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Quantifying neurovascular canal branching patterns reveals a shared crocodylian arrangement
Author(s) -
Lessner Emily J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.21295
Subject(s) - biology , neurovascular bundle , osteology , evolutionary biology , branching (polymer chemistry) , clade , phylogenetic tree , taxon , anatomy , paleontology , biochemistry , materials science , gene , composite material
Highly branched dendritic structures are common in nature and often difficult to quantify and therefore compare. Cranial neurovascular canals, examples of such structures, are osteological correlates for somatosensory systems and have been explored only qualitatively. Adaptations of traditional stream‐ordering methods are applied to representative structures derived from computed tomography‐scan data. Applying these methods to crocodylian taxa, this clade demonstrates a shared branching pattern and exemplifies the comparative utility of these methods. Additionally, this pattern corresponds with current understanding of crocodylian sensory abilities and behaviors. The method is applicable to many taxa and anatomical structures and provides evidence for morphology‐based hypotheses of sensory and physiological evolution.