Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation?
Molecular studies highlighted a strong genetic affinity between the remnant and isolated population of the Apennine brown bear and other southern European populations. Despite this genetic closeness a recent morphometric study revealed a marked phenotypic distinctiveness of the Apennine population,...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11573/486230 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x |
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ftunivromairis:oai:iris.uniroma1.it:11573/486230 2024-01-21T10:11:02+01:00 Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? COLANGELO, PAOLO LOY, anna VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto CIUCCI, Paolo Djuro Huber Tomislav Gomercic Colangelo, Paolo Loy, Anna Djuro, Huber Tomislav, Gomercic VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto Ciucci, Paolo 2012 STAMPA http://hdl.handle.net/11573/486230 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x eng eng WILEY-BLACKWELL info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000307381200002 volume:107 issue:1 firstpage:15 lastpage:26 numberofpages:12 journal:BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY http://hdl.handle.net/11573/486230 doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-84864851474 geometric morphometric phenotypic evolution ursus arctos info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2012 ftunivromairis https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x 2023-12-27T18:00:52Z Molecular studies highlighted a strong genetic affinity between the remnant and isolated population of the Apennine brown bear and other southern European populations. Despite this genetic closeness a recent morphometric study revealed a marked phenotypic distinctiveness of the Apennine population, supporting the reinstatement of a distinct taxon (Ursus arctos marsicanus). By building upon previous morphological analyses, we adopted geometric morphometrics to better investigate the skull morphology of the Apennine brown bear with reference to the other, closely related southern European populations. Both skull shape and size differences confirmed the strong divergence of U. arctos marsicanus. In particular, the Apennine bears are characterized by an enlargement of the supraorbital apophysis and a larger distance across the zygomatic arches. Furthermore, our analyses highlighted significant shape differences of the first upper molar in the Apennine bears. Our results suggest that the Apennine bears underwent a rapid morphological change, possibly driven by genetic drift and local selective pressures. Because the greatest morphological differentiation is likely to be related to the muscles involved in mastication, we hypothesize that local selective pressures might be related to a shift in food habits, with highly reduced depredation and feeding on large carcasses in favour of vegetation and hard mast (beech nuts and acorns). These results suggest an adaptive distinctiveness of the Apennine bears, which should be carefully considered in any management and conservation action addressed to this highly endangered population. Although more in-depth molecular studies are required to better assess the taxonomic and genetic status of the Apennine brown bear population, our study emphasizes the importance of morphological analyses as a complementary tool for a more thorough characterization of variation and divergence in endangered taxa. (c) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus arctos Sapienza Università di Roma: CINECA IRIS Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 107 1 15 26 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Sapienza Università di Roma: CINECA IRIS |
op_collection_id |
ftunivromairis |
language |
English |
topic |
geometric morphometric phenotypic evolution ursus arctos |
spellingShingle |
geometric morphometric phenotypic evolution ursus arctos COLANGELO, PAOLO LOY, anna VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto CIUCCI, Paolo Djuro Huber Tomislav Gomercic Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
topic_facet |
geometric morphometric phenotypic evolution ursus arctos |
description |
Molecular studies highlighted a strong genetic affinity between the remnant and isolated population of the Apennine brown bear and other southern European populations. Despite this genetic closeness a recent morphometric study revealed a marked phenotypic distinctiveness of the Apennine population, supporting the reinstatement of a distinct taxon (Ursus arctos marsicanus). By building upon previous morphological analyses, we adopted geometric morphometrics to better investigate the skull morphology of the Apennine brown bear with reference to the other, closely related southern European populations. Both skull shape and size differences confirmed the strong divergence of U. arctos marsicanus. In particular, the Apennine bears are characterized by an enlargement of the supraorbital apophysis and a larger distance across the zygomatic arches. Furthermore, our analyses highlighted significant shape differences of the first upper molar in the Apennine bears. Our results suggest that the Apennine bears underwent a rapid morphological change, possibly driven by genetic drift and local selective pressures. Because the greatest morphological differentiation is likely to be related to the muscles involved in mastication, we hypothesize that local selective pressures might be related to a shift in food habits, with highly reduced depredation and feeding on large carcasses in favour of vegetation and hard mast (beech nuts and acorns). These results suggest an adaptive distinctiveness of the Apennine bears, which should be carefully considered in any management and conservation action addressed to this highly endangered population. Although more in-depth molecular studies are required to better assess the taxonomic and genetic status of the Apennine brown bear population, our study emphasizes the importance of morphological analyses as a complementary tool for a more thorough characterization of variation and divergence in endangered taxa. (c) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, ... |
author2 |
Colangelo, Paolo Loy, Anna Djuro, Huber Tomislav, Gomercic VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto Ciucci, Paolo |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
COLANGELO, PAOLO LOY, anna VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto CIUCCI, Paolo Djuro Huber Tomislav Gomercic |
author_facet |
COLANGELO, PAOLO LOY, anna VIGNA TAGLIANTI, Augusto CIUCCI, Paolo Djuro Huber Tomislav Gomercic |
author_sort |
COLANGELO, PAOLO |
title |
Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
title_short |
Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
title_full |
Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
title_fullStr |
Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cranial distinctiveness in the Apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
title_sort |
cranial distinctiveness in the apennine brown bear: genetic drift effect or ecophenotypic adaptation? |
publisher |
WILEY-BLACKWELL |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11573/486230 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000307381200002 volume:107 issue:1 firstpage:15 lastpage:26 numberofpages:12 journal:BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY http://hdl.handle.net/11573/486230 doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-84864851474 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01926.x |
container_title |
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society |
container_volume |
107 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
15 |
op_container_end_page |
26 |
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1788702522739785728 |