Naomi E Apostolaki | University of Bristol (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Naomi E Apostolaki

Tabulation of bird taxa with their orders, indicating locality, state of preservational ... more Tabulation of bird taxa with their orders, indicating locality, state of preservational condition of the specimen (St.pr.con.), number of specimens, pneumaticity status, Pneumaticity Index (PI%), ontogenetic stage, and registered specimen number (Reg.sp.no.). Abbreviations: D, diver; FL, flyer; FLS, flightless; ND, non-diver; P, pneumatic; SP, semi-pneumatic.</p

(A) Anterolateral view of a cervical vertebra revealing a fo... more (A) Anterolateral view of a cervical vertebra revealing a foramen pneumaticum on the corpus and the purple air sac's lateral vertebral diverticulum (LVDv) that extends along the corpus and attaches on the posterior margin of the facies terminalis caudalis. Note the obliquotransverse muscle (M. obliquotransversalis) anterodorsally to the foramen as well as the transparent air sac diverticular extensions that attach on the foramen's margin and invade it; (B) Another close-up from another cervical vertebra showing a pneumatic foramen directly above the air sac diverticulum (LVDv) and below the air sac membrane attachment; (C) Part of the ostrich neck before the removal of the exterior muscles. Note the transparent air sac membrane that folds beneath the muscle complex. The membrane system is a continuous network that engulfs the bone and is covered by the muscular system; (D) Right posterolateral view of the last cervical vertebra revealing the air sac membrane network anchoring laterally to the muscular system and medially to the corpus. Scale bar corresponds to the main cervical column. Abbreviations: c corpus; fp foramen pneumaticum; faa facies articularis caudalis; LVDv lateral vertebral diverticulum.</p

(A) Depiction of a semi-transparent layer of the actual close-up of t... more (A) Depiction of a semi-transparent layer of the actual close-up of the air sac diverticulum system with its surrounding tissue placed on top of the cervical vertebra; (B) Magnified air sac diverticulum and its membranous extensions. The black lines indicate the various folds and borders of the air sac diverticulum and its membranes as they expand on the bone; (C) Only the bony tissue with the schematic representation of the air sac diverticulum/membrane system without the surrounding flesh tissue. Same colour codes apply as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143834#pone.0143834.g002" target="_blank">Fig 2</a>. Please note that the air sac is not inflated and thus intraspecific variation is highly probable.</p

(A) Anterolateral view of the anterior part of the neck revealing the... more (A) Anterolateral view of the anterior part of the neck revealing the free end of the cervical artery; (B) Same for (a) but with the artery extended revealing its associated semi-transparent diverticular membrane that attaches within the muscle layers; (C) Partially dissected ostrich neck with some of the exterior muscle layers stretched out showing the intertwined air sac membranes; (D) Image exposing the interior surface of the cut-open cervical artery located on the ventral side of the cervical column; (E) Lateral view of a cervical vertebra exposing the air sac lateral vertebral diverticulum and its transparent extensions invading the foramen pneumaticum positioned dorsally to the lateral vertebral diverticulum; (F) Posterior view of a cervical vertebra showing a cluster of 3–4 pneumatic foramina within the foramen vertebrale inner ventral wall. Abbreviations: paa processus articularis caudalis; fs fossa spinalis; fp foramen pneumaticum; LVDv lateral vertebral diverticulum. The scale bar corresponds to the main cervical column.</p

