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Functional trade-offs in the limb bones of dogs selected for running versus fighting

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  • The physical demands of rapid and economical running differ from the demands of fighting in ways that may prevent the simultaneous evolution of optimal performance in these two behaviors. Here, we test an hypothesis of functional trade-off in limb bones by measuring mechanical properties of limb bones in two breeds of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris L.) that have undergone intense artificial selection for running (greyhound) and fighting (pit bull) performance. The bones were loaded to fracture in three-point static bending. To correct for the effect of shear, we estimated the shear stress in the cross section and added energy due to shear stress to the tensile energy. The proximal limb bones of the pit bulls differed from those of the greyhounds in having relatively larger second moments of area of mid-diaphyseal cross sections and in having more circular cross-sectional shape. The pit bulls exhibited lower stresses at yield, had lower elastic moduli and failed at much higher levels of work. The stiffness of the tissue of the humerus, radius, femur and tibia was 1.5-2.4-fold greater in the greyhounds than in the pit bulls. These bones from the pit bulls absorbed 1.9-2.6-fold more energy before failure than did those of the greyhounds. These differences between breeds were not observed in the long bones of the feet, metacarpals and metatarsals. Nevertheless, the results of this analysis suggest that selection for high-speed running is associated with the evolution of relatively stiff, brittle limb bones, whereas selection for fighting performance leads to the evolution of limb bones with relatively high resistance to failure.
  • Keywords: Aggression, Greyhound, Locomotion, Pit bull, Bone mechanical properties, Canis lupus familiaris
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  • Kemp, T. J., Bachus, K. N., Nairn, J. A., & Carrier, D. R. (2005). Functional trade-offs in the limb bones of dogs selected for running versus fighting. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 208(Pt 18), 3475-3482. doi:10.1242/jeb.01814
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  • 208
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  • 18
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  • This study was supported by The National Science Foundation (IBN 9807534 and IBN 0212141).
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