The influence of modularity on cranial morphological disparity in Carnivora and Primates (Mammalia).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although variation provides the raw material for natural selection and evolution, few empirical data exist about the factors controlling morphological variation. Because developmental constraints on variation are expected to act by influencing trait correlations, studies of modularity offer promising approaches that quantify and summarize patterns of trait relationships. Modules, highly-correlated and semi-autonomous sets of traits, are observed at many levels of biological organization, from genes to colonies. The evolutionary significance of modularity is considerable, with potential effects including constraining the variation of individual traits, circumventing pleiotropy and canalization, and facilitating the transformation of functional structures. Despite these im

SUBMITTER: Goswami A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2831076 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature