Tetrapod terrestrialisation: a weight-bearing potential already present in the humerus of the stem-tetrapod fish Eusthenopteron foordi
Clarac, F.; Cornille, A.; Bijl, S.; Sanchez, S.
Show abstract
Our study shows that the von Mises stress, induced by external load on the humerus of Eusthenopteron, dissipates through the cortex, trabeculae and the muscles of the pectoral appendage involved in elevation and protraction. As Eusthenopterons microanatomy is similar to that of Devonian tetrapods, we expect them to share the same process of load dissipation and energy absorption through 1) cortical stress distribution; and 2) longitudinal trabecular conduction. Our FE simulations in hypothetical terrestrial conditions demonstrate that this type of microanatomical architecture could withstand the weight of Tiktaalik proportionally to the size of Eusthenopteron in standing posture. This tubular arrangement, including marrow processes originally involved in long-bone elongation, would have acquired a key secondary biomechanical function to increase the resistance and strength of the cancellous bone to external compressive load. As an exaptation, this specific trabecular architecture may have played a major role in the tetrapod land exploration about 400 million years ago.
Matching journals
The top 2 journals account for 50% of the predicted probability mass.
Similar papers in this journal
- Nature's design of the osteochondral unit: microstructural differences between terrestrial and aquatic mammals 96%
- Operation of spinal sensorimotor circuits controlling phase durations during tied-belt and split-belt locomotion after a lateral thoracic hemisection 93%
- Cyclic muscle contractions reinforce the acto-myosin motors and mediate the full elongation of C. elegans embryo 93%
Similar papers in this journal
Similar papers in this journal
"Similar papers" are the closest papers from that journal in the model's embedding space. They show what the match is built on, but the ranking comes mostly from a classifier over the whole training set, not from these examples alone.