Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds

Avian cranial anatomy is constrained by the competing (or complementary) requirements and costs of various facial, muscular, sensory, and central neural structures. However, these constraints may operate differently in flighted versus flightless birds. We investigated cranial sense organ morphology...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Peter Johnston, Kieren J. Mitchell
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	moa <i>Aepyornis</i> kiwi kakapo olfaction vision Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/656eea544acd4ee6868fef48e9dabfb8
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:656eea544acd4ee6868fef48e9dabfb8
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:656eea544acd4ee6868fef48e9dabfb82021-11-25T17:22:29ZContrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds10.3390/d131105381424-2818https://doaj.org/article/656eea544acd4ee6868fef48e9dabfb82021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/11/538https://doaj.org/toc/1424-2818Avian cranial anatomy is constrained by the competing (or complementary) requirements and costs of various facial, muscular, sensory, and central neural structures. However, these constraints may operate differently in flighted versus flightless birds. We investigated cranial sense organ morphology in four lineages of flightless birds: kiwi (<i>Apteryx</i>), the Kakapo (<i>Strigops habroptilus</i>), and the extinct moa (Dinornithiformes) from New Zealand; and the extinct elephant birds from Madagascar (Aepyornithidae). Scleral ring and eye measurements suggest that the Upland Moa (<i>Megalapteryx didinus</i>) was diurnal, while measurements for the Kakapo are consistent with nocturnality. Kiwi are olfactory specialists, though here we postulate that retronasal olfaction is the dominant olfactory route in this lineage. We suggest that the Upland Moa and aepyornithids were also olfactory specialists; the former additionally displaying prominent bill tip sensory organs implicated in mechanoreception. Finally, the relative size of the endosseous cochlear duct revealed that the Upland Moa had a well-developed hearing sensitivity range, while the sensitivity of the kiwi, Kakapo, and aepyornithids was diminished. Together, our results reveal contrasting sensory strategies among extant and extinct flightless birds. More detailed characterisation of sensory capacities and cranial anatomy in extant birds may refine our ability to make accurate inferences about the sensory capacities of fossil taxa.Peter JohnstonKieren J. MitchellMDPI AGarticlemoa<i>Aepyornis</i>kiwikakapoolfactionvisionBiology (General)QH301-705.5ENDiversity, Vol 13, Iss 538, p 538 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	moa <i>Aepyornis</i> kiwi kakapo olfaction vision Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	moa <i>Aepyornis</i> kiwi kakapo olfaction vision Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Peter Johnston Kieren J. Mitchell Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
description	Avian cranial anatomy is constrained by the competing (or complementary) requirements and costs of various facial, muscular, sensory, and central neural structures. However, these constraints may operate differently in flighted versus flightless birds. We investigated cranial sense organ morphology in four lineages of flightless birds: kiwi (<i>Apteryx</i>), the Kakapo (<i>Strigops habroptilus</i>), and the extinct moa (Dinornithiformes) from New Zealand; and the extinct elephant birds from Madagascar (Aepyornithidae). Scleral ring and eye measurements suggest that the Upland Moa (<i>Megalapteryx didinus</i>) was diurnal, while measurements for the Kakapo are consistent with nocturnality. Kiwi are olfactory specialists, though here we postulate that retronasal olfaction is the dominant olfactory route in this lineage. We suggest that the Upland Moa and aepyornithids were also olfactory specialists; the former additionally displaying prominent bill tip sensory organs implicated in mechanoreception. Finally, the relative size of the endosseous cochlear duct revealed that the Upland Moa had a well-developed hearing sensitivity range, while the sensitivity of the kiwi, Kakapo, and aepyornithids was diminished. Together, our results reveal contrasting sensory strategies among extant and extinct flightless birds. More detailed characterisation of sensory capacities and cranial anatomy in extant birds may refine our ability to make accurate inferences about the sensory capacities of fossil taxa.
format	article
author	Peter Johnston Kieren J. Mitchell
author_facet	Peter Johnston Kieren J. Mitchell
author_sort	Peter Johnston
title	Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
title_short	Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
title_full	Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
title_fullStr	Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
title_full_unstemmed	Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds
title_sort	contrasting patterns of sensory adaptation in living and extinct flightless birds
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/656eea544acd4ee6868fef48e9dabfb8
work_keys_str_mv	AT peterjohnston contrastingpatternsofsensoryadaptationinlivingandextinctflightlessbirds AT kierenjmitchell contrastingpatternsofsensoryadaptationinlivingandextinctflightlessbirds
_version_	1718412411482931200

Contrasting Patterns of Sensory Adaptation in Living and Extinct Flightless Birds

Ejemplares similares