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Cited by 30Morphological variations and asymmetryPaleontology and Evolutionary BiologyComparative Animal Anatomy Studies

Morphological Disparity of the Humerus in Modern Birds

Open access
Serrano, Francisco J., Costa-Pérez, Mireia, Navalón, Guillermo, Martín-Serra, Alberto·2020·Diversity
DOI 10.3390/d12050173
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Abstract

From a functional standpoint, the humerus is a key element in the skeleton of vertebrates as it is the forelimb’s bone that connects with the pectoral girdle. In most birds, the humerus receives both the forces exerted by the main flight muscles and the aerodynamical stresses exerted upon the wing during locomotion. Despite this functional preeminence, broad scale studies of the morphological disparity of the humerus in the crown group of birds (Neornithes) are lacking. Here, we explore the variation in shape of the humeral outline in modern birds and its evolutionary relationship with size and the evolution of different functional regimes, including several flight strategies, wing propelled diving and complete loss of wing locomotory function. Our findings suggest that most neornithines evolved repeatedly towards a general humeral morphology linked with functional advantages related with more efficient flapping. Lineages evolving high-stress locomotion such as hyperaeriality (e.g., swifts), hovering (e.g., hummingbirds) and wing-propelled diving (e.g., penguins) greatly deviate from this general trend, each exploring different morphologies. Secondarily flightless birds deviate to a lesser degree from their parent clades in humeral morphology likely as a result of the release from constraints related with wing-based locomotion. Furthermore, these taxa show a different allometric trend that flighted birds. Our results reveal that the constraints of aerial and aquatic locomotion are main factors shaping the macroevolution of humeral morphology in modern birds.

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Crossref · 10.3390/d12050173

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66 of 66 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Neornithines with a deltopectoral crest that is short and deep use high-frequency, rapid wingbeats during flight.

    “In contrast, neornithines with a deltopectoral crest that is short and deep use high-frequency, rapid wingbeats during flight [23, 24].”

    From The ecology of Archaeopteryx (2026) · cites this paper as [23]

  • The long yet shallow deltopectoral crest of the humerus in Archaeopteryx suggests a flight style with low frequency wingbeats, similar to neornithine flap-gliding.

    “the long yet shallow deltopectoral crest of the humerus in Archaeopteryx suggests a flight style with low frequency wingbeats, similar to neornithine flap-gliding [23].”

    From The ecology of Archaeopteryx (2026) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Serrano, F. J., Costa-Pérez, M., Navalón, G., & Martín-Serra, A.
Affiliations
  • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (US)
  • Universitat de València (ES)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Corresponding author
Serrano, Francisco J.
ORCID
Venue
Diversity
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-04-28
Volume
12
Issue
5
Pages
173
ISSN
1424-2818 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/d12050173
OpenAlex
W3023385180
Cited by
30
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4
FWCI
3.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Diversity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga (University of Málaga) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (IJCI-2017-32116, CGL2016-78577-P)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies
Keywords
humerus morphology, Neornithes, morphological disparity, allometry, flight strategy, hover, penguins, flightless birds, macroevolution, functional morphology, flapping flight, shoulder girdle

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