Trapped in the morphospace: The relationship between morphological integration and functional performance.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of complex morphological structures can be characterized by the interplay between different anatomical regions evolving under functional integration in response to shared selective pressures. Using the highly derived humeral morphology of talpid moles as a model, here we test whether functional performance is linked to increased levels of evolutionary integration between humerus subunits and, if so, what the strength is of the relationship. Combining two-dimensional geometric morphometrics, phylogenetic comparative methods, and functional landscape modeling, we demonstrate that the high biomechanical performance of subterranean moles' humeri is coupled with elevated levels of integration, whereas taxa with low-performance values show intermediate or low integration. Theoretic

SUBMITTER: Sansalone G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9542761 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature