Evolution of forelimb musculoskeletal function across the fish-to-tetrapod transition
Júlia Molnár, John R. Hutchinson, Rui Diogo, Jennifer A. Clack, Stephanie E. Pierce
Abstract
and quantitatively examine changes in forelimb function across the fin-to-limb transition. Through comparison with extant fishes and tetrapods, we show that early tetrapods share a suite of characters including restricted mobility in humerus long-axis rotation, increased muscular leverage for humeral retraction, but not depression/adduction, and increased mobility in elbow flexion-extension. We infer that the earliest steps in tetrapod forelimb evolution were related to limb-substrate interactions, whereas specializations for weight support appeared later. Together, these results suggest that competing selective pressures for aquatic and terrestrial environments produced a unique, ancestral "early tetrapod" forelimb locomotor mode unlike that of any extant animal.