Comparative cephalopod shell strength and the role of septum morphology on stress distribution.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of complexly folded septa in ammonoids has long been a controversial topic. Explanations of the function of these folded septa can be divided into physiological and mechanical hypotheses with the mechanical functions tending to find widespread support. The complexity of the cephalopod shell has made it difficult to directly test the mechanical properties of these structures without oversimplification of the septal morphology or extraction of a small sub-domain. However, the power of modern finite element analysis now permits direct testing of mechanical hypothesis on complete, empirical models of the shells taken from computed tomographic data. Here we compare, for the first time using empirical models, the capability of the shells of extant Nautilus pompilius, Spirula spirul

SUBMITTER: Lemanis R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5028744 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature