Phylogeny, diet, and cranial integration in australodelphian marsupials.

ABSTRACT: Studies of morphological integration provide valuable information on the correlated evolution of traits and its relationship to long-term patterns of morphological evolution. Thus far, studies of morphological integration in mammals have focused on placentals and have demonstrated that similarity in integration is broadly correlated with phylogenetic distance and dietary similarity. Detailed studies have also demonstrated a significant correlation between developmental relationships among structures and adult morphological integration. However, these studies have not yet been applied to marsupial taxa, which differ greatly from placentals in reproductive strategy and cranial development and could provide the diversity necessary to assess the relationships among phylogeny, ecology, developm

SUBMITTER: Goswami A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1994583 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature