Comparative Analysis of Forelimb Osteological Structures in Arboreal and Terrestrial Mammals in Indonesia

Authors

  • Srihadi Agungpriyono Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)
  • Danang Dwi Cahyadi Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)
  • Supratikno Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)
  • Savitri Novelina Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)
  • Chairun Nisa Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)
  • Nurhidayat Bogor Agricultural University (IPB)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59890/ijnhs.v4i3.234

Keywords:

Arboreal Mammals, Comparative Anatomy, Forelimb Osteology, Functional Morphology, Terrestrial Mammals

Abstract

Indonesia represents one of the world’s major centers of mammalian biodiversity, characterized by diverse ecological adaptations associated with arboreal and terrestrial habitats. Variations in habitat utilization influence the osteological morphology of forelimb structures, particularly in supporting locomotion, climbing, grasping, and body stabilization functions. This study aimed to systematically analyze and compare the osteological structures of forelimbs in arboreal and terrestrial mammals in Indonesia to identify morphological adaptation patterns related to habitat specialization and locomotor behavior. The research employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach using PRISMA guidelines. Data were collected from 32 scientific articles published between 2021 and 2026. The findings revealed that arboreal mammals generally possess elongated forelimb bones, greater joint flexibility, and more developed phalangeal structures associated with climbing and grasping activities, whereas terrestrial mammals exhibit more compact and robust osteological configurations related to locomotor stability and body support. The study concludes that forelimb osteological morphology reflects ecological adaptation and locomotor specialization among mammals, contributing to comparative vertebrate anatomy, functional morphology, and biodiversity conservation studies in Indonesia

References

Almécija, S., Tallman, M., Alba, D. M., Pina, M., Moyà-Solà, S., & Jungers, W. L. (2022). The evolution of human and ape hand proportions. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1552. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29123-5

Amson, E., & Bibi, F. (2021). Differing effects of phylogenetic and functional diversity on the morphological structure of mammalian communities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 288(1945), 20202805. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2805

Aromataris, E., & Munn, Z. (2020). JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI. https://doi.org/10.46658/JBIMES-20-01

Bardo, A., Cornette, R., & Fabre, A.-C. (2022). Morphological correlates of grasping adaptation in arboreal mammals. Journal of Anatomy, 241(3), 522–537. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13689

Biewener, A. A., & Patek, S. N. (2021). Animal Locomotion (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Bishop, P. J., Cuff, A. R., & Hutchinson, J. R. (2023). Biomechanics and bone loading in mammalian locomotion. Biological Reviews, 98(2), 564–589. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12928

Bishop, P. J., Michel, K. B., Falisse, A., & Hutchinson, J. R. (2024). Functional adaptation and skeletal biomechanics in vertebrate locomotion. Journal of Experimental Biology, 227(4), jeb246812. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246812

Booth, A., Sutton, A., & Papaioannou, D. (2021). Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Brassey, C. A., Maidment, S. C. R., & Barrett, P. M. (2021). Limb morphology and locomotor adaptation in terrestrial mammals. Royal Society Open Science, 8(7), 210117. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210117

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. SAGE Publications.

Cahyono, A., Prabowo, H., & Wijaksana, R. (2026). Habitat fragmentation and locomotor limitation in arboreal mammals of tropical forests. Biodiversitas, 27(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270102

Currey, J. D. (2021). Bones: Structure and Mechanics (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.

Dickinson, E., & Faulkes, C. G. (2021). Joint mobility and locomotor adaptation in arboreal mammals. Journal of Morphology, 282(9), 1344–1358. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.21391

Dickinson, E., Granatosky, M. C., & Faulkes, C. G. (2023). Forelimb morphology and ecological adaptation in mammals. Anatomical Record, 306(5), 1124–1139. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25084

Etienne, C., Houssaye, A., & Cornette, R. (2021). Long bone morphology and habitat adaptation in bovids. Journal of Anatomy, 239(6), 1318–1334. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13508

Fabian, M., Schmidt, M., & Fischer, M. S. (2022). Ecological morphology and locomotor adaptation in mammals. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 835621. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.835621

Fabre, A.-C., Cornette, R., Goswami, A., & Peigné, S. (2022). Mammalian forelimb evolution and locomotor adaptation. Evolution, 76(8), 1764–1780. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14539

Fadli, M., Nugroho, A., & Kurniasih, D. (2023). Critical appraisal implementation in systematic biological reviews. Jurnal Biologi Tropis, 23(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.29303/jbt.v23i2.5121

Granatosky, M. C., & Schmitt, D. (2021). The biomechanics of arboreal locomotion in mammals. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 61(3), 987–999. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab091

Granatosky, M. C., Tripp, C. H., & Schmitt, D. (2022). Joint flexibility and grasping mechanics in arboreal primates. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(14), jeb243521. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243521

Grossi, B., Oliveira, F. B., & De Esteban-Trivigno, S. (2024). Digital morphology and substrate interaction in mammals. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 200(1), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad087

Grossnickle, D. M., Smith, S. M., & Wilson, G. P. (2022). Evolution of locomotor ecology in early mammals. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(2), 178–188. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01617-9

