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Biomechanical Consequences of Rapid Evolution in the Polar (2010)
| Citations: | 4 - 0 self |
BibTeX
@MISC{Lineage10biomechanicalconsequences,
author = {Bear Lineage and Graham J. Slater and Borja Figueirido and Leeann Louis and Paul Yang and Blaire Van Valkenburgh},
title = {Biomechanical Consequences of Rapid Evolution in the Polar},
year = {2010}
}
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Abstract
The polar bear is the only living ursid with a fully carnivorous diet. Despite a number of well-documented craniodental adaptations for a diet of seal flesh and blubber, molecular and paleontological data indicate that this morphologically distinct species evolved less than a million years ago from the omnivorous brown bear. To better understand the evolution of this dietary specialization, we used phylogenetic tests to estimate the rate of morphological specialization in polar bears. We then used finite element analysis (FEA) to compare the limits of feeding performance in the polar bear skull to that of the phylogenetically and geographically close brown bear. Results indicate that extremely rapid evolution of semi-aquatic adaptations and dietary specialization in the polar bear lineage produced a cranial morphology that is weaker than that of brown bears and less suited to processing tough omnivorous or herbivorous diets. Our results suggest that continuation of current climate trends could affect polar bears by not only eliminating their primary food source, but also through
Keyphrases
rapid evolution biomechanical consequence polar bear dietary specialization close brown bear polar bear lineage distinct specie semi-aquatic adaptation primary food source morphological specialization phylogenetic test cranial morphology herbivorous diet living ursid brown bear finite element analysis well-documented craniodental adaptation current climate trend polar bear skull carnivorous diet omnivorous brown bear paleontological data
