This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $171,885 supports research at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025. The research aims to advance understanding of cranial morphological diversity in bats through an integrative study of functionality. The project will explicitly examine how the interaction of feeding, respiration, olfaction and other cranial functions shaped skull evolution in bats.
Researchers will use micro-computed tomography to image bat skulls and geometric morphometrics to identify traits underlying cranial diversity. Computational modeling and experimental validation will translate morphological variation into performance outputs for key functions. Phylogenetic analyses will examine patterns of trait evolution and the effect of functional tradeoffs. The predictive models generated will advance biomechanics and enable future in vivo performance studies. By coupling descriptive, experimental and phylogenetic approaches, this project will be the first to directly address the role of multifunctionality in cranial diversification across a mammalian order. This work supports the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) goal of strengthening the biological sciences through increased knowledge of major problems.