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Saber-tooth morphology repeated evolution (free pdf)
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Ben Creisler
Jan 9, 2025, 2:24:04 PM (3 days ago) Jan 9
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Tahlia I. Pollock, William J. Deakin, Narimane Chatar, Pablo S. Milla Carmona, Douglass S. Rovinsky, Olga Panagiotopoulou, William M.G. Parker, Justin W. Adams, David P. Hocking, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Emily J. Rayfield & Alistair R. Evans (2025)
Functional optimality underpins the repeated evolution of the extreme “saber-tooth” morphology
Current Biology (advance online publication)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.059
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982224016269
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)01626-9
Free pdf:
https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822%2824%2901626-9
Highlights
There is continuous morphofunctional diversity in saber-tooth canines
Extreme saber teeth are optimal, enhancing puncture but reducing breakage resistance
Functional optimality drives convergent evolution of extreme saber-tooth morphology
Increased specialization of extreme saber forms may act as an evolutionary ratchet
Summary
“Saber teeth”—elongate, blade-like canines—are a classic example of convergence, having evolved repeatedly throughout mammalian history. Within canine teeth, there is a trade-off between the aspects of shape that improve food fracture and those that increase tooth strength. Optimal morphologies strike a balance between these antagonistic functional criteria. The extreme saber-tooth morphology is thought to confer functional advantage for more specialized predatory adaptations and optimization; however, the adaptive bases underpinning their evolution remain unclear. To determine whether saber-tooth shape reflects selection for functionally optimal morphologies, we generated a morphospace of the 3D shape of 70 non-saber and 25 saber-tooth species, a subset of which were used to quantify functional metrics of puncture performance and breakage resistance. These data were combined using a Pareto rank-ratio algorithm to evaluate optimality. We demonstrate that extreme saber-tooth morphologies are functionally optimal, occupying a localized peak in our optimality landscape. Unlike other optimal canine morphologies, extreme saber teeth optimize puncture performance at the expense of breakage resistance. This identifies functional optimality as a key driver underpinning the repeated evolution of this iconic tooth.
A new non-dino paper:
Free pdf:
Tahlia I. Pollock, William J. Deakin, Narimane Chatar, Pablo S. Milla Carmona, Douglass S. Rovinsky, Olga Panagiotopoulou, William M.G. Parker, Justin W. Adams, David P. Hocking, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Emily J. Rayfield & Alistair R. Evans (2025)
Functional optimality underpins the repeated evolution of the extreme “saber-tooth” morphology
Current Biology (advance online publication)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.059
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982224016269
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)01626-9
Free pdf:
https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822%2824%2901626-9
Highlights
There is continuous morphofunctional diversity in saber-tooth canines
Extreme saber teeth are optimal, enhancing puncture but reducing breakage resistance
Functional optimality drives convergent evolution of extreme saber-tooth morphology
Increased specialization of extreme saber forms may act as an evolutionary ratchet
Summary
“Saber teeth”—elongate, blade-like canines—are a classic example of convergence, having evolved repeatedly throughout mammalian history. Within canine teeth, there is a trade-off between the aspects of shape that improve food fracture and those that increase tooth strength. Optimal morphologies strike a balance between these antagonistic functional criteria. The extreme saber-tooth morphology is thought to confer functional advantage for more specialized predatory adaptations and optimization; however, the adaptive bases underpinning their evolution remain unclear. To determine whether saber-tooth shape reflects selection for functionally optimal morphologies, we generated a morphospace of the 3D shape of 70 non-saber and 25 saber-tooth species, a subset of which were used to quantify functional metrics of puncture performance and breakage resistance. These data were combined using a Pareto rank-ratio algorithm to evaluate optimality. We demonstrate that extreme saber-tooth morphologies are functionally optimal, occupying a localized peak in our optimality landscape. Unlike other optimal canine morphologies, extreme saber teeth optimize puncture performance at the expense of breakage resistance. This identifies functional optimality as a key driver underpinning the repeated evolution of this iconic tooth.
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