Gabriele Sansalone

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

The generic attribution of the Plio-Pleistocene Polish moles Neurotrichus? polonicus and Neurotrichus? skoczeni has been questioned several times in the past. The fossil material belonging to Neurotrichus? polonicus and Neurotrichus? skoczeni is re-evaluated here and a new diagnosis is provided on the basis of qualitative considerations. In additio...

Although intense research effort is seeking to address which brain areas fire and connect to each other to produce complex behaviors in a few living primates, little is known about their evolution, and which brain areas or facets of cognition were favored by natural selection. By developing statistical tools to study the evolution of the brain cort...

Among domestic species, pigs experienced the greatest brain size reduction, but the extent and factors of this reduction remain unclear. Here, we used the brain endocast volume collected from 92 adult skulls of wild, captive, feral and domestic Sus scrofa to explore the effects of domestication, feralization and captivity over the brain size variat...

The study of evolutionary rates and patterns is the key to understand how natural selection shaped the current and past diversity of phenotypes. Phylogenetic comparative methods offer an array of solutions to undertake this challenging task, and help understanding phenotypic variation in full in most circumstances. However, complex, three-dimension...

Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho-functional landscape modelling on the cranium of 132 carnivore species, we focused on the macroevolutionary effects of the trade-off between bite force and bite velocity. Here,...

Researchers have sought to infer the relationships between animal form and function for centuries. The study of biomechanics has become an increasingly important tool with which to quantify such relationships. Together analyses of shape and biomechanics can greatly inform our understanding of how animals interact with their environments and allow u...

There is controversy around the mechanisms that guided the change in brain shape during the evolution of modern humans. It has long been held that different cortical areas evolved independently from each other to develop their unique functional specializations. However, some recent studies suggest that high integration between different cortical ar...

The evolution of complex morphological structures can be characterized by the interplay between different anatomical regions evolving under functional integration in response to shared selective pressures. Using the highly derived humeral morphology of talpid moles as a model, here we test whether functional performance is linked to increased level...

Kolponomos newportensis is an enigmatic Miocene mammal allied to stem Pinnipedimorpha. It has been suggested that Kolponomos fed on hard-shelled benthic marine invertebrates by using its mandible as a wedge to dislodge its prey from the sea bottom by means of strong pull and torque forces. This unique feeding style was thought to originate from a s...

Members of the mammalian order Carnivora are rarely considered as proxies for palaeoecological reconstructions due to their broad phenotypic plasticity and high climatic tolerance. However, palaeontologists have traditionally interpreted the appearance of some particular carnivoran species in relation to major climatic events. The ‘wolf event’ char...

Crocodylians are among Earth’s most successful hyper-carnivores, with their crocodyliform ancestors persisting since the Triassic. The diets of extinct crocodyliforms are typically inferred from distinctive bite-marks on fossil bone, which indicate that some species fed on contemporaneous dinosaurs. Nevertheless, the most direct dietary evidence (i...

The extinct Haast's eagle or harpagornis ( Hieraaetus moorei ) is the largest known eagle. Historically, it was first considered a predator, then a scavenger, but most recent authors have favoured an active hunting ecology. However, the veracity of proposed similarities to carrion feeders has not been thoroughly tested. To infer feeding capability...

Modern phylogenetic comparative methods allow us to estimate evolutionary rates of phenotypic change, how these rates differ across clades, and to assess whether the rates remained constant over time. Unfortunately, currently available phylogenetic comparative tools express the rate in terms of a scalar dimension, and do not allow us to determine r...

The observation and the quantification of asymmetry in biological structures are deeply investigated in geometric morphometrics. Patterns of asymmetry were explored in both living and fossil species. In living organisms, levels of directional and fluctuating asymmetry are informative about developmental processes and health status of the individual...

Morphological convergence can be assessed using a variety of statistical methods. None of the methods proposed to date enable the visualization of convergence. All are based on the assumption that the phenotypes either converge, or do not. However, between species, morphologically similar regions of a larger structure may behave differently. Previo...

This is a correction to: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 131, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 870–879, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaa156 Following the original publication of this article, the Editor became aware that one of authors included on the title page was “Camille Noûs”, a name that represents the research communit...

