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An Ecomorphological Approach to Craniomandibular Integration in Neotropical Deer

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Abstract

South American cervids have a relatively recent evolutionary history in the Neotropics. Present taxonomical richness includes six genera and 17 species grouped in at least two clades, Blastocerina and Odocoileina. With few exceptions, functional morphology or ecomorphological approaches have not been rigorously applied to the masticatory apparatus of Neotropical deer. In order to understand the relationship between craniomandibular integration and feeding behavior, we used geometric morphometric methods (3D landmarks) to quantify the strength and significance of the correlation between morphology and feeding behavior. Two blocks Partial Least Squares analyses, angular comparison, regression analysis, and independent contrast were performed to explore the patterns of covariation between cranial and mandibular shape and size, and between them and continuous dietary characters. The main variation in shape is related to a gradient from a brachycephalic cranium with a robust mandible in small deer to a dolicocephalic cranium with a gracile mandible in large deer. These shape changes seem to be modeled by a complex interplay of allometric trends and biomechanically significant features related to the proportions of dietary monocotyledon, fruit, or dicotyledonous plant material. We find remarkable convergences in the brocket deer ecomorphotype in the two clades of Neotropical cervids, as well as similar craniomandibular traits between marsh and pampas deer with African mixed feeder bovids related to monocotyledon consumption. These findings lead us to share Radinsky’s interest in convergences in the masticatory apparatus of herbivorous mammals.

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Acknowledgments

We thank N. Simmons (AMNH), H. Pastore and E. Ramilo (APN-DRP), M. Beade (CDT), S. Bogan (CFA), R. Barquez (CML), Pablo Teta (MACN), D. Verzi and I. Olivares (MLP), A. Pautaso (MFA), M. De Vivo (MUZSP), J.M. Barbanti Duarte (NUPECCE), and K. Zyskowski (YPM) for access to mammalogy collections; the organizers of the XXXI Jornadas Argentinas de Mastozoologia, La Rioja, Argentina, A. Chemisquy and F. Prevosti for allowing us organizing the symposium: “El paradigma de correlación forma-función en mastozoología: un tributo a Leonard Radinsky (1937–1985)”; S. Vizcaíno and R. Fariña for having introduced us to Radinsky’s delightful text as students; S. Bargo, N. Milne, N. Muñoz, and M. Merino for fruitful discussions on form-function, geometric morphometrics, and deer that inspired this manuscript; G. De Iuliis and the reviewers whose comments greatly enhanced this manuscript. This is a contribution to the projects Universidad Nacional de Luján CDDCB 650/14 and 016/19; and Agencia Nacional Promoción Científica y Tecnológica PICT-2015-2389.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Guillermo H. Cassini

  2. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Ruta 5 y Av. Constitución s/n, 6700, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Guillermo H. Cassini

  3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Guillermo H. Cassini & Néstor Toledo

  4. División Paleontología Vertebrados, Unidades de Investigación Anexo Museo, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Av. 60 y 122, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Néstor Toledo

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  1. Guillermo H. Cassini
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  2. Néstor Toledo
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Correspondence to Guillermo H. Cassini.

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Cassini, G.H., Toledo, N. An Ecomorphological Approach to Craniomandibular Integration in Neotropical Deer. J Mammal Evol 28, 111–123 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-020-09499-5

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