Concerted evolution of body mass and cell size: similar patterns among species of birds (Galliformes) and mammals (Rodentia).

ABSTRACT: Cell size plays a role in body size evolution and environmental adaptations. Addressing these roles, we studied body mass and cell size in Galliformes birds and Rodentia mammals, and collected published data on their genome sizes. In birds, we measured erythrocyte nuclei and basal metabolic rates (BMRs). In birds and mammals, larger species consistently evolved larger cells for five cell types (erythrocytes, enterocytes, chondrocytes, skin epithelial cells, and kidney proximal tubule cells) and evolved smaller hepatocytes. We found no evidence that cell size differences originated through genome size changes. We conclude that the organism-wide coordination of cell size changes might be an evolutionarily conservative characteristic, and the convergent evolutionary body size and cell size ch

SUBMITTER: Czarnoleski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5936057 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature