Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17798
Title: | Ecological correlates to cranial morphology in Leporids (Mammalia, Lagomorpha) | Contributor(s): | Kraatz, Brian P (author); Sherratt, Emma (author); Bumacod, Nicholas (author); Wedel, Mathew J (author) | Publication Date: | 2015 | Open Access: | Yes | DOI: | 10.7717/peerj.844 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17798 | Abstract: | The mammalian order Lagomorpha has been the subject of many morphometric studies aimed at understanding the relationship between form and function as it relates to locomotion, primarily in postcranial morphology. The leporid cranial skeleton, however, may also reveal information about their ecology, particularly locomotion and vision. Here we investigate the relationship between cranial shape and the degree of facial tilt with locomotion (cursoriality, saltation, and burrowing) within crown leporids. Our results suggest that facial tilt is more pronounced in cursors and saltators compared to generalists, and that increasing facial tilt may be driven by a need for expanded visual fields. Our phylogenetically informed analyses indicate that burrowing behavior, facial tilt, and locomotor behavior do not predict cranial shape. However, we find that variables such as bullae size, size of the splenius capitus fossa, and overall rostral dimensions are important components for understanding the cranial variation in leporids. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | PeerJ Computer Science, v.3, p. 1-20 | Publisher: | PeerJ, Ltd | Place of Publication: | United Kingdom | ISSN: | 2376-5992 | Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060309 Phylogeny and Comparative Analysis 060303 Biological Adaptation 060809 Vertebrate Biology |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 310410 Phylogeny and comparative analysis 310403 Biological adaptation 310914 Vertebrate biology |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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