ArticleEvolution; international journal of organic evolution2022
Cranial ecomorphology of turtles and neck retraction as a possible trigger of ecological diversification.
Article in Evolution; international journal of organic evolution, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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17 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative endocranial anatomy in the crocodylians Leidyosuchus canadensis and Stangerochampsa mccabei from the upper Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada.Journal of anatomy · 2026Article
- New perspectives on head and neck allometry and ecomorphology in tetrapods.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Review of the tetrapod skull-neck boundary: implications for the evolution of the atlas-axis complex.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2025Review
- Enlargement of sternum traits facilitated the evolution of powered flight in birds.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Variation and development of the turtle chondrocranium, with a description of the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus, Kinosternidae, Cryptodira, Testudines).Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2025Article
- A redescription ofSwiss journal of palaeontology · 2025Article
- PG-18: turtles reach adult shell shapes at about 65% maximum carapace length.Swiss journal of palaeontology · 2025Article
- Shell Constraints on Evolutionary Body Size-Limb Size Allometry Can Explain Morphological Conservatism in the Turtle Body Plan.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Functional and Character Disparity Are Decoupled in Turtle Mandibles.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- The latest freshwater giants: a newBiology letters · 2024Article
- New insights into the early morphological evolution of sea turtles by re-investigation ofSwiss journal of palaeontology · 2024Article
- Morphological Diversity of Turtle Hyoid Apparatus is Linked to Feeding Behavior.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
- Turtle body size evolution is determined by lineage-specific specializations rather than global trends.Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
- Reconstructing locomotor ecology of extinct avialans: a case study ofProceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
- A new species ofPeerJ · 2023Article
- Cranial and mandibular anatomy ofSwiss journal of palaeontology · 2023Article
- Cranial ecomorphology of turtles and neck retraction as a possible trigger of ecological diversification.Evolution; international journal of organic evolution · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Turtles have a highly modified body plan, including a rigid shell that constrains postcranial anatomy. Skull morphology and neck mobility may therefore be key to ecological specialization in turtles. However, the ecological signal of turtle skull morphologies has not been rigorously evaluated, leaving uncertainties about the roles of ecological adaptation and convergence. We evaluate turtle cranial ecomorphology using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods. Skull shape correlates with allometry, neck retraction capability, and different aquatic feeding ecologies. We find that ecological variables influence skull shape only, whereas a key functional variable (the capacity for neck retraction) influences both shape and size. Ecology and functional predictions from three-dimensional shape are validated by high success rates for extant species, outperforming previous two-dimensional approaches. We use this to infer ecological and functional traits of extinct species. Neck retraction evolved among crownward stem-turtles by the Late Jurassic, signaling functional decoupling of the skull and neck from the shell, possibly linked to a major episode of ecomorphological diversification. We also find strong evidence for convergent ecological adaptations among marine groups. This includes parallel loss of neck retraction, evidence for active hunting, possible grazing, and suction feeding in extinct marine groups. Our large-scale assessment of dietary and functional adaptation throughout turtle evolution reveals the timing and origin of their distinct ecomorphologies, and highlights the potential for ecology and function to have distinct effects on skull form.
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