Morphological studies reveal the evolution of diverse jaws in lizards and snakes

Research from the University of Bristol shows how lizards and snakes, the most diverse group of land vertebrates with around 12,000 species, evolved an astonishing variety of jaw shapes and are an extraordinary ecological success. clarified what brought about this.

The study, led by a team of evolutionary biologists and published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, provides new understanding of the complex factors influencing the evolution of mandibular morphology in these animals, collectively known as lepidosaurs. . The title of the paper is “Ecological factors of jaw morphology evolution in lepidosaurs.”

The researchers found that the evolution of lepidosaur jaw shape was influenced by a complex interaction of factors beyond ecology, including phylogeny (evolutionary relatedness) and allometry (scaling of size and shape). I discovered that

Regarding jaw shape, the researchers found that the snake was a morphological outlier, exhibiting a unique jaw morphology. This is likely due to the snake’s highly flexible skull and extreme mechanism that allows it to swallow prey many times larger than its head.

“Interestingly, we found that jaw shape evolves particularly rapidly in ecologically specialized groups, such as burrowing, aquatic, and herbivorous lizards. This may be due to evolutionary innovations in the lower jaw. suggests that this is the key to achieving these unique ecologies,” Dr. Antonio explained. Ballell Majoral is based in the School of Earth Sciences in Bristol.

“Our research shows how lizards and snakes have evolved different jaw shapes to adapt to their wide range of ecology, diets and habitats, driving their remarkable diversity. ”

This study highlights the important role of morphological innovations in promoting diversification in highly biodiverse groups such as lepidosaurs. The mandible is an important component of the vertebrate feeding apparatus and has been an important element in vertebrate ecological experimentation and adaptation.

Looking ahead, the research team plans to further investigate the evolution of lepidosaur heads.

Dr. Ballell Majoral continued, “The lower jaw is important because it works with the jaw-closing muscles to support important functions such as feeding and defense.

“We are investigating the relationship between the shape of the skull and the arrangement of the musculature that closes the jaws throughout evolution, and how this has influenced the diversification of feeding mechanisms and habits.”