Ecomorphology

Both the morphology and ecology exhibited by an organism are directly or indirectly influenced by their environment, and ecomorphology aims to identify the differences.

[2] Current research places emphasis on linking morphology and ecological niche by measuring the performance of traits (i.e. sprint speed, bite force, etc.)

[5] The following year the links between vertebrate morphology and ecology were finally established creating the foundations of modern ecomorphology.

[6][7] Functional morphology differs from ecomorphology in that it deals with the features arising from form at varying levels of organisation.

Functional morphology studies often investigate relationships between the form of Skeletal muscle and physical properties such as force generation and joint mobility.

Much current work also focuses on the integration of ecomorphology with other comparative fields such as phylogenetics and ontogenetics to better understand evolutionary morphology.

Bony fishes are often used to study ecomorphology due to their long evolutionary history, high biodiversity, and multi-stage life cycle.

This is largely due to cichlids having great biodiversity, wide distribution, the ability to occupy various ecological niches, and obvious morphological differences.

The history of how a species has undergone morphological adaptations to better suit its ecological role can be used to draw conclusions about its paleohabitat.

Research using this approach has been widely conducted using bovid fossils due to their large skeletons and extensive species radiation.

[18] Plummer and Bishop conducted a study using extant African bovids to investigate the animal’s paleoenvironment based on their habitat preference.

(2006), Ecomorphology: Integration of form, function, and ecology in the analysis of morphological structures, Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Allgemeine und Angewandte Entomologie 15, 409-416.