The process of animal domestication is a key evolutionary transition in human history, within which the control of wild populations is considered a crucial first step. Yet, phenotypic changes associated with animal captivity remain challenging to document. Here, we investigated the craniofacial changes in wild boar (Sus scrofa) associated with a li...

Feralization is the process by which domestic animals return to the wild and produce self-sustaining populations. It is often considered as a model in understanding the permanence of morphological changes associated with domestication; however, it is still unclear how much the release of anthropogenic selective pressures affects domestic traits. He...

The ability to develop complex social bonds and an increased capacity for behavioural flexibility in novel environments have both been forwarded as selective forces favouring the evolution of a large brain in mammals. However, large brains are energetically expensive, and in circumstances in which selective pressures are relaxed, e.g. on islands, s...

Feralization is the process by which domestic animals return to the wild and produce self-sustaining populations. It is often considered as a model in understanding the permanence of morphological changes associated with domestication; however, it is still unclear how much the release of anthropogenic selective pressures affects domestic traits. He...

The biogeographic distribution of diversity among populations of threatened mammalian species is generally investigated using population genetics. However, intraspecific phenotypic diversity is rarely assessed beyond taxonomy‐focused linear measurements or qualitative descriptions. Here, we use a technique widely used in the evolutionary sciences—g...

Modern humans have larger and more globular brains when compared to other primates. Such anatomical features are further reflected in the possession of a moderately asymmetrical brain with the two hemispheres apparently rotated counterclockwise and slid anteroposteriorly on one another, in what is traditionally described as the Yakovlevian torque....

El depósito (cavidad kárstica) de La Grave, localidad cercana a la pequeña ciudad de Avetrana (Tarento, Italia meridional), ha dado lugar a numerosos fósiles de vertebrados. Los restos de grandes mamíferos han sido objeto de varios estudios. En este trabajo se examinan los restos de pequeños vertebrados y se identifican cuatro taxones de anfibios (...

Large brains are a defining feature of primates, as is a clear allometric trend between body mass and brain size. However, important questions on the macroevolution of brain shape in primates remain unanswered. Here we address two: (i), does the relationship between the brain size and its shape follow allometric trends and (ii), is this relationshi...

The fossiliferous deposit (karst cavity) in La Grave, a locality near the small town of Avetrana (Taranto, southern Italy), has yielded numerous fossils of vertebrates. The remains of large mammals have been the subject of several studies. This paper examines the remains of small vertebrates and identifies four taxa of amphibians (Bufo bufo, Bufote...

Interspecific variation in the craniofacial morphology of kangaroos and wallabies is associated with diet and feeding behaviors. Yet, to how fine a taxonomic scale this relationship might exist is unknown. Using a combination of established morphometric analyses and novel finite element approaches, we test the limits of these associations by examin...

Morphological similarity between biological structures in phylogenetically distant species is usually regarded as evidence of convergent evolution. Yet, phenotypic similarity is not always a sign of natural selection acting on a particular trait, therefore adaptation to similar conditions may fail to generate convergent lineages. Herein we tested w...

Background: Understanding the mechanisms promoting or constraining morphological diversification within clades is a central topic in evolutionary biology. Ecological transitions are of particular interest because of their influence upon the selective forces and factors involved in phenotypic evolution. Here we focused on the humerus and mandibles...

A distinctive trait in primate evolution is the expansion in brain mass. The potential drivers of this trend and how and whether encephalization influenced diversification dynamics in this group are hotly debated. We assembled a phylogeny accounting for 317 primate species, including both extant and extinct taxa, to identify macroevolutionary trend...

A distinctive trait in primate evolution is the expansion in brain mass. The potential drivers of this trend and how and whether encephalization influenced diversification dynamics in this group are hotly debated. We assembled a phylogeny accounting for 317 primate species, including both extant and extinct taxa, to identify macroevolutionary trend...

The late Quaternary vertebrate deposit of the stratified karst filling from Avetrana (Apulia, Italy) was the subject of an intensive excavation campaign in 2003, followed by numerous subsequent investigations and collections of fossil remains. In this work, the biochronological implications and the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the area in...

