Automated Author Profile

Aguilar, Rocio

Museums Victoria

Current S-Index

2.0

Sum of Dataset Indices for all datasets

Average Dataset Index per Dataset

2.0

Average Dataset Index per dataset

Total Datasets

1

Total datasets for this author

Average FAIR Score

69.2%

Average FAIR Score per dataset

Total Citations

1

Total citations to the author's datasets

Total Mentions

0

Total mentions of the author's datasets

S-Index Interpretation

S-Index Over Time

Cumulative Citations Over Time

Cumulative Mentions Over Time

Datasets

Patterns of girdle shape and their correlates in Australian limb-reduced skinks (Version: 5)

The evolution of limb reduction in squamates is a classic example of convergence, but the internal morphological patterns associated with it are unexplored. To provide insights into the biomechanical and developmental consequences of transitions to limb reduction, we use geometric morphometrics to examine the morphology of pectoral and pelvic girdles in 90 species of limb-reduced skinks and their fully limbed relatives. Clavicle shapes converge towards an acute anterior bend when forelimbs are lost but hindlimbs are retained — a morphology typical of sand swimmers. This may either indicate functional adaptations to locomotion in fine substrates, or a developmental consequence of complete limb loss. The shape of limb-bearing elements of both girdles (coracoid and pelvis) instead closely mirrors limb reduction, becoming more simplified as undulation replaces limbed locomotion. Integration between girdles decreases in taxa lacking elements of the forelimbs but not hindlimbs, indicating differential selection on each girdle in response to distinct locomotory strategies. However, this pattern becomes less clear when considering phylogenetic history, perhaps because it is limited to one specific clade (Lerista). We show how the functional demands of locomotion, as well as developmental mechanisms, can induce changes at different levels of organismal organisation, including both external and internal structures.

Authors

  • Camaiti, Marco ;
  • Hutchinson, Mark ;
  • Hipsley, Christy ;
  • Aguilar, Rocio ;
  • Black, Jay ;
  • Chapple, David ;
  • Evans, Alistair
1 Citation0 Mentions69% FAIR2.0 Dataset Index
10.5061/dryad.mw6m9065d2024