Project Details
Projekt
Functional morphology of the girdle skeleton in Sauropodomorpha and its selective advantages for locomotion in a giant
Applicant
Professor Dr. Holger Preuschoft
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2007 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5470770
During the first funding period, we have analysed general principles of body shape in tetrapods, and compared the biomechanics of the pectoral girdles in reptiles and birds to those in mammals. Basic differences have been identified. The question remains whether the biomechanics of the shoulder in sauropods resembled those in modern reptiles and birds, or those in mammals. In the absence of convincing fossil documents we are analysing the mechanical details of shoulder constructions and examine the advantages and disadvantages of either variant quantitatively to determine selective pressures. Most methods developed and used for this purpose can also be applied to the pelvic girdle, which diverges fundamentally from the shoulder by its rigid connection with the vertebral column. Therefore we plan to extend our study to the pelvis of sauropods, expecting that interrelations between the principles realised in the fore and the hindlimbs yield additional evidence for understanding the biomechanics of locomotion in these huge animals. The question will be investigated, whether the structures of shoulder and pelvis permit an unlimited increase of body size, or in which way limitations can be overcome. Selective advantages or disadvantages will be determined quantitatively.
DFG Programme
Research Units
Participating Persons
Privatdozentin Dr. Claudia Distler; Professor Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Witzel