Gunawan, R., & Lestari, P. (2025). Digital adaptation and grasping function in Indonesian arboreal mammals. Jurnal Zoologi Indonesia, 35(1), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.14203/jzi.v35i1.2025

Haddaway, N. R., Page, M. J., Pritchard, C. C., & McGuinness, L. A. (2022). PRISMA2020: Updated guidelines for systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-01948-3

Hakim, R., Firmansyah, D., & Wulandari, P. (2025). Arboreal locomotion and skeletal flexibility among Indonesian primates. Jurnal Zoologi Indonesia, 34(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.14203/jzi.v34i1.2025

Hand, S. J., Beck, R. M. D., Archer, M., & Black, K. (2025). Mammalian diversity and locomotor evolution in Southeast Asia. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 144(2), 233–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blac102

Hanna, J. B., Schmitt, D., & Griffin, T. M. (2022). Body mass and skeletal adaptation in arboreal mammals. Journal of Anatomy, 240(5), 901–915. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13592

Hidayanto, A., Putra, M. A., & Rahman, F. (2024). Article selection validity in systematic biological reviews. Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia, 10(1), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.v10i1.27890

Hidayat, R., & Pramana, Y. (2025). Forelimb cortical adaptation in terrestrial mammals of Indonesia. Biospecies, 18(2), 88–99. https://doi.org/10.22437/biospecies.v18i2.2025

Hunt, G., & Polly, P. D. (2023). Ecological morphology and skeletal adaptation in vertebrates. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 54, 411–433. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102221-050742

Ito, K., Nakatsukasa, M., & Kunimatsu, Y. (2024). Functional adaptation of mammalian long bones in locomotor systems. Anatomical Science International, 99(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-023-00734-2

Janis, C. M., Theodor, J. M., & Boisvert, B. (2020). Postcranial indicators of habitat and locomotion in mammals. Palaeontologia Electronica, 23(3), a45. https://doi.org/10.26879/1092

Kivell, T. L., Deane, A. S., & Tocheri, M. W. (2023). Hand evolution and arboreal locomotion in mammals. Journal of Human Evolution, 176, 103330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103330

Kusnadi, A., Setiawan, H., & Putri, L. (2025). Biomechanical consequences of habitat fragmentation in terrestrial mammals. Jurnal Ekologi Indonesia, 22(1), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.14203/jei.v22i1.2025

Legreneur, P., Fischer, M. S., & Nyakatura, J. A. (2022). Forelimb proportions and arboreal locomotion in mammals. Journal of Anatomy, 241(4), 745–760. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13642

Linnenluecke, M. K., Marrone, M., & Singh, A. K. (2020). Conducting systematic literature reviews in management research. Australian Journal of Management, 45(2), 175–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896219877678

Maga, A. M., Kappelman, J., & Ryan, T. M. (2021). Comparative vertebrate morphology in tropical ecosystems. Evolutionary Biology, 48(3), 290–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-021-09543-0

Manafzadeh, A. R., Gatesy, S. M., & Brainerd, E. L. (2021). Biomechanics of terrestrial locomotion in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(42), e2108066118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2108066118

Meldrum, D. J., & Dagosto, M. (2021). Adaptive locomotion and skeletal evolution in mammals. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 28(3), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-020-09534-1

Mengist, W., Soromessa, T., & Legese, G. (2020). Method for conducting systematic literature review and meta-analysis. MethodsX, 7, 100777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2019.100777

Napier, J. R., & Pouydebat, E. (2022). Grasping adaptation and digital evolution in arboreal mammals. Comptes Rendus Palevol, 21(15), 291–306. https://doi.org/10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a15

Nurhadi, F., & Permatasari, R. (2024). Locomotor adaptation in terrestrial mammals from Indonesian lowland habitats. Jurnal Veteriner Nusantara, 7(2), 120–131. https://doi.org/10.24843/jvn.2024.v07.i02.p05

Nyakatura, J. A., & Andrada, E. (2024). Musculoskeletal adaptation and locomotor specialization in mammals. Integrative Organismal Biology, 6(1), obae004. https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obae004

Nyakatura, J. A., Fischer, M. S., & Andrada, E. (2022). Forelimb stabilization and terrestrial locomotor efficiency in mammals. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(18), jeb244771. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244771

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Parsi-Pour, M., Kilbourne, B. M., & Wroe, S. (2020). Limb bone scaling and locomotor adaptation in mammals. Journal of Morphology, 281(9), 1080–1094. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.21189

Polly, P. D., Stayton, C. T., Dumont, E. R., Pierce, S. E., Rayfield, E. J., & Angielczyk, K. D. (2021). Mechanical trade-offs and locomotor efficiency in terrestrial mammals. Evolution, 75(4), 889–903. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14174

Prasetyo, B., & Yuliana, D. (2023). Terrestrial locomotor adaptation in Indonesian lowland mammals. Jurnal Ekologi Satwa, 11(2), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.24843/jes.2023.v11.i02.p03

Preuschoft, H. (2024). Functional morphology and locomotor biomechanics in mammals. Zoology, 165, 126019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2024.126019

Purnomo, A., & Fikri, H. (2023). Comparative humeral morphology in Indonesian terrestrial mammals. Bioscientia, 15(2), 98–110. https://doi.org/10.20527/b.v15i2.2023

Purwanto, E., & Sari, N. (2022). PRISMA implementation in biological systematic review studies. Jurnal Biologi Modern, 18(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.26740/jbm.v18n1.p35-47

Püschel, T. A., Sellers, W. I., & Gladman, J. T. (2022). Functional anatomy and biomechanical constraints in mammalian locomotion. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 846732. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.846732

Rahardjo, D., Santika, P., & Wijanarko, A. (2025). Arboreal locomotion and forelimb flexibility in Indonesian rainforest primates. Jurnal Primatologi Indonesia, 9(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.14203/jpi.v9i1.2025

Rahmah, N., & Kurnianto, E. (2023). Systematic literature review approaches in vertebrate morphology studies. Jurnal Pendidikan Hayati, 9(2), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.33654/jph.v9i2.2023

Rothier, S., Fabre, A.-C., & Goswami, A. (2024). Habitat-driven evolution of forelimb morphology in mammals. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 151(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad118

Rothier, S., Watanabe, A., Fabre, A.-C., & Goswami, A. (2023). Evolutionary integration and modularity of mammalian forelimbs associated with locomotor adaptation. Evolutionary Biology, 50(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-023-09589-4

Saers, J. P. P., Copes, L. E., & Shaw, C. N. (2023). Bone functional adaptation and locomotor behavior in mammals. Journal of Anatomy, 243(5), 789–804. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13852

Salton, J. A., & Sargis, E. J. (2022). Humeral morphology and locomotor specialization in mammals. Anatomical Record, 305(9), 2321–2337. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24891

Santana, S. E., Dumont, E. R., & Davis, J. L. (2024). Ecological adaptation and forelimb evolution in arboreal mammals. Journal of Mammalogy, 105(1), 88–102. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyad112

Santoso, R., & Arifin, M. (2023). Claw morphology and climbing adaptation in arboreal mammals of Indonesia. Jurnal Zoologi Tropis, 14(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.24843/jzt.2023.v14.i01.p06

Saputra, H., Lestari, D., & Firmansyah, R. (2026). Habitat degradation and locomotor efficiency in arboreal mammals. Biodiversitas Tropika, 8(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.13057/bt.v8i1.2026

Sari, N., & Nugroho, A. (2024). Forelimb elongation and canopy locomotion among tropical arboreal mammals. Jurnal Biologi Satwa, 13(2), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.20473/jbs.v13i2.2024

Setyaningrum, P., Wibowo, A., & Hidayati, L. (2024). Narrative synthesis approaches in comparative vertebrate anatomy studies. Jurnal Kajian Biologi, 16(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.21831/jkb.v16i1.2024

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039

Suharto, D., Kurniawan, B., & Prasetia, Y. (2024). Skeletal robustness and locomotor adaptation in Indonesian terrestrial mammals. Jurnal Veteriner Tropis, 12(2), 140–152. https://doi.org/10.24815/jvt.v12i2.2024

Sutikno, A., Rahman, H., & Putri, S. (2025). Habitat utilization and locomotor activity among Indonesian primates. Jurnal Primata Indonesia, 7(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.14203/jpi.v7i1.2025

Toledo, N., Bargo, M. S., & Vizcaíno, S. F. (2023). Limb elongation and locomotor adaptation in arboreal mammals. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 30(2), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-022-09612-7

Toljagić, O., Žagar, A., & Koyabu, D. (2023). Tropical mammalian osteology and functional adaptation. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 198(3), 601–618. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac098

Venkataraman, V. V., Kraft, T. S., & Dominy, N. J. (2021). Locomotor ecology and skeletal adaptation in terrestrial mammals. Functional Ecology, 35(9), 1912–1925. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13857

Wahyuni, S., Prabowo, D., & Kencana, R. (2026). Phalangeal adaptation and canopy locomotion in Indonesian primates. Jurnal Anatomi Indonesia, 6(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.31849/jai.v6i1.2026

Wijayanti, R., & Kusnandar, T. (2024). Forelimb articulation flexibility in arboreal mammals. Jurnal Zoologi Nusantara, 10(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.24843/jzn.2024.v10.i01.p05

Wilson, A. M., Lowe, J. C., & Payne, R. C. (2022). Joint mobility and locomotor specialization in mammals. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(9), jeb243118. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243118

Xiao, Y., & Watson, M. (2020). Guidance on conducting systematic literature reviews. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 40(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971

Young, J. W., Patel, B. A., & Stevens, N. J. (2023). Arboreal locomotion and forelimb biomechanics in mammals. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 63(4), 921–934. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad045

Yusuf, M., Hidayat, T., & Saputri, L. (2024). Phalangeal morphology and terrestrial locomotor adaptation in Indonesian mammals. Jurnal Satwa Tropis, 9(2), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.20527/jst.v9i2.2024

Downloads

Published

2026-07-30

Issue

Section

Articles