Meeting Abstract
Body shape diversity is one of the most prominent features of phenotypic variation in vertebrates and can lead to increased diversification, niche specialization, and innovations within a clade. Biologists, however, still lack a full understanding of the underlying morphological components that contribute to body shape diversity, particularly in endothermic vertebrates such as mammals. Consequently, little is known about the morphology, ecology, and evolution of mammalian body shapes as well as the underlying traits that contribute to different body plans. In this study, I generated the first quantitative database of mammalian body shapes using osteological specimens within the mammalian order Carnivora. I then test hypotheses pertaining to the relationships between the cranial, axial, and appendicular morphologies and examine how these relationships contribute to the evolution of body plans found across carnivorans. This work fills a critical gap in our understanding of vertebrate evolution by elucidating the evolutionary similarities and dissimilarities across vertebrate body plans and the underlying processes that drive their phenotypic diversity.
