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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

Adaptive radiations, ecological specialization, and the evolutionary integration of complex morphological structures.

Leandro R Monteiro¹, Marcelo R Nogueira

¹Department of Biological Sciences and Hull York Medical School, The University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom. l.monteiro@hull.ac.uk

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|October 7, 2009

Summary

Evolutionary integration in bat mandibles shows that independent selection on specific components, not developmental modules, drives macroevolutionary patterns. Diet influences this integration, particularly in specialized feeders.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Macroevolution
Developmental biology
Mammalian morphology

Background:

Evolutionary integration describes coordinated evolution of morphological components, influenced by development, genetics, and selection.
Phyllostomid bats exhibit significant ecological and morphological radiation, making them an ideal model for studying evolutionary integration.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate ecological versus developmental factors influencing mandibular integration in phyllostomid bats.
To examine how diet specialization affects within-species and evolutionary integration patterns of mandibular components.

Main Methods:

Analysis of mandibular shape variation in phyllostomid bats across different dietary specializations.
Assessment of developmental, within-species (genetic proxy), and evolutionary integration patterns.
Correlation of integration patterns with specific dietary guilds (frugivores, sanguivores, nectarivores, carnivores).

Main Results:

Within-species integration mirrored developmental integration across lineages, irrespective of diet.
Evolutionary integration patterns varied, reflecting selection on specific mandibular components.
Dietary specializations with high mastication demands (frugivores, sanguivores) showed evolutionary integration unlinked to developmental patterns.

Conclusions:

Evolutionary integration of mandibular structures in bats is primarily driven by independent selection on components.
Developmental modules do not consistently constrain evolutionary integration patterns, especially under strong selective pressures.
Dietary ecology plays a crucial role in shaping the evolutionary trajectory of complex morphological integration.