ArticleCommunications biology2023
Functional reorganisation of the cranial skeleton during the cynodont-mammaliaform transition.
Article in Communications biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- A perspective from the Mesozoic: Evolutionary changes of the mammalian skull and their influence on feeding efficiency and high-frequency hearing.Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2026Review
- Dinosaur skull geometry does not follow functional optimization trends but facilitates adaptability.iScience · 2025Article
- Disparate feeding mechanics between two hadrosaurid dinosaurs support the potential for resource partitioning.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Is cranial anatomy indicative of fossoriality? A case study of the mammaliaform Hadrocodium wui.Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2025Article
- Zebrafish Models for Skeletal and Extraskeletal Osteogenesis Imperfecta Features: Unveiling Pathophysiology and Paving the Way for Drug Discovery.Calcified tissue international · 2024Review
- A new biomechanical model of the mammal jaw based on load path analysis.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Skeletal simplification occurred in multiple vertebrate clades over the last 500 million years, including the evolution from premammalian cynodonts to mammals. This transition is characterised by the loss and reduction of cranial bones, the emergence of a novel jaw joint, and the rearrangement of the jaw musculature. These modifications have long been hypothesised to increase skull strength and efficiency during feeding. Here, we combine digital reconstruction and biomechanical modelling to show that there is no evidence for an increase in cranial strength and biomechanical performance. Our analyses demonstrate the selective functional reorganisation of the cranial skeleton, leading to reduced stresses in the braincase and the skull roof but increased stresses in the zygomatic region through this transition. This cranial functional reorganisation, reduction in mechanical advantage, and overall miniaturisation in body size are linked with a dietary specialisation to insectivory, permitting the subsequent morphological and ecological diversification of the mammalian lineage.
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Registered trials
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