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Scaling patterns of body plans differ among squirrel ecotypes.

Tate J Linden¹, Abigail E Burtner¹, Johannah Rickman¹

¹University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America.

|January 31, 2023

Summary

Body shape evolution in squirrels is influenced by body size and locomotor ecology. Different squirrel ecotypes show distinct body shape allometry, with rib length and thoracic region contributing most to evolutionary changes.

Keywords:

Axial skeleton Body elongation Ecomorphology Evolutionary allometry Thoracolumbar vertebrae

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Comparative Anatomy
Morphometrics

Background:

Body size is a key factor influencing morphological diversity across vertebrate skeletons.
The relationship between body shape allometry and locomotor specialization remains understudied in many mammalian groups.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how body shape scales with body size (allometry) across different squirrel (Sciuridae) ecotypes.
To identify the morphological components driving body shape evolution in relation to locomotor ecology and body size.

Main Methods:

Quantified body size and shape of 87 squirrel species using osteological specimens.
Applied phylogenetic comparative methods to analyze allometric patterns and morphological contributions to body shape.

Main Results:

Body shape and its components exhibit allometry with body size, varying significantly among ecotypes (chipmunks, gliding squirrels, ground squirrels).
Ground squirrels showed a relationship between forelimb length and body shape (elongate species have shorter forelimbs).
Relative rib length and thoracic region elongation/shortening were primary drivers of body shape evolution.

Conclusions:

Body shape evolution in squirrels is significantly shaped by body size and locomotor adaptations.
Distinct allometric patterns in body shape exist across squirrel ecotypes, reflecting diverse ecological niches from subterranean to gliding lifestyles.