Meeting Abstract

P3.126  Monday, Jan. 6 15:30  Compensating for an altered center of mass: a comparative study of the pelvis and pelvic limbs of three turkey strains STOVER, KK*; ROBERTS, TJ; BRAINERD, EL; Brown University; Brown University; Brown University kristin_stover@brown.edu

Domesticated animals potentially provide insight into how selection on physical characteristics may affect other associated morphological features. The domestic poultry industry selects for traits that decrease time to market and increase meat production. The turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, has undergone such drastic pectoral hypertrophy that the position of the center of mass (COM) has been significantly altered. The goal of this study is to identify associated morphological changes with increased weight and alterations in COM position in turkeys by comparing the pelvic limbs and the pelvis of wild, heritage, and broad breasted white (BBW) strains. Three female turkeys of each strain were CT scanned and bones were measured. In BBW turkeys, the pelvis is significantly broader at both the ischium and ilium, however the weight-bearing width at the labrum is not significantly different among the 3 strains. The BBW strain had a significantly larger femur diameter-to-length ratio but no significant difference in cortical thickness of the femur or tibiotarsus was found among the three strains. To compare proportions of each segment, the femur, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus lengths were plotted in limb morphospace, and while there was no significant difference in BBW and heritage turkeys, both were significantly different from wild turkeys across all measurements. These results indicate that while the pelvis does not necessarily provide a larger locomotor base in BBW turkeys, it provides more surface area for muscle attachments. Additionally, the pelvic limbs have significantly altered morphology, which may help compensate for the altered COM. A study of the forces during locomotion may provide more insight into the functional relevance of these changes.