In this study, we investigate how the terrestrial-aquatic transition influenced patterns of axial
integration and modularity in response to the secondary adaptation to a marine lifestyle. We …

Morphological diversity is often attributed as adaptations to distinct ecologies. Although
biologists have long hypothesized that distinct ecologies drive the evolution of body shape …

The analysis of patterns of integration is crucial for the reconstruction and understanding of
how morphological changes occur in a taxonomic group throughout evolution. These …

The regionalization of the mammalian spinal column is an important evolutionary,
developmental, and functional hallmark of the clade. Vertebral column regions are usually …

Although convergence is often recognized as a ubiquitous feature across the Tree of Life,
whether the underlying traits also exhibit similar evolutionary pathways towards convergent …

The diversity of body shapes is one of the most prominent features of phenotypic variation in
vertebrates. Biologists, however, still lack a full understanding of the underlying …

Functional morphology of the atlas reflects multiple aspects of an organism's biology. More
specifically, its shape indicates patterns of head mobility, while the size of its vascular …

The typical mammalian neck consisting of seven cervical vertebrae (C1–C7) was
established by the Late Permian in the cynodont forerunners of modern mammals. This …

Τhe functional morphology of the skull of the fossil badger Meles dimitrius from the Early
Pleistocene of Greece is studied by means of comparative myological and osteological …

During mammalian terrestrial locomotion, body flexibility facilitated by the vertebral column
is expected to be correlated with observed modes of locomotion, known as gait (eg, sprawl …