Mosaic evolution in terrestrial mammals: convergence, disparity, and their drivers across the skeleton

• Applicant: Iris Menéndez González, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 579767752

Why are some clades extremely diverse while others remain morphologically conservative? Why do certain lineages repeatedly evolve similar body plans, whereas others rarely converge on the same morphologies? These questions sit at the heart of macroevolutionary theory, related to evolvability, constraint, and the tempo and mode of phenotypic change. Yet our understanding of evolutionary processes generating disparity and convergence remains incomplete because many studies rely on qualitative comparisons, linear measurements that not fully capture shape variation, or narrow taxonomic and anatomical coverage, often focusing on single structures such as the skull. This latter limitation is particularly important in light of mosaic evolution, in which structures within an organism evolve differently, generating varying levels of convergence and disparity across skeletal elements depending on their ecological functions and morphological constraints. Mammals are an ideal system to address these questions, as they combine remarkable morphological diversity with textbook cases of convergence (e.g., similar ecomorphologies in marsupials and placentals). However, the lack of studies analyzing a broad sample of mammalian skeletal elements across a wide phylogenetic scale so far prevents understanding how the mammalian skeleton has responded to evolutionary pressures. Thus, key questions remain unanswered, including: Q1: How do ecological adaptations (e.g., diet or locomotion) drive convergent evolution across different parts of the skeleton in terrestrial mammals? Q2: How does disparity vary across different parts of the skeleton in terrestrial mammals? Q3: What evolutionary mechanisms underlie the relationship between convergence and disparity across skeletal elements? I will use 3D geometric morphometrics to analyze a wide range of skeletal structures (a pan-skeletal approach) across a broad phylogenetic sample of extant and extinct terrestrial mammals, addressing the taxonomic and anatomical limitations of previous studies. I will apply cutting-edge phylogenetic comparative methods to test how ecological drivers (e.g., diet, locomotion) shape convergence across skeletal regions and to quantify the relationship between convergence and disparity. The results will provide substantial advances for understanding how mosaic evolution results in a rich tapestry of forms and functions across mammalian lineages.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Roger Benson