| Triturus newts defy the running-swimming dilemma. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 17133867 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Conflicts between structural requirements for carrying out different ecologically relevant functions may result in a compromise phenotype that maximizes neither function. Identifying and evaluating functional trade-offs may therefore aid in understanding the evolution of organismal performance. We examined the possibility of an evolutionary trade-off between aquatic and terrestrial locomotion in females of European species of the newt genus Triturus. Biomechanical models suggest a conflict between the requirements for aquatic and terrestrial locomotion. For instance, having an elongate, slender body, a large tail, and reduced limbs should benefit undulatory swimming, but at the cost of reduced running capacity. To test the prediction of an evolutionary trade-off between swimming and running capacity, we investigated relationships between size-corrected morphology and maximum locomotor performance in females of ten species of newts. Phylogenetic comparative analyses revealed that an evolutionary trend of body elongation (increasing axilla-groin distance) is associated with a reduction in head width and forelimb length. Body elongation resulted in reduced maximum running speed, but, surprisingly, also led to a reduction in swimming speed. The evolution of longer tails was associated with an increase in maximal swimming speed. We found no evidence for an evolutionary trade-off between aquatic and terrestrial locomotor performance, probably because of the unexpected negative effect of body elongation on swimming speed. We conclude that the idea of a design conflict between aquatic and terrestrial locomotion, mediated through antagonistic effects of body elongation, does not apply to our model system. |
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Authors:
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Lumir Gvozdík; Raoul Van Damme |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Evolution; international journal of organic evolution Volume: 60 ISSN: 0014-3820 ISO Abbreviation: Evolution Publication Date: 2006 Oct |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2006-11-30 Completed Date: 2006-12-18 Revised Date: 2008-06-04 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0373224 Medline TA: Evolution Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 2110-21 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Population Biology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology AS CR, Studenec 122, 67502 Konĕsín, Czech Republic. gvozdik@brno.cas.cz |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Body Size Evolution* Female Phylogeny Running* Swimming* Triturus / anatomy & histology, classification, physiology* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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