Flexible conservatism in the skull modularity of convergently evolved myrmecophagous placental mammals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The skull of placental mammals constitutes one of the best studied systems for phenotypic modularity. Several studies have found strong evidence for the conserved presence of two- and six-module architectures, while the strength of trait correlations (integration) has been associated with major developmental processes such as somatic growth, muscle-bone interactions, and tooth eruption. Among placentals, ant- and termite-eating (myrmecophagy) represents an exemplar case of dietary convergence, accompanied by the selection of several cranial morphofunctional traits such as rostrum elongation, tooth loss, and mastication loss. Despite such drastic functional modifications, the covariance patterns of the skull of convergently evolved myrmecophagous placentals are yet to be

SUBMITTER: Ferreira-Cardoso S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9248141 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature