DOCSLIB.ORG

UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Carnivory in the Oligo-Miocene: Resource Specialization, Competition, and Coexistence Among North American Fossil Canids Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0v15g9qp Author Balisi, Mairin Francesca Aragones Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Carnivory in the Oligo-Miocene: Resource Specialization, Competition, and Coexistence Among North American Fossil Canids A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Biology by Mairin Francesca Aragones Balisi 2018 © Copyright by Mairin Francesca Aragones Balisi 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Carnivory in the Oligo-Miocene: Resource Specialization, Competition, and Coexistence Among North American Fossil Canids by Mairin Francesca Aragones Balisi Doctor of Philosophy in Biology University of California, Los Angeles 2018 Professor Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Chair Competition likely shaped the evolution of the mammalian family Canidae (dogs and their ancestors; order Carnivora). From their origin 40 million years ago (Ma), early canids lived alongside potential competitors that may have monopolized the large-carnivore niche—such as bears, bear-dogs, and nimravid saber-toothed cats—before becoming large and hypercarnivorous (diet of >70% meat) later in their history. This ecomorphological context, along with high phylogenetic resolution and an outstanding fossil record, makes North American fossil canids an ideal system for investigating how biotic interactions (e.g. competition) and ecological specialization (e.g. hypercarnivory) might influence clade evolution. Chapter 1 investigates whether ecological generalization enables species to have longer durations and broader geographic range. I developed and applied a carnivory index to 100+ ii species, processing 3708 occurrences through a new duration-estimation method accounting for varying fossil preservation. A non-linear relationship between duration and carnivory emerged: both hyper- and hypocarnivores have shorter durations than mesocarnivores. Chapter 2 tests the cost of hypercarnivory, quantified as elevated extinction risk. Large hypercarnivorous canids experienced extinction rates on par with other canids. However, in each canid subfamily, extinction rates rose after the first occurrence of large hypercarnivores, supporting the idea of hypercarnivory as a “macroevolutionary ratchet” for individual clades. Large hypercarnivores originated just over 10 Ma after the origin of Canidae, exhibiting constant diversification rates and peaking in richness around 12 Ma. Relationships emerge between diversification rates of canid subfamilies and temperature, suggesting future hypotheses to be investigated. Chapter 3 quantifies functional morphology in 114 fossil canids and non-canid competitors from 40 to 15 Ma, testing for ecological congruence between continental and regional scales and whether ecomorphological disparity reflects taxonomic diversity. Disparity appears inversely related to diversity. All four geographic regions examined preserved a narrower range of ecomorphology than at the continental scale. These results suggest that partitioning dietary as well as geographic resources, despite constraints to size, permitted canids to minimize competition and diversify. These macroecological and macroevolutionary studies of early canids and their potential competitors improve understanding of the resilience of the carnivore niche over long timescales, including periods of accelerated global change. iii The dissertation of Mairin Francesca Aragones Balisi is approved. Michael Edward Alfaro Paul Jeffrey Brantingham Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2018 iv I dedicated my master’s thesis to the memory of my mother, Fe Aragones Balisi, who gave me my first biology lesson, and to the memory of my grandfather, Benjamin Aragones, who left me his National Geographic collection. I now dedicate my Ph.D. dissertation to my father, Mario Luczon Balisi, and my brother, John Paul Aragones Balisi, who have supported me in the pursuit of this degree even when memory faltered. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ x VITA ....................................................................................................................................... xiv I. DIETARY SPECIALIZATION IS LINKED TO REDUCED SPECIES DURATIONS IN NORTH AMERICAN FOSSIL CANIDS ............................................................................... 1 Abstract................................................................................................................................. 2 Background .......................................................................................................................... 3 Methods ................................................................................................................................ 7 Results ................................................................................................................................ 14 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 18 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 23 Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................ 24 Supplementary Information ............................................................................................. 31 II. LARGE-BODIED HYPERCARNIVORY AS CONVEYOR BELT TO EXTINCTION? DIVERSIFICATION DYNAMICS OF NORTH AMERICAN FOSSIL CANIDS ................ 41 Abstract............................................................................................................................... 42 Background ........................................................................................................................ 43 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 46 Results ................................................................................................................................ 51 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 55 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 59 Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................ 61 Supplementary Information ............................................................................................. 67 III. FUNCTIONAL DIVERGENCE IN BODY SIZE AND DIETARY ADAPTATIONS WITHIN NORTH AMERICAN FOSSIL CARNIVORAN COMMUNITIES ....................... 71 Abstract............................................................................................................................... 72 Background ........................................................................................................................ 73 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 77 Results ................................................................................................................................ 80 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 82 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 86 vi Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................ 87 Supplementary Information ............................................................................................. 92 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 93 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Summary statistics and measures of phylogenetic signal.......................................... 24 Table 1.2. Quantile regression results at four levels.................................................................... 24 Table 1.3. Results of nested linear regressions........................................................................... 25 Table 2.1. Median posterior estimates of the parameters al and aµ........................................... 61 Table 2.2. Median posterior estimates of the parameters gl and gµ............................................. 62 Table 3.1. Subdivisions of North American Land Mammal Ages.............................................. 87 Table 3.2. Diversity metrics for each region............................................................................... 87 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aspects of the Functional Morphology in the Cranial and Cervical Skeleton of the Sabre-Toothed Cat Paramachairodus Ogygia (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae
    Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKZOJZoological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4082The Lin- nean Society of London, 2005? 2005 1443 363377 Original Article FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF P. OGYGIAM. J. SALESA ET AL. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 144, 363–377. With 11 figures Aspects of the functional morphology in the cranial and cervical skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat Paramachairodus ogygia (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene of Spain: Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/144/3/363/2627519 by guest on 18 May 2020 implications for the origins of the machairodont killing bite MANUEL J. SALESA1*, MAURICIO ANTÓN2, ALAN TURNER1 and JORGE MORALES2 1School of Biological & Earth Sciences, Byrom Street, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK 2Departamento de Palaeobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2. 28006 Madrid, Spain Received January 2004; accepted for publication March 2005 The skull and cervical anatomy of the sabre-toothed felid Paramachairodus ogygia (Kaup, 1832) is described in this paper, with special attention paid to its functional morphology. Because of the scarcity of fossil remains, the anatomy of this felid has been very poorly known. However, the recently discovered Miocene carnivore trap of Batallones-1, near Madrid, Spain, has yielded almost complete skeletons of this animal, which is now one of the best known machairodontines. Consequently, the machairodont adaptations of this primitive sabre-toothed felid can be assessed for the first time. Some characters, such as the morphology of the mastoid area, reveal an intermediate state between that of felines and machairodontines, while others, such as the flattened upper canines and verticalized mandibular symphysis, show clear machairodont affinities.
    [Show full text]
  • A Protocol for Online Documentation of Spider Biodiversity Inventories Applied to a Mexican Tropical Wet Forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)
    Zootaxa 4722 (3): 241–269 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4722.3.2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6AC6E70B-6E6A-4D46-9C8A-2260B929E471 A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae) FERNANDO ÁLVAREZ-PADILLA1, 2, M. ANTONIO GALÁN-SÁNCHEZ1 & F. JAVIER SALGUEIRO- SEPÚLVEDA1 1Laboratorio de Aracnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Colonia Copilco el Bajo. C. P. 04510. Del. Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México. E-mail: [email protected] 2Corresponding author Abstract Spider community inventories have relatively well-established standardized collecting protocols. Such protocols set rules for the orderly acquisition of samples to estimate community parameters and to establish comparisons between areas. These methods have been tested worldwide, providing useful data for inventory planning and optimal sampling allocation efforts. The taxonomic counterpart of biodiversity inventories has received considerably less attention. Species lists and their relative abundances are the only link between the community parameters resulting from a biotic inventory and the biology of the species that live there. However, this connection is lost or speculative at best for species only partially identified (e. g., to genus but not to species). This link is particularly important for diverse tropical regions were many taxa are undescribed or little known such as spiders. One approach to this problem has been the development of biodiversity inventory websites that document the morphology of the species with digital images organized as standard views.
    [Show full text]
  • A Summary List of Fossil Spiders
    A summary list of fossil spiders compiled by Jason A. Dunlop (Berlin), David Penney (Manchester) & Denise Jekel (Berlin) Suggested citation: Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2010. A summary list of fossil spiders. In Platnick, N. I. (ed.) The world spider catalog, version 10.5. American Museum of Natural History, online at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html Last udated: 10.12.2009 INTRODUCTION Fossil spiders have not been fully cataloged since Bonnet’s Bibliographia Araneorum and are not included in the current Catalog. Since Bonnet’s time there has been considerable progress in our understanding of the spider fossil record and numerous new taxa have been described. As part of a larger project to catalog the diversity of fossil arachnids and their relatives, our aim here is to offer a summary list of the known fossil spiders in their current systematic position; as a first step towards the eventual goal of combining fossil and Recent data within a single arachnological resource. To integrate our data as smoothly as possible with standards used for living spiders, our list follows the names and sequence of families adopted in the Catalog. For this reason some of the family groupings proposed in Wunderlich’s (2004, 2008) monographs of amber and copal spiders are not reflected here, and we encourage the reader to consult these studies for details and alternative opinions. Extinct families have been inserted in the position which we hope best reflects their probable affinities. Genus and species names were compiled from established lists and cross-referenced against the primary literature.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting
    UNDERSTANDING CARNIVORAN ECOMORPHOLOGY THROUGH DEEP TIME, WITH A CASE STUDY DURING THE CAT-GAP OF FLORIDA By SHARON ELIZABETH HOLTE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 © 2018 Sharon Elizabeth Holte To Dr. Larry, thank you ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my family for encouraging me to pursue my interests. They have always believed in me and never doubted that I would reach my goals. I am eternally grateful to my mentors, Dr. Jim Mead and the late Dr. Larry Agenbroad, who have shaped me as a paleontologist and have provided me to the strength and knowledge to continue to grow as a scientist. I would like to thank my colleagues from the Florida Museum of Natural History who provided insight and open discussion on my research. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Aldo Rincon for his help in researching procyonids. I am so grateful to Dr. Anne-Claire Fabre; without her understanding of R and knowledge of 3D morphometrics this project would have been an immense struggle. I would also to thank Rachel Short for the late-night work sessions and discussions. I am extremely grateful to my advisor Dr. David Steadman for his comments, feedback, and guidance through my time here at the University of Florida. I also thank my committee, Dr. Bruce MacFadden, Dr. Jon Bloch, Dr. Elizabeth Screaton, for their feedback and encouragement. I am grateful to the geosciences department at East Tennessee State University, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard for the loans of specimens.
    [Show full text]
  • Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology EDUCATOR's GUIDE
    Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Dear Educator: This guide is recommended for educators of grades K-4 and is designed to help you prepare students for their Alf Museum visit, as well as to provide resources to enhance your classroom curriculum. This packet includes background information about the Alf Museum and the science of paleontology, a summary of our museum guidelines and what to expect, a pre-visit checklist, a series of content standard-aligned activities/exercises for classroom use before and/or after your visit, and a list of relevant terms and additional resources. Please complete and return the enclosed evaluation form to help us improve this guide to better serve your needs. Thank you! Paleontology: The Study of Ancient Life Paleontology is the study of ancient life. The history of past life on Earth is interpreted by scientists through the examination of fossils, the preserved remains of organisms which lived in the geologic past (more than 10,000 years ago). There are two main types of fossils: body fossils, the preserved remains of actual organisms (e.g. shells/hard parts, teeth, bones, leaves, etc.) and trace fossils, the preserved evidence of activity by organisms (e.g. footprints, burrows, fossil dung). Chances for fossil preservation are enhanced by (1) the presence of hard parts (since soft parts generally rot or are eaten, preventing preservation) and (2) rapid burial (preventing disturbance by bio- logical or physical actions). Many body fossils are skeletal remains (e.g. bones, teeth, shells, exoskel- etons). Most form when an animal or plant dies and then is buried by sediment (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF File
