Form, function and macroevolution in dinosaurs

Dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems throughout the Mesozoic, and radiated into a diverse array of body shapes and sizes. They are therefore a model system for understanding the interactions between anatomy, function and ecology through time. However, there is currently a significant void between anatomical studies of dinosaurs and macroevolutionary analyses, and consequently the functional and ecomorphological pressures behind their evolutionary radiations are poorly understood. We will address this issue by quantitively reconstructing muscle evolution across dinosaur evolutionary history, and using sophisticated biomechanical modelling to assess the implications of muscle evolution on biomechanical performance and ecological adaption.

To achieve this goal the student will generate a large database of osteological and soft tissue measurements from living archosaurs using a combination of dissection and medical image data. The student will then build upon an existing data base of 3D models of dinosaurs by digitizing key specimens from UK and overseas museums. Quantitative soft tissue reconstructions of these fossils will be mapped on to a phylogenetic tree and used to examine patterns of soft tissue evolution, and particularly correlations with major functional and ecological transitions in dinosaurs. Finally, muscle reconstructions will be input into new biomechanical models of dinosaur taxa to examine how muscle evolution affects mechanical performance and adaptation, providing new insights into major ecological transitions, such as the evolution of herbivory and quadrupedalism.

The ideal student would have a background in zoology/palaeontology and skills in quantitative, mechanical and/or 3D digital techniques, and/or phylogenetic comparative methods, but training will be provided in all techniques. The supervisory team includes experts in vertebrate anatomy, palaeontology, biomechanics, imaging and computer simulation. The student will be based with Dr Bates in the Evolutionary Morphology & Biomechanics Group at Liverpool (https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/ageing-and-chronic-disease/research-groups/e...), but will spend time with Dr Maidment at The Natural History Museum.