A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.

<h4>Background</h4>Ichthyosaurs are Mesozoic reptiles considered as active swimmers highly adapted to a fully open-marine life. They display a wide range of morphologies illustrating diverse ecological grades. Data concerning their bone microanatomical and histological features are rathe...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Alexandra Houssaye, Torsten M Scheyer, Christian Kolb, Valentin Fischer, P Martin Sander
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/82985d557e1644928112fe62815e65dc
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:82985d557e1644928112fe62815e65dc
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:82985d557e1644928112fe62815e65dc2021-11-18T08:22:07ZA new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0095637https://doaj.org/article/82985d557e1644928112fe62815e65dc2014-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24752508/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Background</h4>Ichthyosaurs are Mesozoic reptiles considered as active swimmers highly adapted to a fully open-marine life. They display a wide range of morphologies illustrating diverse ecological grades. Data concerning their bone microanatomical and histological features are rather limited and suggest that ichthyosaurs display a spongious, "osteoporotic-like" bone inner structure, like extant cetaceans. However, some taxa exhibit peculiar features, suggesting that the analysis of the microanatomical and histological characteristics of various ichthyosaur long bones should match the anatomical diversity and provide information about their diverse locomotor abilities and physiology.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>The material analyzed for this study essentially consists of mid-diaphyseal transverse sections from stylopod bones of various ichthyosaurs and of a few microtomographic (both conventional and synchrotron) data. The present contribution discusses the histological and microanatomical variation observed within ichthyosaurs and the peculiarities of some taxa (Mixosaurus, Pessopteryx). Four microanatomical types are described. If Mixosaurus sections differ from those of the other taxa analyzed, the other microanatomical types, characterized by the relative proportion of compact and loose spongiosa of periosteal and endochondral origin respectively, seem to rather especially illustrate variation along the diaphysis in taxa with similar microanatomical features. Our analysis also reveals that primary bone in all the ichthyosaur taxa sampled (to the possible exception of Mixosaurus) is spongy in origin, that cyclical growth is a common pattern among ichthyosaurs, and confirms the previous assumptions of high growth rates in ichthyosaurs.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The occurrence of two types of remodelling patterns along the diaphysis, characterized by bone mass decrease and increase respectively is described for the first time. It raises questions about the definition of the osseous microanatomical specializations bone mass increase and osteoporosis, notably based on the processes involved, and reveals the difficulty in determining the true occurrence of these osseous specializations in ichthyosaurs.Alexandra HoussayeTorsten M ScheyerChristian KolbValentin FischerP Martin SanderPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 9, Iss 4, p e95637 (2014)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Medicine
R
Science
Q
spellingShingle Medicine
R
Science
Q
Alexandra Houssaye
Torsten M Scheyer
Christian Kolb
Valentin Fischer
P Martin Sander
A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
description <h4>Background</h4>Ichthyosaurs are Mesozoic reptiles considered as active swimmers highly adapted to a fully open-marine life. They display a wide range of morphologies illustrating diverse ecological grades. Data concerning their bone microanatomical and histological features are rather limited and suggest that ichthyosaurs display a spongious, "osteoporotic-like" bone inner structure, like extant cetaceans. However, some taxa exhibit peculiar features, suggesting that the analysis of the microanatomical and histological characteristics of various ichthyosaur long bones should match the anatomical diversity and provide information about their diverse locomotor abilities and physiology.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>The material analyzed for this study essentially consists of mid-diaphyseal transverse sections from stylopod bones of various ichthyosaurs and of a few microtomographic (both conventional and synchrotron) data. The present contribution discusses the histological and microanatomical variation observed within ichthyosaurs and the peculiarities of some taxa (Mixosaurus, Pessopteryx). Four microanatomical types are described. If Mixosaurus sections differ from those of the other taxa analyzed, the other microanatomical types, characterized by the relative proportion of compact and loose spongiosa of periosteal and endochondral origin respectively, seem to rather especially illustrate variation along the diaphysis in taxa with similar microanatomical features. Our analysis also reveals that primary bone in all the ichthyosaur taxa sampled (to the possible exception of Mixosaurus) is spongy in origin, that cyclical growth is a common pattern among ichthyosaurs, and confirms the previous assumptions of high growth rates in ichthyosaurs.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The occurrence of two types of remodelling patterns along the diaphysis, characterized by bone mass decrease and increase respectively is described for the first time. It raises questions about the definition of the osseous microanatomical specializations bone mass increase and osteoporosis, notably based on the processes involved, and reveals the difficulty in determining the true occurrence of these osseous specializations in ichthyosaurs.
format article
author Alexandra Houssaye
Torsten M Scheyer
Christian Kolb
Valentin Fischer
P Martin Sander
author_facet Alexandra Houssaye
Torsten M Scheyer
Christian Kolb
Valentin Fischer
P Martin Sander
author_sort Alexandra Houssaye
title A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
title_short A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
title_full A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
title_fullStr A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
title_full_unstemmed A new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
title_sort new look at ichthyosaur long bone microanatomy and histology: implications for their adaptation to an aquatic life.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate 2014
url https://doaj.org/article/82985d557e1644928112fe62815e65dc
work_keys_str_mv AT alexandrahoussaye anewlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT torstenmscheyer anewlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT christiankolb anewlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT valentinfischer anewlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT pmartinsander anewlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT alexandrahoussaye newlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT torstenmscheyer newlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT christiankolb newlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT valentinfischer newlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
AT pmartinsander newlookatichthyosaurlongbonemicroanatomyandhistologyimplicationsfortheiradaptationtoanaquaticlife
_version_ 1718421870144913408