EVOMORPH — Theme FUNCTIONS

How is the morphological evolution of an anatomical structure related to its function?

• Led by Sandrine Ladevèze and Damien Germain

Advancing the core inquiries of the former FOSFO team, this theme explores the dynamic relationship between anatomical form and biological function. We couple evolutionary analyses of anatomical structures and quantified functional performance through metrics such as inferred bite force and mechanical stress resistance. 

This integrative approach allows us to reconstruct the ecology of extinct taxa using a diverse analytical toolkit. By combining X-ray tomography for 3D reconstruction with geometric morphometrics and finite element analysis (FEA), we model the complexity of form-function interactions. These studies are grounded in comparative data from extant organisms and applied to diverse models, including masticatory and prehensile apparatuses, mineralized tissue-muscle dynamics, and sensory organs.

Study of the masticatory apparatus and bite forces in marsupials. Characterisation of the morphology of the masticatory apparatus based on tomographic data (CT scan) and muscle dissections in a modern marsupial mammal, Marmosa murina, supplemented by in vivo measurements of its bite force. The positioning of muscle insertions and the bite force of a close fossil relative, Pucadelphis andinus, are inferred by comparison from the morphology of its masticatory apparatus (CT scan data). Drawing of Pucadelphis © S. Fernandez