Meeting Abstract
The New World leaf-nosed bats (phyllostomids) display exemplary morphological adaptations associated with specialized modes of feeding. Phyllostomid bat skulls underwent significant alteration, most notably in the cranial base, cranial vault, and the length of the face. These changes, among others, occurred over a very short evolutionary interval, which brings into focus underlying developmental mechanisms behind those changes. Despite the wealth of studies into bat evolution virtually nothing is understood about the developmental events responsible for the emergence of cranial diversity. In this study, we describe, quantify and compare cranial neural crest cell (cNCC) dynamics and signaling molecules required for cartilage and bone development in the evolution and development of the upper face and anterior cranial base. Interestingly, the novel facial structure of phyllostomids (leaf-nose), which is related to their mode of echolocation, may result from an expansion in a subset of cNCC surrounding the anterior dorsal nasal cartilage. Significant gene expression and protein level changes in BMP during skeletal differentiation and growth between key bat species provide the foundation for testing hypothesis about the link between ontogeny and phylogeny. Specifically, gene expression may be experimentally replicated in the mouse embryo cNCC and subsequent phenotype examined to evaluate if evolutionary patterns are mimicked. This will reveal causative connection between morphological and molecular changes.
