Evolution of musculoskeletal anatomy and locomotor style in frogs

青蛙表现出令人印象深刻的复杂肌肉组织，以及骨盆、四肢和脊柱的解剖学特征，长期以来被认为是对跳跃的适应。然而，许多青蛙的行为范围很广（行走、游泳、攀爬、挖洞）。功能复杂性需要解剖复杂性吗？利用跨学科和尖端技术（CT成像和3D可视化，肌肉骨骼建模，系统发育制图）的新组合，该项目将确定解剖学，运动功能和进化之间的联系，揭示系统发育历史和生物力学功能如何影响新的解剖形式的起源和辐射。

Frogs exhibit impressively complex musculature and dramatic anatomical specialisations of the pelvis, limbs and spine, long assumed to represent adaptations for jumping. Yet many frogs employ a wide range of behaviours (walking, swimming, climbing, burrowing). Is anatomical complexity required for functional complexity? Using a novel combination of interdisciplinary and cutting-edge techniques (CT imaging and 3D visualization, musculoskeletal modelling, phylogenetic mapping) this project will determine the link between anatomy, locomotor function, and evolution in frogs, shedding light on how phylogenetic history and biomechanical function influence the origin and radiation of novel anatomical forms.