Functional consequences of extreme morphologies in the craniate trophic system

Extreme morphologies are often associated with extreme demands on performance in a given ecological setting. Even though such extreme morphologies are relatively rare, the craniate trophic system provides many examples of this evolutionary trend despite its highly integrated nature and intrinsic complexity. In this article, as an introduction to the special issue on functional consequences of extreme adaptations of the trophic apparatus in craniates, we survey case studies highlighting the occurrence of extreme morphologies in the trophic system in craniates and briefly review a number of associated conceptual issues: (1) Are extreme morphologies associated with constrained functional versatility? (2) Do high-performance systems necessarily involve extreme morphological adaptations? and (3) Do extreme morphologies limit functional and ecological capacities? An overview of the case studies presented here shows that the craniate trophic system is a suitable model system to explore the evolution of extreme morphologies but currently provides no clear-cut answers to conceptual issues addressed.