Trabecular bone architecture in the stylopod epiphyses of mustelids (Mammalia, Carnivora).

ABSTRACT: Mustelidae, a carnivoran clade that includes for instance weasels, badgers, otters and martens, has undergone several evolutionary transitions of lifestyle, resulting in specializations for fossorial, natatorial and scansorial locomotion, in addition to more generalized species. The family is therefore regarded as offering an adequate framework for morpho-functional analyses. However, the architecture of the epiphyseal trabecular bone, which is argued to be particularly responsive to the biomechanical environment, has never been studied. Here, we quantify trabecular bone parameters of the proximal and distal epiphyses of the humerus and femur in 29 species of mustelids and assess the differences of these parameters among groups defined a priori based on the aforementioned locomotor types.

SUBMITTER: Amson E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6837213 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature