Evolution of the Rodents: Volume 5: Advances in Phylogeny, Functional Morphology and Development

Description

The widespread use of mouse models in developmental, behavioural and genetic studies has sparked wider interest in rodent biology as a whole. This book brings together the latest research on rodents to better understand the evolution of both living and extinct members of this fascinating group. Topics analysed include the role of molecular techniques in the determination of robust phylogenetic frameworks; how geometric morphometric methods help quantify and analyse variation in shape; and the role of developmental biology in elucidating the origins of skeletal elements and the teeth. The editors unite these disciplines to present the current state of knowledge in rodent biology, whilst setting the landscape for future research. This book highlights interdisciplinary links across palaeontology, developmental biology, functional morphology, phylogenetics and biomechanics, making it a valuable resource for evolutionary biologists in all fields.

Philip G. Cox is a lecturer at the Department of Archaeology, University of York and the Hull York Medical School, and a researcher into the functional morphology of and evolution of mammals, particularly rodents. Much of his research has involved the application of sophisticated engineering techniques, namely finite element analysis, to rodent skulls and mandibles in order to understand the biomechanics of feeding in these species. Lionel Hautier is a researcher (CR2) at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) posted at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier (ISEM). He is a vertebrate palaeontologist, specialising in mammals and notably rodents. His research interests include the evolution of the masticatory apparatus of extinct and extant rodents, studied using morphological (osteological and myological), morphometrical, and palaeontological evidence.

'... this collection is a culmination of research that will certainly inform and rouse budding rodentologists, to echo the foreword. A major reference work.' Rajith Dissanayake, The Biologist