How Mammals Move: Locomotory Function in the Soricidae Active
The Challenge: The postcranial skeletons of mammals exhibit tremendous variation in form that partly relates to phylogeny (who a particular species is related to) and partly to locomotory function (how that species moves through its environment). Understanding the contributions of these two factors is important because phylogenetic characters assist in working out evolutionary relationships, whereas locomotory adaptations help to determine how a species interacts with its environment.
The Science: There is surprising diversity in the postcranial skeletons of shrews (Soricidae), and, with the assistance of numerous students, I have been investigating locomotory functions in North American and African shrews, initially as they related to adaptations for moving at the soil surface vs. those for digging. We have discovered that these are not discrete states, but that skeletons of various species present a continuum of grades of adaptation. By mapping adaptations for digging on molecular phylogenies, we found that similar adaptations for digging have evolved within the family numerous times.
The Future: The database for digging shrews is expanding to include Asian and additional North American taxa. Research is now also focusing on adaptations for other modes of locomotion in shrews, such as swimming and climbing.
Below are publications associated with this project.
See how they ran: Morphological and functional aspects of skeletons from ancient Egyptian shrew mummies (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae: Crocidurinae)
Functional skeletal morphology and its implications for locomotory behavior among three genera of myosoricine shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Variation in the myosoricine hand skeleton and its implications for locomotory behavior (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Can they dig it? Functional morphology and semifossoriality among small-eared shrews, genus Cryptotis (Mammalia, Soricidae)
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The Challenge: The postcranial skeletons of mammals exhibit tremendous variation in form that partly relates to phylogeny (who a particular species is related to) and partly to locomotory function (how that species moves through its environment). Understanding the contributions of these two factors is important because phylogenetic characters assist in working out evolutionary relationships, whereas locomotory adaptations help to determine how a species interacts with its environment.
The Science: There is surprising diversity in the postcranial skeletons of shrews (Soricidae), and, with the assistance of numerous students, I have been investigating locomotory functions in North American and African shrews, initially as they related to adaptations for moving at the soil surface vs. those for digging. We have discovered that these are not discrete states, but that skeletons of various species present a continuum of grades of adaptation. By mapping adaptations for digging on molecular phylogenies, we found that similar adaptations for digging have evolved within the family numerous times.
The Future: The database for digging shrews is expanding to include Asian and additional North American taxa. Research is now also focusing on adaptations for other modes of locomotion in shrews, such as swimming and climbing.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
See how they ran: Morphological and functional aspects of skeletons from ancient Egyptian shrew mummies (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae: Crocidurinae)
Animals served important roles in the religious cults that proliferated during the Late (ca. 747–332 BCE) and Greco-Roman periods (332 BCE–CE 337) of ancient Egypt. One result was the interment of animal mummies in specialized necropolises distributed throughout the country. Excavation of a rock-tomb that was re-used during the Ptolemaic Period (ca. 309–30 BCE) for the interment of animal mummiesAuthorsNeal Woodman, Alec T. Wilken, Salima IkramFunctional skeletal morphology and its implications for locomotory behavior among three genera of myosoricine shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Myosoricinae is a small clade of shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) that is currently restricted to the African continent. Individual species have limited distributions that are often associated with higher elevations. Although the majority of species in the subfamily are considered ambulatory in their locomotory behavior, species of the myosoricine genus Surdisorex are known to be semifosAuthorsNeal Woodman, Frank A. StabileVariation in the myosoricine hand skeleton and its implications for locomotory behavior (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Substrate use and locomotory behavior of mammals are typically reflected in external characteristics of the forefeet, such as the relative proportions of the digits and claws. Although skeletal anatomy of the forefeet can be more informative than external characters, skeletons remain rare in systematic collections. This is particularly true for the Myosoricinae (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), a small cAuthorsNeal Woodman, Frank A. StabileCan they dig it? Functional morphology and semifossoriality among small-eared shrews, genus Cryptotis (Mammalia, Soricidae)
Small-eared shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae: Cryptotis), exhibit modifications of the forelimb skeleton that have been interpreted as adaptations for semifossoriality. Most species inhabit remote regions, however, and their locomotory and foraging behaviors remain mostly speculative. To better understand the morphological modifications in the absence of direct observations, we quantified variation inAuthorsNeal Woodman, Sarah A. Gaffney - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.