A5086440532- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Marine animal studies overview
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- scientometrics and bibliometrics research
- Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction
Flinders University
2020-2025
Australian Research Council
2022-2025
The University of Adelaide
2022-2024
The University of Queensland
2014-2024
GTx (United States)
2024
Bush Heritage Australia
2020-2023
University of Wollongong
2022
ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science
2021
University of Cambridge
2008-2013
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
2009-2011
An in-depth look at mammalian brain size evolution prompts a reevaluation of traditional paradigm.
Mammals show a very low level of variation in vertebral count, particularly the neck. Phenotypes exhibited at various stages during development axial skeleton may play key role testing mechanisms recently proposed to explain this conservatism. Here, we provide osteogenetic data that identify developmental criteria with which recognize cervical vs. noncervical vertebrae mammals. Except for sloths, all mammals late ossification caudal-most centra neck after other and neural arches. In sloths...
The evolution of mammalian brain size is directly linked with the brain's unique structure and performance. Both maternal life history investment traits basal metabolic rate (BMR) correlate relative size, but current hypotheses regarding details these relationships are based largely on placental mammals. Using encephalization quotients, partial correlation analyses, bivariate regressions relating to times BMR, we provide a direct quantitative comparison in marsupials placentals, whose...
Abstract Geometric morphometrics is routinely used in ecology and evolution morphometric datasets are increasingly shared among researchers, allowing for more comprehensive studies higher statistical power (as a consequence of increased sample size). However, sharing data opens up the question how much nonbiologically relevant variation (i.e., measurement error) introduced resulting this affects analyses. We perform set analyses based on an empirical 3D geometric dataset. In particular, we...
Multidimensional analysis of traits are now common in ecology and evolution based on trait spaces which each dimension summarizes the observed combination (a morphospace or an ecospace). Observations interest will typically occupy a subset this space, researchers calculate one more measures to quantify how organisms inhabit that space. In macroevolution ecology, these called disparity dissimilarity metrics generalized as space occupancy measures. Researchers use investigate changes through...
Postcranial ossification sequences in 24 therian mammals and three outgroup taxa were obtained using clear staining computed tomography to test the hypothesis that marsupial forelimb is developmentally accelerated, assess patterns of postcranial ossification. Sequence rank variation individual bones, phylogenetic analysis, algorithm-based heterochrony optimization event pairs employed. Phylogenetic analysis only recovers Marsupialia, Australidelphia, Eulipotyphla. Little found within...
We describe new cranial and post-cranial marsupial fossils from the early Eocene Tingamarra Local Fauna in Australia refer them to Djarthia murgonensis, which was previously known only fragmentary dental remains.The material indicates that is a member of Australidelphia, pan-Gondwanan clade comprising all extant Australian marsupials together with South American microbiotheres. therefore oldest crown-group anywhere world represented by dental, remains, 30 million years. It also most...
SUMMARY We analyzed a comprehensive data set of ossification sequences including seven marsupial, 13 placental and sauropsid species. Data are provided for the first time two major mammalian clades, Chiroptera Soricidae, rodent species; published three species were improved with additional sampling. The relative timing onset in 17 cranial elements was recorded, resulting 136 event pairs, which treated as characters each Half these constant across all taxa, 30% variable but phylogenetically...
Abstract The contrasting evolutionary histories of marsupial and placental mammals have often been attributed to their different reproductive strategies. speciose placentals develop mainly in utero radiated into diverse niches, whereas marsupials are born a highly altricial state with immediate functional requirements limited taxonomic, ecological, morphological diversity. These differences tied heterochrony, it has hypothesized that coordinated shifts developmental timing occur among...
Developmental constraints can have significant influence on the magnitude and direction of evolutionary change, many studies demonstrated that these effects are manifested macroevolutionary scales. Phenotypic integration, or strong interactions among traits, has been similarly invoked as a major morphological variation, trait integration changes through ontogeny, in cases decreasing with age. Here, we unify perspectives case study ontogeny mammalian cranium, focusing comparison between...
