Turtle studies help trace evolutionary changes

Since Darwin, we have known that evolutionary adaptation is reflected in the appearance and function of species' bodies under environmental changes. One of the questions commonly asked by evolutionary biologists is how body shape relates to a specific ecological feature, such as diet. In a recent study published in the journal Evolution , Guilherme Hermanson and his team at the University of Freiburg looked at the environmental factors that affect the shape of turtle skulls. The skull is an important part of the animal body, as it interacts very directly with the environment, especially during food acquisition and processing. In turtles, this relationship is likely accentuated by the fact that they do not use legs to collect and manipulate their food. Turtles are sometimes overlooked in evolutionary studies. This is partly due to the fact that they have a strange body, largely enclosed in a shell.