Bite Force and Masticatory Muscle Architecture Adaptations in the Dietarily Diverse Musteloidea (Carnivora).

In this study, we present myological data from the jaw adductors in combination with biomechanical data derived from craniomandibular measurements for 17 species representing all four families (Ailuridae, Mephitidae, Mustelidae, and Procyonidae) of Musteloid. These data are combined to calculate bite force potential at each of three bite points along the dental row. Across our sample as a whole, masticatory muscle mass scaled with isometry or slight positive allometry against both body mass and skull size (measured via a cranial geometric mean). Total jaw adductor physiological cross-sectional area scaled with positive allometry against both body mass and skull size, while weighted fiber length scaled with negative allometry. From a dietary perspective, fiber length is strongly correlated with dietary size such that taxa that exploit larger foods demonstrated myological adaptations toward gape maximization. However, no consistent relationship between bite force potential and dietary mechanical resistance was observed. These trends confirm previous findings observed within the carnivoran family Felidae (as well as within primates), suggesting that the mechanisms by which masticatory anatomy adapts to dietary ecology may be more universally consistent than previously recognized. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.
PMID: 31507093 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Anatomical Record - September 9, 2019 Category: Anatomy Authors: Hartstone-Rose A, Hertzig I, Dickinson E Tags: Anat Rec (Hoboken) Source Type: research