© 2015 Apostolaki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [4.0], which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article

A Milani

AJ Bezuidenhout

AM Yates

Andrew A. Farke

AS King

B Müller

BC Livezey

CG Farmer

D Schwarz

D Schwarz-Wings

DA Hogg

DB Wake

DJ Gower

DJ Heard

DR Carrier

Emily J. Rayfield

Emma R. Schachner

ER Schachner

FL Powell

G Mayr

H Magnussen

HE Evans

HG Seeley

HR Duncker

HR Dunker

J Bremer

J Harshman

J McLelland

JA Wilson

JC Welty

JH Brackenbury

JJ Baumel

JN Maina

JR Codd

KF Liem

LM Witmer

LPAM Claessens

M Habib

M Nysten

M Wedel

MJ Wedel

Naomi E. Apostolaki

Paul M. Barrett

PC Sereno

PG Tickle

PM O’ Connor

PM O’Connor

R Fajardo

R Owen

RBJ Benson

RE Brown

RJ Butler

RL Cieri

SF Perry

SJ Hackett

V Ghetie

W Meister

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Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds

Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that is also present in other saurischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In birds, skeletal pneumatization occurs where bones are penetrated by pneumatic diverticula, membranous extensions that originate from air sacs that serve in the ventilation of the lung. Key questions that remain to be addressed include further characterizing (1) the skeletal features that can be used to infer the presence/absence and extent of PSP in birds and non-avian dinosaurs, and (2) the association between vertebral laminae and specific components of the avian respiratory system. Previous work has used vertebral features such as pneumatic foramina, fossae, and laminae to identify/infer the presence of air sacs and diverticula, and to discuss the range of possible functions of such features. Here, we tabulate pneumatic features in the vertebral column of 11 avian taxa, including the flightless ratites and selected members of semi-volant and semi-aquatic Neornithes. We investigate the associations of these osteological features with each other and, in the case of Struthio camelus, with the specific presence of pneumatic diverticula. We find that the mere presence of vertebral laminae does not indicate the presence of skeletal pneumaticity, since laminae are not always associated with pneumatic foramina or fossae. Nevertheless, laminae are more strongly developed when adjacent to foramina or fossae. In addition, membranous air sac extensions and adjacent musculature share the same attachment points on the vertebrae, rendering the use of such features for reconstructing respiratory soft tissue features ambiguous. Finally, pneumatic diverticula attach to the margins of laminae, foramina, and/or fossae prior to their intraosseous course. Similarities in PSP distribution among the examined taxa are concordant with their phylogenetic interrelationships. The possible functions of PSP are discussed in brief, based upon variation in the extent of PSP between taxa with differing ecologies

Naomi E Apostolaki

Emily J Rayfield

Paul M Barrett

Directory of Open Access Journals

Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds.

© 2015 Apostolaki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [4.0], which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor

Apostolaki, NE

Rayfield, EJ

Barrett, PM

Natural History Museum Repository

Apostolaki, Naomi

Rayfield, Emily

Barrett, Paul, M

Explore Bristol Research

English

Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (<i>Struthio camelus</i>) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds

Apostolaki Naomi E.

Rayfield Emily J.

Barrett Paul M.

Public Library of Science (PLOS)

) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds

<div><p>Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that is also present in other saurischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In birds, skeletal pneumatization occurs where bones are penetrated by pneumatic diverticula, membranous extensions that originate from air sacs that serve in the ventilation of the lung. Key questions that remain to be addressed include further characterizing (1) the skeletal features that can be used to infer the presence/absence and extent of PSP in birds and non-avian dinosaurs, and (2) the association between vertebral laminae and specific components of the avian respiratory system. Previous work has used vertebral features such as pneumatic foramina, fossae, and laminae to identify/infer the presence of air sacs and diverticula, and to discuss the range of possible functions of such features. Here, we tabulate pneumatic features in the vertebral column of 11 avian taxa, including the flightless ratites and selected members of semi-volant and semi-aquatic Neornithes. We investigate the associations of these osteological features with each other and, in the case of <i>Struthio camelus</i>, with the specific presence of pneumatic diverticula. We find that the mere presence of vertebral laminae does not indicate the presence of skeletal pneumaticity, since laminae are not always associated with pneumatic foramina or fossae. Nevertheless, laminae are more strongly developed when adjacent to foramina or fossae. In addition, membranous air sac extensions and adjacent musculature share the same attachment points on the vertebrae, rendering the use of such features for reconstructing respiratory soft tissue features ambiguous. Finally, pneumatic diverticula attach to the margins of laminae, foramina, and/or fossae prior to their intraosseous course. Similarities in PSP distribution among the examined taxa are concordant with their phylogenetic interrelationships. The possible functions of PSP are discussed in brief, based upon variation in the extent of PSP between taxa with differing ecologies.</p></div

Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds

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