Leavey, Alice Camomile Hardy;
(2023)
The Evolution of musculoskeletal anatomy and locomotor mode in frogs.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Frogs have a highly conserved body plan, yet they employ a diverse array of locomotor modes across many environments, making them ideal organisms for investigating the relationships between morphology, function, ecology, and evolution. The biomechanical implications of anatomical variation for locomotor function are not well-understood on a broad ecological and phylogenetic scale. The overarching aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of whether anatomical complexity is a prerequisite for functional complexity in frogs. Chapter 2 quantifies the relationship between locomotor mode, habitat type, phylogenetic history, and skeletal morphology for 164 frogs from all recognised anuran families. In Chapter 3, I use contrast-enhanced μCT imaging to digitally dissect the gross muscle anatomy of the pelvis and hindlimbs for a subset of 30 species representing all locomotor modes, forming the largest digital comparative analysis of musculoskeletal structure in frogs to date and creating a library of 3D anatomical data for use in future simulations of locomotor function. Chapter 4 presents the first digital extraction of muscle fibres in frogs using a cutting-edge automated fibre tracking algorithm to determine the relationship between locomotor mode and muscle architecture, which has important implications for the trade-off between muscle force production and contractile speed. Chapters 5 and 6 directly test the impact of different hindlimb proportions on jumping mechanics using inverse kinematics and inverse dynamics models, respectively. By quantifying the relationships between skeletal anatomy, muscle anatomy, locomotor mode, and phylogenetic history, this thesis sheds new light on how functional demands impact morphology across 160 million years of anuran evolution. This work presents crucial insights that are significant for palaeontological studies, as the shape and size of fossil bones are often used to infer the size of soft tissue structures and the behaviour of extinct taxa.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The Evolution of musculoskeletal anatomy and locomotor mode in frogs |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10183164 |
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