Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)

Autores
Foth, Christian; Bona, Paula; Desojo, Julia Brenda
Año de publicación
2013
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Melanosuchus niger is a caimanine alligatorid widely distributed in the northern region of South America. This species has been the focus of several ecological, genetic and morphological studies. However, morphological studies have generally been limited to examination of interspecific variation among extant species of South American crocodylians. Here, we present the first study of intraspecific variation in the skull of M. niger using a two-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. The crania of 52 sexed individuals varying in size were analysed to quantify shape variation and to assign observed shape changes to different types of intraspecific variation, that is, ontogenetic variation and sexual dimorphism. Most of the variation in this species is ontogenetic variation in snout length, skull depth, orbit size and the width of the postorbital region. These changes are correlated with bite force performance and probably dietary changes. However, a comparison with previous functional studies reveals that functional adaptations during ontogeny seem to be primarily restricted to the postrostral region, whereas rostral shape changes are more related to dietary shifts. Furthermore, the skulls of M. niger exhibit a sexual dimorphism, which is primarily size-related. The presence of non-size-related sexual dimorphism has to be tested in future examinations.
Fil: Foth, Christian. Ludwig Maximilians University; Alemania
Fil: Bona, Paula. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Desojo, Julia Brenda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina
Materia
Melanosuchus
Crocodylia
Ontogeny
Sexual Dimorphism
Geometric Morphometrics
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/3779
Acceder
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network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)Foth, ChristianBona, PaulaDesojo, Julia BrendaMelanosuchusCrocodyliaOntogenySexual DimorphismGeometric Morphometricshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.7https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Melanosuchus niger is a caimanine alligatorid widely distributed in the northern region of South America. This species has been the focus of several ecological, genetic and morphological studies. However, morphological studies have generally been limited to examination of interspecific variation among extant species of South American crocodylians. Here, we present the first study of intraspecific variation in the skull of M. niger using a two-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. The crania of 52 sexed individuals varying in size were analysed to quantify shape variation and to assign observed shape changes to different types of intraspecific variation, that is, ontogenetic variation and sexual dimorphism. Most of the variation in this species is ontogenetic variation in snout length, skull depth, orbit size and the width of the postorbital region. These changes are correlated with bite force performance and probably dietary changes. However, a comparison with previous functional studies reveals that functional adaptations during ontogeny seem to be primarily restricted to the postrostral region, whereas rostral shape changes are more related to dietary shifts. Furthermore, the skulls of M. niger exhibit a sexual dimorphism, which is primarily size-related. The presence of non-size-related sexual dimorphism has to be tested in future examinations.Fil: Foth, Christian. Ludwig Maximilians University; AlemaniaFil: Bona, Paula. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Desojo, Julia Brenda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaWiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc2013-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/3779Foth, Christian; Bona, Paula; Desojo, Julia Brenda; Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae); Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Acta Zoologica; 8-2013; 1-130001-7272enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/azo.12045info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-03T10:03:57Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/3779instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-03 10:03:58.136CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
title Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
spellingShingle Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
Foth, Christian
Melanosuchus
Crocodylia
Ontogeny
Sexual Dimorphism
Geometric Morphometrics
title_short Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
title_full Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
title_fullStr Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
title_full_unstemmed Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
title_sort Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Foth, Christian
Bona, Paula
Desojo, Julia Brenda
author Foth, Christian
author_facet Foth, Christian
Bona, Paula
Desojo, Julia Brenda
author_role author
author2 Bona, Paula
Desojo, Julia Brenda
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Melanosuchus
Crocodylia
Ontogeny
Sexual Dimorphism
Geometric Morphometrics
topic Melanosuchus
Crocodylia
Ontogeny
Sexual Dimorphism
Geometric Morphometrics
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.7
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Melanosuchus niger is a caimanine alligatorid widely distributed in the northern region of South America. This species has been the focus of several ecological, genetic and morphological studies. However, morphological studies have generally been limited to examination of interspecific variation among extant species of South American crocodylians. Here, we present the first study of intraspecific variation in the skull of M. niger using a two-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. The crania of 52 sexed individuals varying in size were analysed to quantify shape variation and to assign observed shape changes to different types of intraspecific variation, that is, ontogenetic variation and sexual dimorphism. Most of the variation in this species is ontogenetic variation in snout length, skull depth, orbit size and the width of the postorbital region. These changes are correlated with bite force performance and probably dietary changes. However, a comparison with previous functional studies reveals that functional adaptations during ontogeny seem to be primarily restricted to the postrostral region, whereas rostral shape changes are more related to dietary shifts. Furthermore, the skulls of M. niger exhibit a sexual dimorphism, which is primarily size-related. The presence of non-size-related sexual dimorphism has to be tested in future examinations.
Fil: Foth, Christian. Ludwig Maximilians University; Alemania
Fil: Bona, Paula. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Desojo, Julia Brenda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina
description Melanosuchus niger is a caimanine alligatorid widely distributed in the northern region of South America. This species has been the focus of several ecological, genetic and morphological studies. However, morphological studies have generally been limited to examination of interspecific variation among extant species of South American crocodylians. Here, we present the first study of intraspecific variation in the skull of M. niger using a two-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. The crania of 52 sexed individuals varying in size were analysed to quantify shape variation and to assign observed shape changes to different types of intraspecific variation, that is, ontogenetic variation and sexual dimorphism. Most of the variation in this species is ontogenetic variation in snout length, skull depth, orbit size and the width of the postorbital region. These changes are correlated with bite force performance and probably dietary changes. However, a comparison with previous functional studies reveals that functional adaptations during ontogeny seem to be primarily restricted to the postrostral region, whereas rostral shape changes are more related to dietary shifts. Furthermore, the skulls of M. niger exhibit a sexual dimorphism, which is primarily size-related. The presence of non-size-related sexual dimorphism has to be tested in future examinations.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/3779
Foth, Christian; Bona, Paula; Desojo, Julia Brenda; Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae); Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Acta Zoologica; 8-2013; 1-13
0001-7272
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/3779
identifier_str_mv Foth, Christian; Bona, Paula; Desojo, Julia Brenda; Intraspecific variation in the skull morphology of the black caiman Melanosuchus niger (Alligatoridae, Caimaninae); Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Acta Zoologica; 8-2013; 1-13
0001-7272
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/azo.12045
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
_version_ 1842269829401149440
score 13.13397

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