A new viewpoint on antlers reveals the evolutionary history of deer (Cervidae, Mammalia).

ABSTRACT: Recent molecular phylogeny of deer revealed that the characters of antlers previously focused on are homoplasious, and antlers tend to be considered problematic for classification. However, we think antlers are important tools and reconsidered and analysed the characters and structures to use them for classification. This study developed a method to describe the branching structure of antlers by using antler grooves, which are formed on the antlers by growth, and then projecting the position of the branching directions of tines on the burr circumference. By making diagrams, comparing the branching structure interspecifically, homologous elements (tines, beams, and processes) of the antlers of 25 species of 16 genera were determined. Subsequently, ancestral state reconstruction was performe

SUBMITTER: Samejima Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7265483 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature