发表机构
Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, IDEALISS ULR 7519, Université d’Artois; Evolution & Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège; Department of Biology, Southern Utah University; Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Centre de Recherche en Paleontologie, Paris, UMR 7207 CR2P MNHN/CNRS/UPMC, Sorbonne; PalaeoHub, Department of Archaeology, University of York; Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London; Evolutionary Morphology, Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History（拉瓦勒理工学院，IDEALISS ULR 7519，阿图瓦大学; 列日大学生物进化与多样性动力学实验室; 南犹他大学生物系; 法国国家自然历史博物馆，巴黎古生物学研究中心，UMR 7207 CR2P MNHN/CNRS/UPMC，索邦大学; 约克大学考古学系古生物枢纽; 伦敦大学学院整合解剖学、细胞与发育生物学中心; 柏林自然博物馆——莱布尼茨进化与生物多样性研究所进化形态学部门; 巴塞罗那自治大学米格尔·克鲁萨丰特加泰罗尼亚古生物学研究所; 卡内基自然历史博物馆哺乳动物学部）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
本研究通过41种鼬科动物内颅分析发现，脑组织主要由尺寸缩放驱动，但水獭和臭鼬等谱系及食性差异导致特定脑区比例调整，揭示脑进化的非均匀性。
AI 中文摘要
哺乳动物脑尺寸和组织的多样性反映了进化和生态压力如何随时间塑造神经结构。然而，这些选择压力如何转化为物种间脑比例和整体形状的可测量变异，仍知之甚少。在本研究中，我们利用来自41种鼬科动物（如海獭、臭鼬、浣熊）的高分辨率虚拟内颅模型，量化了颅腔组成和形状的变异。我们结合成分数据分析和三维几何形态测量学，分析了完整的内颅模型及其主要分区（嗅球、大脑和后脑）。使用系统发育信息回归（PGLS）和模型比较来评估颅腔尺寸、运动方式、食性和分类学对区域比例及颅腔整体形状的影响。鼬科动物的脑组织主要由尺寸依赖性缩放驱动：较大的脑具有增大的大脑、缩小的嗅球和后脑区域，以及更圆的内颅。然而，一些谱系明显偏离这种大体保守的异速生长模式：水獭（Lutrinae）表现出比例上增大的大脑和显著缩小的嗅球，而臭鼬（Mephitidae）则呈现相反模式，强调增强的嗅觉投入。食性生态也影响脑组织的变异，因为食鱼动物相比其他食性群体表现出不成比例地较小的嗅球。相比之下，运动方式对颅腔组成或形状的解释力很小。因此，鼬科动物的脑进化并非均匀：一种共同的缩放模式占主导，但谱系和食性特定的调整会修改脑区域的比例方式。
英文摘要
The diversity of brain size and organization across mammals reflects how evolutionary and ecological pressures have shaped neural architecture through time. Yet, how these selective pressures translated into measurable variation in the proportions and overall shape of the brain across species remains poorly understood. In this study, we used high-resolution virtual endocasts from 41 musteloid species (e.g. otters, skunks, raccoons) to quantify variation in endocranial composition and shape. We analyzed both the complete endocast and its principal subdivisions (olfactory bulbs, cerebrum, and hindbrain) using a combination of compositional data analysis and 3D geometric morphometrics. Phylogenetically informed regressions (PGLS) and model comparisons were used to assess the effects of endocranial size, locomotion, diet, and taxonomy on both the regional proportions and the overall shape of the endocranial cast. Musteloid brain organization is mostly driven by size-dependent scaling: larger brains have enlarged cerebra, reduced olfactory and hindbrain regions, and rounder endocasts. However, some lineages markedly deviate from this largely conserved allometry: otters (Lutrinae) exhibit proportionally enlarged cerebra and strongly reduced olfactory bulbs, whereas skunks (Mephitidae) show the reverse pattern, emphasizing enhanced olfactory investment. Feeding ecology also contributes to variation in brain organization, as piscivores show disproportionately smaller olfactory bulbs compared with other feeding guilds. In contrast, locomotor mode has little explanatory power for either endocranial composition or shape. Brain evolution in musteloids is therefore not uniform: a common scaling pattern dominates, but lineage-and diet-specific adjustments modify how brain regions are proportioned.
Journal refJournal of Anatomy, 2026