    1.08 1.19 1.46 Nimravus brachyops Nandinia binotata Neofelis nebulosa 115 Panthera onca 111 114 Panthera atrox 113 Uncia uncia 116 Panthera leo 112 Panthera pardus Panthera tigris Lynx issiodorensis 220 Lynx rufus 221 Lynx pardinus 222 223 Lynx canadensis Lynx lynx 119 Acinonyx jubatus 110 225 226 Puma concolor Puma yagouaroundi 224 Felis nigripes 228 Felis chaus 229 Felis margarita 118 330 227 331Felis catus Felis silvestris 332 Otocolobus manul Prionailurus bengalensis Felis rexroadensis 99 117 334 335 Leopardus pardalis 44 333 Leopardus wiedii 336 Leopardus geoffroyi Leopardus tigrinus 337 Pardofelis marmorata Pardofelis temminckii 440 Pseudaelurus intrepidus Pseudaelurus stouti 88 339 Nimravides pedionomus 442 443 Nimravides galiani 22 338 441 Nimravides thinobates Pseudaelurus marshi Pseudaelurus validus 446 Machairodus alberdiae 77 Machairodus coloradensis 445 Homotherium serum 447 444 448 Smilodon fatalis Smilodon gracilis 66 Pseudaelurus quadridentatus Barbourofelis morrisi 449 Barbourofelis whitfordi 550 551 Barbourofelis fricki Barbourofelis loveorum Stenogale Hemigalus derbyanus 554 555 Arctictis binturong 55 Paradoxurus hermaphroditus Genetta victoriae 553 558 Genetta maculata 559 557 660 Genetta genetta Genetta servalina Poiana richardsonii 556 Civettictis civetta 662 Viverra tangalunga 661 663 552 Viverra zibetha Viverricula indica Crocuta crocuta 666 667 Hyaena brunnea 665 Hyaena hyaena Proteles cristata Fossa fossana 664 669 770 Cryptoprocta ferox Salanoia concolor 668 772 Crossarchus alexandri 33 Suricata suricatta 775
    [Show full text]
  • PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS of the BOROPHAGINAE (CARNIVORA: CANIDAE) Xiaoming Wang
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum, University of Nebraska State Museum 1999 PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS OF THE BOROPHAGINAE (CARNIVORA: CANIDAE) Xiaoming Wang Richard H. Tedford Beryl E. Taylor Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Museum, University of Nebraska State at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS OF THE BOROPHAGINAE (CARNIVORA: CANIDAE) XIAOMING WANG Research Associate, Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, New York 11548 -1300 RICHARD H. TEDFORD Curator, Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History BERYL E. TAYLOR Curator Emeritus, Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Number 243, 391 pages, 147 figures, 2 tables, 3 appendices Issued November 17, 1999 Price: $32.00 a copy Copyright O American Museum of Natural History 1999 ISSN 0003-0090 AMNH BULLETIN Monday Oct 04 02:19 PM 1999 amnb 99111 Mp 2 Allen Press • DTPro System File # 01acc (large individual, composite figure, based Epicyon haydeni ´n. (small individual, based on AMNH 8305) and Epicyon saevus Reconstruction of on specimens from JackNorth Swayze America. Quarry). Illustration These by two Mauricio species Anto co-occur extensively during the late Clarendonian and early Hemphillian of western 2 1999 WANG ET AL.: SYSTEMATICS OF BOROPHAGINAE 3 CONTENTS Abstract ....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT of CAT NMS, LLC a Delaware Limited Liability Company
    LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF CAT NMS, LLC a Delaware Limited Liability Company Table of Contents Page ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................................1 Section 1.1. Definitions....................................................................................................1 Section 1.2. Principles of Interpretation ..........................................................................9 ARTICLE II EFFECTIVENESS OF AGREEMENT; ORGANIZATION ..........................10 Section 2.1. Effectiveness ..............................................................................................10 Section 2.2. Formation ...................................................................................................11 Section 2.3. Name ..........................................................................................................11 Section 2.4. Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices ........................................................................................................11 Section 2.5. Certain Filings ............................................................................................11 Section 2.6. Purposes and Powers..................................................................................11 Section 2.7. Term ...........................................................................................................11 ARTICLE III PARTICIPATION ...........................................................................................11
    [Show full text]
  • SA Spider Checklist
    REVIEW ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL 22(2): 2551-2597 CHECKLIST OF SPIDERS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) OF SOUTH ASIA INCLUDING THE 2006 UPDATE OF INDIAN SPIDER CHECKLIST Manju Siliwal 1 and Sanjay Molur 2,3 1,2 Wildlife Information & Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 3 Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) 29-1, Bharathi Colony, Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641004, India Email: 1 [email protected]; 3 [email protected] ABSTRACT Thesaurus, (Vol. 1) in 1734 (Smith, 2001). Most of the spiders After one year since publication of the Indian Checklist, this is described during the British period from South Asia were by an attempt to provide a comprehensive checklist of spiders of foreigners based on the specimens deposited in different South Asia with eight countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The European Museums. Indian checklist is also updated for 2006. The South Asian While the Indian checklist (Siliwal et al., 2005) is more spider list is also compiled following The World Spider Catalog accurate, the South Asian spider checklist is not critically by Platnick and other peer-reviewed publications since the last scrutinized due to lack of complete literature, but it gives an update. In total, 2299 species of spiders in 67 families have overview of species found in various South Asian countries, been reported from South Asia. There are 39 species included in this regions checklist that are not listed in the World Catalog gives the endemism of species and forms a basis for careful of Spiders. Taxonomic verification is recommended for 51 species. and participatory work by arachnologists in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Organizations. (M V.S
