Life History and Skeletal Adaptations in the Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) as Reconstructed with Bone Histological Data—A Comparative Study of Iguanines

@inproceedings{Hugi2012LifeHA,
  title={Life History and Skeletal Adaptations in the Galapagos Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) as Reconstructed with Bone Histological Data—A Comparative Study of Iguanines},
  author={Jasmina Hugi and Marcelo R. S{\'a}nchez-Villagra},
  year={2012}
}
Abstract The skeletal adaptations of Amblyrhynchus cristatus (Marine Iguanas) are of particular interest based on their amphibious lifestyle, which is unique among living lacertilian squamates. The well-known ecological data are applied to new bone histological findings, which revealed expected and unexpected congruencies. The cortical bone matrix consists of avascular lamellar-zonal bone tissue type. The geometrical disposition of the growth marks (i.e., their spacing) shows an unusual pattern… 
View on BioOne
33 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
4
Background Citations
11
Methods Citations
1
Results Citations
2

33 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

Ontogenetic and inter-elemental osteohistological variability in the leopard tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis
Testudines are a group of reptiles characterized by the presence of a shell covered by keratinous shields. Stigmochelys pardalis is the most widely distributed terrestrial testudine in southern…
Growth patterns and life-history strategies in Placodontia (Diapsida: Sauropterygia)
TLDR
Histological and modelled differences within taxa point to high individual developmental plasticity but sexual dimorphism in growth patterns and the presence of different taxa in the sample cannot be ruled out.
Microanatomy and life history in Palaeopleurosaurus (Rhynchocephalia: Pleurosauridae) from the Early Jurassic of Germany
TLDR
Bone histological data of the Jurassic pleurosaurid Palaeopleurosaurus is presented, showing osteosclerosis (i.e. bone mass increase) in its gastralia, and some osteos sclerosis in its rib but no increase in bone mass in the femur, supporting a gradual skeletal specialization for an aquatic way of life.
Intraskeletal bone growth patterns in the North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli): Growth mark discrepancy and implications for extinct taxa
TLDR
The tissue organization within the forelimbs and hindlimbs is reflective of the protracted growth strategy of the North Island Brown Kiwi and congruent with previous studies of the kiwi.
Growth dynamics and body size evolution of South American long-necked chelid turtles: a bone histology approach.
TLDR
The osteohistological study reveals a similar growth dynamic in both Yaminuechelys maior and H. tectifera, with a poorly vascularized cortex dominated by parallelfibered bone and interrupted by lines of arrested growth (LAGs).
Gradual adaptation of bone structure to aquatic lifestyle in extinct sloths from Peru
TLDR
The bones of terrestrial pilosans (sloths and anteaters) are much more compact than the mean mammalian condition, which suggests that the osteosclerosis of Thalassocnus may represent an exaptation, and the most detailed data about the gradual acquisition of aquatic adaptations among tetrapods is assessed.
Semi-aquatic adaptations in a spinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil
Trabecular architecture in the humeral metaphyses of non‐avian reptiles (Crocodylia, Squamata and Testudines): Lifestyle, allometry and phylogeny
TLDR
Trabecular architecture seems to be a promising tool to infer lifestyle of extinct tetrapods, especially those involved in the terrestrialization, which however remains difficult to strictly discriminate.
Osteohistology and Life History of the Basal Pygostylian, Confuciusornis sanctus
TLDR
It is shown that although fibrolamellar bone is widespread across birds, the extent and duration of this rapid phase of bone deposition is highly variable and comparisons among Mesozoic birds confirm that early ontogenetic growth was rapid, but that later post‐hatching growth was strongly influenced by the ontogenetics age of the individual, body size, and local environment, as well as taxonomy.
Evolution of bone compactness in extant and extinct moles (Talpidae): exploring humeral microstructure in small fossorial mammals
TLDR
At this small size, the overall morphology of the humerus plays a predominant role in absorbing the load, and microanatomical features such as an increase in bone compactness are less important, perhaps due to insufficient gravitational effects.
...
1
2
3
4
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 73 REFERENCES
Evolution of Sirenian Pachyosteosclerosis, a Model-case for the Study of Bone Structure in Aquatic Tetrapods
TLDR
To document how these features differentiated during sirenian evolution, the ribs of 15 species, from the most basal form (Pezosiren portelli) up to extant taxa, were studied and compared to those of other mammalian species from both morphometric and histological points of view.
Microanatomy of the radius and lifestyle in amniotes (Vertebrata, Tetrapoda)
TLDR
The discriminant function based on taxa of known lifestyle is used to infer the lifestyle of three extinct amniotes: the early nothosaur Pachypleurosaurus, therapsid Lystrosaurus and the synapsid Ophiacodon and these predictions are congruent with classical palaeoecological interpretations.
Vertebral microanatomy in squamates: structure, growth and ecological correlates
TLDR
It is demonstrated that vertebrae in snakes are generally denser than those of lizards sensu stricto, this may drive the presence of a phylogenetic signal in the data, and preliminary analyses testing for associations between vertebral structure and habitat use suggest that vertebras of fossorial taxa are denserthan those of terrestrial taxa, those in aquatic taxa being of intermediate density.
Carapace bone histology in the giant pleurodiran turtle Stupendemys geographicus: Phylogeny and function
TLDR
The assignment of S. geographicus to the Podocnemidae was neither strengthened nor refuted by the bone his− tology, and a reduced thickness of the internal cortex of the shell elements constitutes a potential synapomorphy of the Bothremydidae.
Evolution of bone microanatomy of the tetrapod tibia and its use in palaeobiological inference
TLDR
Lifestyle is inferred to have been terrestrial for the stem‐tetrapod Discosauriscus, the basal synapsid Dimetrodon, the dicynodont therapsid Dicynodon, an unindentified gorgonopsian, and the parareptile Pareiasaurus, which is modelled as being aquatic, but was more likely amphibious.
"Pachyostosis" in aquatic amniotes: a review.
  • A. Houssaye
  • Environmental Science
    Integrative zoology
  • 2009
TLDR
The functional consequences of "pachyostosis," and notably its importance for buoyancy control in the context of hydrostatic regulation of the body trim, are discussed and opposed to the requirement of improved swimming abilities in the case of a hydrodynamic mode of trim regulation.
Age-determination in the tropical agamid garden lizard, Calotes versicolor (Daudin), based on bone histology
Periosteal bone growth rates in extant ratites (ostriche and emu). Implications for assessing growth in dinosaurs.
Reproduction in the Iguana Conolophus subcristatus on Fernandina Island, Galapagos: Clutch Size and Migration Costs
  • D. Werner
  • Environmental Science, Biology
    The American Naturalist
  • 1983
TLDR
Adult land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) on Fernandina Island, Galapagos, live in an unpredictable, predator-free environment and the relative clutch mass is the lowest recorded for iguanines, and is also low compared to a number of smaller lizards.
Adaptation and evolution in Gallotia lizards from the Canary Islands: age, growth, maturity and longevity
Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of histological data recorded from growing bone from seven extant and extinct taxa of Gallotia show that these lizards do not have the same longevity, reach…
...
1
2
3
4
5
...