The inheritance of vertebral shape in the mouse. I: A study using Fourier analysis to examine patterns of inheritance in the morphology of cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae

The shapes of cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae from large samples of 2 inbred strains of mice and their F1 offspring were examined using Fourier analysis to investigate in detail the distributions and magnitudes of differences in vertebral shape between different strains of mice, the relationships between parents and offspring and any differences in the inheritance of vertebral shape between successive vertebral levels. Consistent with the findings of an earlier study there was evidence for considerable differences between vertebral levels in the degree to which offspring resemble one or other parent. The results demonstrate that the inheritance of vertebral morphology conforms to a model in which F1s between inbred strains form a triangular relationship with their parents. Furthermore, this relationship varies between vertebral levels. The significance of these findings is considered in relation to the understanding of the mechanisms of character inheritance and evolution and some new directions for research into vertebral column morphogenesis are proposed.