Modularity is now generally recognized as a fundamental feature of organisms, one that may
have profound consequences for evolution. Modularity has recently become a major focus of …

The mammalian cranium (skull without lower jaw) is representative of mammalian diversity
and is thus of particular interest to mammalian biologists across disciplines. One widely …

Diversification and adaptive radiations are tied to evolvability, which in turn is linked to
morphological integration. Tightly integrated structures typically evolve in unison, whereas …

There is a widespread view that the process of adaptation in complex systems is made
difficult due to an evolutionary cost of complexity that is reflected in lower evolvability. This …

There is a contemporary trend in many major research institutions to de‐emphasize the
importance of natural history education in favor of theoretical, laboratory, or simulation …

Birds show tremendous ecological disparity in spite of strong biomechanical constraints
imposed by flight. Modular skeletal evolution is generally accepted to have facilitated this …

The relationship between the evolutionary dynamics observed in contemporary populations
(microevolution) and evolution on timescales of millions of years (macroevolution) has been …

Modularity and integration are fundamental properties of organisms and central to theories
of complex adaptation. Modularity and integration of shape can provide valuable information …

Abstract Knowledge of species' functional traits is essential for understanding biodiversity
patterns, predicting the impacts of global environmental changes, and assessing the …

Understanding and predicting the evolutionary responses of complex morphological traits to
selection remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Because traits are genetically …