Traits are measurable features of organisms. Functional traits aspire to more. They quantify
an organism's ecology and, ultimately, predict ecosystem functions based on local …

The idea of 'key innovations' has long been influential in theoretical and empirical
approaches to understanding adaptive diversification. Despite originally revolving around …

Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as
the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho …

A major challenge in ecology and evolution is to disentangle the mechanisms driving broad-
scale variation in biological traits such as body size, colour, thermal physiology traits and …

Body size and shape fundamentally determine organismal energy requirements by
modulating heat and mass exchange with the environment and the costs of locomotion …

The emergence and subsequent evolution of pectoral fins is a key point in vertebrate
evolution, as pectoral fins are dominant control surfaces for locomotion in extant fishes. 1, 2 …

The field of comparative biomechanics examines how form, mechanical properties and
environmental interactions shape the function of biological structures. Biomechanics has …

Morphological specializations often enable animals to deal with challenges in nature, a
prime example being the adhesive system of geckos. With this, geckos can access smooth …

Biological puncture systems use a diversity of morphological tools (stingers, teeth, spines
etc.) to penetrate target tissues for a variety of functions (prey capture, defence …

To understand the complexities of morphological evolution, we must understand the
relationships between genes, morphology, performance, and fitness in complex traits …