Evolutionary increases in mammalian brain size relative to body are energetically costly but also thought confer selective advantages by permitting the evolution of cognitively complex behaviors. However, many suggested associations between and specific behaviors - particularly related social complexity possibly confounded reproductive diversity placental mammals, whose is most frequently studied. Based on a phylogenetic generalized least squares analysis data set reproductively homogenous...
A new small-bodied ornithopod dinosaur, Diluvicursor pickeringi , gen. et sp. nov., is named from the lower Albian of Eumeralla Formation in southeastern Australia and helps shed light on anatomy diversity Gondwanan ornithopods. Comprising an almost complete tail partial right hindlimb, holotype (NMV P221080) was deposited as a carcass or body-part log-filled scour near base deep, high-energy river that incised faunally rich, substantially forested riverine floodplain within...
Advances in 3D shape capture technology have made powerful analyses, such as geometric morphometrics, more feasible. While the highly accurate micro-computed tomography (µCT) scanners been "gold standard," recent improvements surface may make this a faster, portable, and cost-effective alternative. Several studies already compared two devices but all use relatively large specimens human crania. Here we perform analyses on Australia's smallest rodent to test whether scanner produces similar...
Little is known about how the large brains of mammals are accommodated into dazzling diversity their skulls. It has been suggested that brain shape influenced by relative size, it evolves or develops according to extrinsic intrinsic mechanical constraints, and its can provide insights proportions function. Here, we characterize variation among 84 marsupial cranial endocasts 57 species including fossils, using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics virtual dissections. Statistical analysis...
The developmental differences between marsupials, placentals, and monotremes are thought to be reflected in differing patterns of postcranial development diversity. However, polarities remain obscured by the rarity monotreme data. Here, I present first ossification sequences echidna platypus, compare these with published data from other mammals amniotes. Strikingly, stylopodia (humerus, femur) ossify after more distal zeugopodia (radius/ulna, tibia/fibula), resembling only European mole...
SUMMARY Previous analyses of how mammals vary in their ossification sequences have focused on monotremes, marsupials, and boreoeutherian placentals. Here, we focus the sequence cranial postcranial events during growth xenarthran skull skeleton, including armadillos, anteaters, sloths. We use two different methods to quantify heterochrony: analysis variance ( ANOVA ) event‐paring/ P arsimov. Our results indicate that arsimov is conservative does not detect clear heterochronic shifts between...
High morphological diversity can occur in closely related animals when selection favors morphologies that are subject to intrinsic biological constraints. A good example is subterranean rodents of the genus Thomomys, one most taxonomically and morphologically diverse mammalian genera. Highly procumbent, tooth-digging rodent skull shapes often geometric consequences increased body size. Indeed, larger-bodied Thomomys species tend inhabit harder soils. We used morphometric analyses investigate...
Abstract Morphology‐based taxonomic research frequently applies linear morphometrics (LMM) in skulls to quantify species distinctions. The choice of which measurements collect generally relies on the expertise investigators or a set standard measurements, but this practice may ignore less obvious common discriminatory characteristics. In addition, analyses often potential for subgroups an otherwise cohesive population differ shape purely due size differences (or allometry). Geometric (GMM)...
The mammalian cranium (skull without lower jaw) is representative of diversity and thus particular interest to biologists across disciplines. One widely retrieved pattern accompanying cranial diversification referred as 'craniofacial evolutionary allometry' (CREA). This posits that adults larger species, in a group closely related mammals, tend have relatively longer faces smaller braincases. However, no process has been officially suggested explain this pattern, there are many apparent...
Comparative finite element analysis involves standardising aspects of models to test equivalent loading scenarios across species. However, regarding feeding biomechanics the vertebrate skull, what is considered “equivalent” can depend on hypothesis. Using 13 diversely-shaped skulls marsupial bettongs and potoroos (Potoroidae), we demonstrate that scaling muscle forces standardise specific biting mechanics produce clearly opposing comparisons stress or strain are differentially suited address...
For studies of the evolution vertebrate brain anatomy and potentially associated behaviours, reconstructions digital endocasts from computed tomography scans have revolutionized our capacity to collect neuroanatomical data. However, measurements must be validated as reflecting actual anatomy, which is difficult because collection soft tissue information through histology laborious time-consuming. In birds, reliability endocast volume proxies for two largest regions—the telencephalon...