Comparative bone histology of the turtle shell (carapace and plastron): Implications for turtle systematics, functional morphology, and turtle origins

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We recently discovered an unexpected histological diversity and structural complexity in the bony shell elements of fossil and recent turtles. In this project, we propose to explore this phenomenon in terms of its applicability to systematic questions, biomechanics of the turtle shell, and potential for testing hypothese of turtle origins, a topic that is hotly debated at present. To this end, we propose the histologic sampling and study of all higher turtle groups, beginning with the oldest known turtle, the Late Triassic Proganochelys, and extending to such highly derived as the marine Dermochelyidae (leatherback turtles) and Trionychidae (soft-shelled turtles, in which we discovered a highly organized plywood structure). Sampling is made relatively easy by remains of turtle shells beeing among the most common vertebrate fossils, making it even more surprising that their histology remains unstudied so far.