(A) Posterolateral view of CV4 (BRS MG Ag1174.2), revealing the <i... more (A) Posterolateral view of CV4 (BRS MG Ag1174.2), revealing the foramen pneumaticum ventral to the lamina arcocostalis, the foramen pneumaticum ventral to the processus transversus, and the foramen transversarium; note the vertebral foramen located posterior to the processus spinosus; (B) Ventral view of CV3 (BRSMG Ag1174.1) from which the foramen vertebrale laterale, the crista ventralis that runs along the corpus, and the pneumatic foramina on the anterior-most margin of the vertebral foramen can be viewed; (C) Left anteroventral view of a cervical vertebra (CV10: BRSMG Ag1174.8) exposing the pneumatic foramen on the inner wall of the vertebral foramen and the multiple pneumatic foramina within the costotransverse ring; (D) Left ventrolateral view of CV5 (BRSMG Ag1174.3) showing the centrodiapophyseal lamina, the lamina arcocostalis just above the pneumatic foramen on the arcocostal surface's posterior-most margin, and a pneumatic foramen on both the corpus along the line of the neurocentral suture and on the posterolateral surface of the cotyle; (E) Ventral view of CV11 (BRSMG Ag1174.9) exposing the centroparapophyseal laminae, two pneumatic foramina on the ventral side of the left processus costarius and one on the right side of the cotyle; (F) Ventral view of CV9 (BRSMG Ag1174.9) showing pneumatic foramina on both hypapophyses and both centroparapophyseal laminae. The scale bar corresponds to the main cervical column. The main cervical column photograph was taken by Simon Powell. Abbreviations: cv crista ventralis; cdpl centrodiapophyseal lamina; cpal centroparapophyseal lamina; pac processus articularis cranialis; paa processus articularis caudalis; fp foramen pneumaticum; ft foramen transversarium; fvl foramen vertebrale laterale; la lamina arcocostalis; pc processus costarius; ps processus spinosus.</p

Right lateral view of a Struthio camelus (ostrich) mid-cervical verte... more Right lateral view of a Struthio camelus (ostrich) mid-cervical vertebra, showing a local fraction of the air sac diverticular complex and the muscle groups (red) associated with it and the vertebra. The black lines represent the various borders of the diverticular membrane extensions; the purple shows the air sac's lateral vertebral diverticulum along the corpus; the light blue depicts the membranes that extend from the diverticulum, anchoring on the corpus and invading the brown foramen pneumaticum. Abbreviations: fp foramen pneumaticum; MOS M. obliquospinalis; MOT M. obliquotransversalis; MIS M. interspinalis; MLCV M. longus colli ventralis; MIT M. intertransversalis.</p

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Current Sports Medicine Reports

Medicinal Research Reviews

Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine

Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that is a... more Postcranial skeletal pneumaticity (PSP) is a condition most notably found in birds, but that
is also present in other saurischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In birds, skeletal pneumatization
occurs where bones are penetrated by pneumatic diverticula, membranous extensions
that originate from air sacs that serve in the ventilation of the lung. Key questions that
remain to be addressed include further characterizing (1) the skeletal features that can be
used to infer the presence/absence and extent of PSP in birds and non-avian dinosaurs,
and (2) the association between vertebral laminae and specific components of the avian
respiratory system. Previous work has used vertebral features such as pneumatic foramina,
fossae, and laminae to identify/infer the presence of air sacs and diverticula, and to discuss
the range of possible functions of such features. Here, we tabulate pneumatic features in
the vertebral column of 11 avian taxa, including the flightless ratites and selected members
of semi-volant and semi-aquatic Neornithes. We investigate the associations of these osteological
features with each other and, in the case of Struthio camelus, with the specific presence
of pneumatic diverticula. We find that the mere presence of vertebral laminae does not
indicate the presence of skeletal pneumaticity, since laminae are not always associated
with pneumatic foramina or fossae. Nevertheless, laminae are more strongly developed
when adjacent to foramina or fossae. In addition, membranous air sac extensions and adjacent
musculature share the same attachment points on the vertebrae, rendering the use of
such features for reconstructing respiratory soft tissue features ambiguous. Finally, pneumatic
diverticula attach to the margins of laminae, foramina, and/or fossae prior to their
intraosseous course. Similarities in PSP distribution among the examined taxa are concordant
with their phylogenetic interrelationships. The possible functions of PSP are discussed
in brief, based upon variation in the extent of PSP between taxa with differing ecologies.

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Current Sports Medicine Reports

Medicinal Research Reviews

Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine