Main description:

This book presents selected works of contemporary evolutionary morphologists and includes such topics as broad scale reconstructions of the brain and ear of dinosaurs, inference of locomotor habits from cancellous bone architecture in fossil primates, and a comparison of the independently evolved manipulating apparatuses in the lesser and giant pandas. Insight is provided into the application of modern noninvasive technologies, including digital imaging techniques and virtual 3D reconstruction, to the investigation of complex anatomical features and coherences. In combination with traditional methods, this allows for the formulation of improved hypotheses on coordinated function and evolution. The creation of virtual translucent specimens makes it possible to realize the age-old dream of the classical anatomists: looking through the skin into the inner organization of an organism. On full display here is the dramatic and promising impact that modern imaging techniques have on scientific progress in evolutionary morphology.

Contents:

Preface Chapter 1
Head Anatomy of Male and Female Mongolian Gazelle ? A Striking Example of Sexual Dimorphism
Roland Frey, Alban Gebler, Kirk A. Olson, Daria Odonkhuu, Guido Fritsch, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ingo W. Stuermer Chapter 2
Anatomical Peculiarities of the Vocal Tract in Felids
Gerald E. Weissengruber, Gerhard Forstenpointner, Sandra Petzhold, Claudia Zacha, Sibylle Kneissl Chapter 3
The Anatomical Foundation for Multidisciplinary Studies of Animal Limb Function: Examples from Dinosaur And Elephant Limb Imaging Studies.
John R. Hutchinson, Charlotte Miller, Guido Fritsch, and Thomas Hildebrandt Chapter 4
Locomotion-Related Femoral Trabecular Architectures in Primates ? High Resolution Computed Tomographies and Their Implications for Estimations of Locomotor Preferences of Fossil Primates
Heike Scherf Chapter 5
Three-Dimensional Imaging of The Manipulating Apparatus in The Lesser Panda and The Giant Panda
Hideki Endo, Natsuki Hama,Nobuharu Niizawa, Junpei Kimura,Takuya Itou,Hiroshi Koie and Takeo Sakai Chapter 6
Using CT to Peer into the Past: 3D Visualization of the Brain and Ear Regions of Birds, Crocodiles, and Nonavian Dinosaurs
Lawrence M. Witmer, Ryan C. Ridgely, David L. Dufeau, and Molly C. Semones Chapter 7
Evolutionary Morphology of the Autonomic Cardiac Nervous System in Non-Human Primates and Humans
Tomokazu Kawashima and Hiroshi Sasaki Subject Index