Vet World Vol.17 February-2024 Article-25
Research Article
Veterinary World, 17(2): 448-461
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.448-461
Morphologic and mechanical adaptive variations in Saiga tatarica calcaneus: A model for interpreting the bone functional adaptation of wild artiodactyl in captivity
2. Department of Reproductive Medicine, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China.
3. The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China.
Background and Aim: Captivity alters the locomotor behavior of wild artiodactyls and affects the mechanical loading of the calcaneus; however, the resulting adaptive changes in calcaneus morphology have not been sufficiently studied to date. This study aimed to investigate the morphological and mechanical adaptive variations in the calcaneus of Saiga tatarica to understand further the functional adaptation of the calcaneus in wild artiodactyl to captivity.
Materials and Methods: Paired calcanei from autopsy samples of six captive wild artiodactyls (S. tatarica) and six domesticated artiodactyls (Ovis aries) were divided into skeletally immature and mature groups using X-ray evaluation of growth plate closure. High-resolution microcomputed tomography revealed a calcaneal diaphyseal cross-section. The mechanical and nanomorphological characteristics of the trabecular bone were determined by atomic force microscopy.
Results: The percent cortical bone area (%CA), cortical thickness ratio (CTR), and Young’s modulus (E) differed between species in the immature groups but not in the mature groups. S. tatarica had significantly higher growth rates for %CA, CTR, and E in the mid-shaft than O. aries (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The calcaneus morphology of S. tatarica converges with that of domesticated O. aries during ontogeny. These results indicate that the calcaneus of wild artiodactyls can undergo potentially transitional changes during the short-term adaptation to captivity. The above parameters can be preliminarily identified as morphological signs of functional bone adaptation in artiodactyls. Keywords: artiodactyl, bone functional adaptation, calcaneus, captivity, morphological variation, Saiga tatarica.
Keywords: artiodactyl, bone functional adaptation, calcaneus, captivity, morphological variation, Saiga tatarica.
How to cite this article: Jing L, Xu J, Cai J, Huang S, Qiao X and Wan F (2024) Morphologic and mechanical adaptive variations in Saiga tatarica calcaneus: A model for interpreting the bone functional adaptation of wild artiodactyl in captivity, Veterinary World, 17(2): 448–461.
Received: 06-12-2023 Accepted: 24-01-2024 Published online: 23-02-2024
Corresponding author: Fengqi Wan E-mail: wanfqflower@126.com
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.448-461
Copyright: Jing, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.