Allometric trends and locomotor adaptations in the Bovidae. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 179, article 2
Supplemental Materials
Date
1985
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
[New York] : American Museum of Natural History
DOI
DOI
Abstract
"This study examines two factors which affect the dimensions of the postcranial skeleton of Bovidae: physical constraints of increasing size and adaptations to particular habitats or modes of locomotion. Total limb lengths, lengths of proximal bones, diameters, and areas of long bones all scale more or less predictably with body size. All lengths scale with negative allometry, whereas areas and diameters vary from slightly negative to positive, depending on the bone. Comparisons of exponents of the scaling relationships to expectations of geometric and elastic scaling theory show that bovids do not scale geometrically, and in some dimensions seem to scale elastically. However, elastic factors cannot be the sole physical constraint governing scaling since many dimensions differ significantly from elastic theory. In addition, some limb elements show changes in gross morphology which violate the assumptions of elastic theory. Length of radius, metacarpal, and metatarsal do not scale predictably with body weight; adaptations to particular habitats are more important in determining lengths of these bones than is body size. Species found in open or grasslands habitats tend to have long limb elements relative to body weight, those in mountainous regions have relatively short limb elements, and those in woodland regions have intermediate length distal elements"--p. 199.
Description
p. 199-288 : ill. ; 26 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [287]-288).
Includes bibliographical references (p. [287]-288).
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