Statistical analyses across hundreds of species revealed that bird wing and leg proportions evolve independently and accommodate divergent ecological tasks. By contrast, bat limbs evolve in unison, which potentially restricts their evolutionary capacity. We attribute this result to the common development and function of bat forelimbs and hindlimbs within the membranous wing.
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References
Gatesy, S. M. & Dial, K. P. Locomotor modules and the evolution of avian flight. Evolution 50, 331–340 (1996). A paper that presents the hypothesis that the independent evolution of bird wings and legs facilitates ecological adaptation.
Young, N. M. & Hallgrímsson, B. Serial homology and the evolution of mammalian limb covariation structure. Evolution 59, 2691–2704 (2005). A paper that reports divergent phenotypic variation between bat wings and legs within a single species, and suggests it is possible these structures evolve independently.
Adams, D. C. & Collyer, M. L. On the comparison of the strength of morphological integration across morphometric datasets. Evolution 70, 2623–2631 (2016). A methods paper that outlines components of the statistical analyses we applied in our manuscript.
Pennycuick, C. J. The membrane wings of bats and pterosaurs. Theor. Ecol. 5, 135–160 (2008). A review that presents the initial hypothesis that the union of the bat forelimb and hindlimb within a single membranous wing has a restrictive effect on their evolution.
Boerma, D. B. & Swartz, S. M. Roosting ecology drives the evolution of diverse bat landing maneuvers. iScience 27, 110381 (2024). A multispecies investigation into the kinematics of bat landing manoeuvres that is a blueprint for future work to better understand the mechanistic role of adaptations in the bat skeleton.
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This is a summary of: Orkney, A. et al. Evolutionary integration of fore- and hindlimb proportions within the bat wing membrane inhibits ecological adaptation compared to birds. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02572-9 (2024).
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The fact that bat wings and legs must evolve together impedes ecological adaptation. Nat Ecol Evol 9, 21–22 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02573-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02573-8
