecology of reproduction and life history traits play a key role in
the formation of the skeleton in frogs.