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Trapped in the morphospace: The relationship between morphological integration and functional performance.
Gabriele Sansalone1,2, Colangelo Paolo3, Castiglia Riccardo4
1Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
The study reveals that the exceptional digging performance of talpid mole humeri is linked to high evolutionary integration between bone parts. This integration may have stabilized their morphology due to consistent subterranean environments.
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Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Comparative anatomy
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Complex morphological structures evolve through functional integration driven by selective pressures.
- Talpid moles exhibit highly specialized humeral morphology adapted for subterranean locomotion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between functional performance and evolutionary integration of humerus subunits in talpid moles.
- To quantify the strength of this relationship and its implications for morphological evolution.
Main Methods:
- Two-dimensional geometric morphometrics to analyze humeral shape.
- Phylogenetic comparative methods to account for evolutionary history.
- Functional landscape modeling to assess biomechanical performance.
Main Results:
- High biomechanical performance in subterranean moles' humeri correlates with elevated levels of evolutionary integration.
- Taxa with lower performance exhibit intermediate or low integration.
- Theoretical high-performance morphologies are unoccupied, indicating a strong integration-performance link.
Conclusions:
- Functional integration plays a crucial role in the evolution of specialized morphologies like the talpid mole humerus.
- Stable subterranean environments may have constrained humeral evolution, preventing further adaptation.
- The findings suggest a trade-off between performance optimization and evolutionary flexibility.