ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Craig D. Byron
Title: Assistant Professor
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Office Address:
225 Willet Science Building,
Department of Biology
Mailing Address:
Phone: 478-301-2163
Fax: 478-301-2067
E-mail: byron_cd@mercer.edu
Joined Mercer Faculty: 2006
Specialty: Anatomy & Physiology, Histology, Functional Morphology, Skeletal Biology, Primate Evolution
Research Interest: My research seeks to elucidate mechanistic pathways that enable skeletal connective tissues to appropriately respond to mechanical stimuli leading to bone growth or bone resorption. By applying a mechanistic understanding to interpreting skeletal morphology, form and function relationships linking organismal behavior to functional anatomy may be clarified. Teaching courses in the anatomical and zoological sciences are of interest to me especially as they pertain to quantitative methods. A list of these courses includes anatomy and physiology, biostatistics, biological anthropology, and paleontology.
Degrees: B.A., Anthropology,
M.A., Biological Anthropology,
Ph.D.,
Cell Biology and Anatomy,
Publications:
1. Hamrick MW, Pennington C, Byron C (2003): Bone architecture and disc degeneration in the lumbar spine of mice lacking GDF-8 (myostatin). Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 21:1025-1032.
2. Byron CD, Covert HH (2004): Unexpected
Locomotor Behavior: Brachiation
by an Old World Monkey from
3. Byron CD, Borke J, Yu J, Pashley D, Wingard C, Hamrick M (2004): The effects of increased muscle mass on mouse sagittal suture morphology and mechanics. The Anatomical Record Part A. 279A: 676-684.
- Covert
HH, Workman C, Byron C (2004): The EPRC as an important research
center: ontogeny of locomotor differences among
Vietnamese colobines. In: Conservation of
Primates in
- Byron CD, Hamrick M, Wingard C (2005): Alterations of temporalis muscle contractile force and histological content from the myostatin and Mdx deficient mouse. Archives of Oral Biology. 51(5): 396-405.
- Byron CD (2006): The role of the osteoclast in cranial suture waveform patterning. The Anatomical Record Part A. 288A:552–563.
Courses Taught:
Anatomy and Physiology, BIO 202 & BIO 203
2006-2007,
Fall and Spring Semesters
Lecture MWF 11:00-11:50 AM
Lab T 1:40-4:30 PM
Introduction to Biology 1, BIO 210
2006, Fall Semester
Lecture MWF 9:00-9:50 AM
Recitation T 8:25-9:15 AM
Lab T 9:25-12:05 PM
Research Projects:
Cranial Suture Mechanobiology
My doctoral research mainly focused on the form and function of cranial sutures in the vertebrate skull. The cranial suture is a fibrous connective tissue joint composed of collagen bundles stretched between two perimeters of cranial bone (see figure on the right). This site represents the growth front of cranial bones and is commonly recognized as the “wavy”, zig- zag lines traversing the skull (see figure below). The shape of the line in a planar view and in cross-section relate to the functionality of this suture.
Recent work by me relating to cranial suture structure and function in primates reveals
that primates normally subsisting on diets with tougher material properties possess sutures with increased complexity. This is evidenced by comparing 4 species of Cebus primate to each other because C. apella is known to exploit very tough items such as palm nuts while C. albifrons, C. capucinus, and C. olivaceus do not exploit such foods.
Another finding of this research suggests that mechanical loading that results from chewing relates better to suture complexity than does brain size. This is significant because there has been some discussion in the literature concerning the role that encephalization (the process of braincase growth) plays in suture biology. These findings, that are currently in review, will help draw attention to the greater role diet plays in defining suture structure and overall cranial growth.
An immediate question is how increased mechanical loading induces differential growth responses in
the suture connective tissue. Ongoing work in my lab seeks to understand mechanotransduction pathways
in connective tissue by using mouse models with different strain distribution patterns that affect their cranial
sutures. Preliminary data suggest that normal, in vivo, chewing forces cause fibroblast distortion and wounding
(i.e., cell tearing and resealing) events. These events hypothetically induce downstream growth responses in
osteoblasts and osteoclasts along the bone suture connective tissue interface. (See below right.)
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Primate Locomotor Anatomy Studies
Also in my lab I am interested in the evolution of primate locomotor behaviors. Primate anatomy is 
intricately related to locomotor and postural choices made in a natural habitat. This is demonstrated by
the figure found to the right. Different species show unique body segment composition and this relates
to the energetics of these postural decisions from an organismal perspective. My own contributions to
this field pertain to the leaf
monkeys of southeast Asia, specifically those colobines
found in
arm suspensory postures with much greater frequency than non-odd-nosed forms that tend to locomote
as arboreal quadrupeds. These differences are related to forelimb elongation and its role in facilitating
below-branch (suspensory) locomotion and foraging postures. The goal of these studies is to combine
anatomical and functional analyses to elucidate the ecological ramifications of evolutionary
modification in the primate skeleton.