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 043 643 TE 002 090 TITLE Speech Courses in the Senior High School PrograAt A Guide for Teachers. INSTITUTION Detroit Public Schools, Mich. 01B DATE 66 NOTF 219p. 1.;DPS PRICE El:1PS Price MF-$1.00 NC-$11.05 DESCRIPTORS Acting, Cocurricular Activities, Course Descriptions, *Curriculum Guides, *Debate, *Drama, educational Objectives, Evaluation Criteria, Instructional Materials, Interviews, *Mass Media, Production Techniques, Publicize, Radio, Research Skills, Rhetoric, Secondary Education, Speect,es, *Speech Skills, Television, Theater Arts ABSTRACT This teacher guide to senior high school speech programs includes philosophy, objectives, course outlines, numerous sample materials, suggestions for projects and procedures, bibliographies, listings of suggested films, and evaluation materials f6r courses in (1)basic speech (e.g., voice and diction; action; rhetoric; advertising psychology; interoretation; and demonstration, persuasion, and impromptu speeches); (2) radio and television (e.g., broadcasting, interviews, and dramatic proAuction);(3) drama (p.a., theatre history, acting, stege lighting, costuming, make-un, and play direction) ;en? (4) debate (e.g. ,researching, argumentation, briefing, and outlining.) Suggestions for related extracurricular activities include a listing of local (Detroit) contests, festivals, dramatic productions, debates and discussions, and professional organizations. (M V.S. 11111M111 Of 11111111. 101.0110111 W111111 Of FK1 Of 114(001 DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS THIS DOC1,114111 HAS 1111 Of/10010D
    [Show full text]
  • Iterative Evolution of Large-Bodied Hypercarnivory in Canids Benefits
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01193-9 OPEN Iterative evolution of large-bodied hypercarnivory in canids benefits species but not clades ✉ Mairin A. Balisi 1,2,3,4 & Blaire Van Valkenburgh 2 1234567890():,; Ecological specialization has costs and benefits at various scales: traits benefitting an indi- vidual may disadvantage its population, species or clade. In particular, large body size and hypercarnivory (diet over 70% meat) have evolved repeatedly in mammals; yet large hypercarnivores are thought to be trapped in a macroevolutionary “ratchet”, marching uni- laterally toward decline. Here, we weigh the impact of this specialization on extinction risk using the rich fossil record of North American canids (dogs). In two of three canid subfamilies over the past 40 million years, diversification of large-bodied hypercarnivores appears constrained at the clade level, biasing specialized lineages to extinction. However, despite shorter species durations, extinction rates of large hypercarnivores have been mostly similar to those of all other canids. Extinction was size- and carnivory-selective only at the end of the Pleistocene epoch 11,000 years ago, suggesting that large hypercarnivores were not dis- advantaged at the species level before anthropogenic influence. 1 La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA. 2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. 3 Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA. 4 Department of Life ✉ and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA. email: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY | (2020) 3:461 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01193-9 | www.nature.com/commsbio 1 ARTICLE COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01193-9 odern mammal communities are depauperate in apex temperature estimated by oxygen isotopes as a possible extrinsic predators.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of a Major Drug Metabolizing Enzyme Defect in the Domestic Cat and Other Felidae: Phylogenetic Timing and the Role of Hypercarnivory
    Evolution of a Major Drug Metabolizing Enzyme Defect in the Domestic Cat and Other Felidae: Phylogenetic Timing and the Role of Hypercarnivory Binu Shrestha1,2, J. Michael Reed2, Philip T. Starks2, Gretchen E. Kaufman3, Jared V. Goldstone4, Melody E. Roelke5, Stephen J. O’Brien6, Klaus-Peter Koepfli6, Laurence G. Frank7, Michael H. Court1* 1 Comparative and Molecular Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, Department of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 2 Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America, 3 Department of Environmental and Population Health, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America, 4 Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America, 5 Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, SAIC-Frederick Incorporated, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America, 6 Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America, 7 Living with Lions Project (Kenya), Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America Abstract The domestic cat (Felis catus) shows remarkable sensitivity to the adverse effects of phenolic drugs, including acetaminophen and aspirin, as well as structurally-related toxicants found in the diet and environment. This idiosyncrasy results from pseudogenization of the gene encoding UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A6, the major species-conserved phenol detoxification enzyme. Here, we established the phylogenetic timing of disruptive UGT1A6 mutations and explored the hypothesis that gene inactivation in cats was enabled by minimal exposure to plant-derived toxicants. Fixation of the UGT1A6 pseudogene was estimated to have occurred between 35 and 11 million years ago with all extant Felidae having dysfunctional UGT1A6.
    [Show full text]