The largest antlers of any known deer species belonged to the extinct giant deer Megaloceros giganteus. It has been argued that their antlers were too large for use in fighting, instead being used only in ritualized displays to attract mates. Here, we used finite-element analysis to test whether the antlers of M. giganteus could have withstood forc...

Most living birds exhibit cranial kinesis—movement between the rostrum and braincase—in which force is transferred through the palatal and jugal bars. The palate alone distinguishes the Paleognathae from the Neognathae, with cranial kinesis more developed in neognaths. Most previous palatal studies were based on 2D data and rarely incorporated data...

Objectives: The basicranium and face are two integrated bony structures displaying great morphological diversity across primates. Previous studies in hominids determined that the basicranium is composed of two independent modules: the midline basicranium, mostly influenced by brain size, and the lateral basicranium, predominantly associated with f...

Most birds of prey (raptors), rely heavily on their talons for capturing prey. However, the relationship between talon shape and the ability to take prey is poorly understood. In this study we investigate whether raptor talons have evolved primarily in response to adaptive pressures exerted by different dietary demands, or if talon morphology is la...

The basicranium and facial skeleton are two integrated structures displaying great morphological diversity across primates. Previous studies focusing on limited taxonomic samples have demonstrated that morphological integration has a significant impact on the evolution of these structures. However, this influence is still poorly understood. A more...

The adaptation to a particular function could directly influence the morphological evolution of an anatomical structure as well as its rates. The humeral morphology of moles (subfamily Talpinae) is highly modified in response to intense burrowing and fully fossorial lifestyle. However, little is known of the evolutionary pathways that marked its di...

Saber-toothed cats were armed with formidable weapons. They evolved a number of highly derived morphological features, most notably a pair of extremely long upper canines, which makes them unique within the felid family. Although the sabertooth character evolved several times among carnivorous mammals, sabertooth clades mostly had disjunctive occur...

There is a considerable cranial morphological diversity across the nearly 500 species of extant primates. Much of this variation is located in the basicranium and in the facial skeleton. Previous studies focusing on limited taxonomic samples demonstrated that morphological integration has a significant influence on the evolution of these structures...

The systematics of Geotrypus is among the most debated within Talpidae, but the recent development of quantitative methods for shape analyses allows us to provide a thorough reconsideration of Geotrypus spp. In the present study, we perform a systematic revision of the species Geotrypus minor from the early Oligocene of Germany using two-dimensiona...

The faunal assemblage of Monteviale (Vicenza, northern Italy) represents a rare condition among the earliest Oligocene assemblages of south-eastern Europe at the ‘Grande-Coupure’. The lignitic fossiliferous strata lie above explosive basaltic breccias produced by a volcanic complex raised within a lagoon where the Calcareniti di Castelgomberto Form...

The star nosed mole, Condylura cristata, due to its morphological and behavioural peculiarities, has been deeply investigated by different authors. By contrast, very little is known about the phylogenetic relationships, evolution and diversity of the fossil members of this genus. In the present study we provide new insights about the fossil specime...

The application of Geometric Morphometrics has remarkably increased since 3D imaging techniques have become widespread, such as high‐resolution computerised tomography, laser scanning and photogrammetry. Acquisition, 3D rendering and simplification of virtual objects produce faceting and topological artefacts, which can be counteracted by applying...

The star nosed mole, Condylura cristata, due to its morphological and behavioural peculiarities, has been deeply investigated by different authors. By contrast, very little is known about the phylogenetic relationships, evolution and diversity of the fossil members of this genus. In the present study we provide new insights about the fossil specime...

the following article link will provide free access to the article, until November 8, 2015 http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Rk6k73Nzhzf9 Variations in the body size of red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been reported by several authors from several European fossiliferous localities for the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Recently, several contributions...

http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Rk6k73Nzhzf9

The taxonomic validity of Talpa fossilis has been subject to a longstanding debate. Talpa fossilis has been considered as a chronospecies, stratigraphic species, and finally as junior synonym of Talpa europaea. In this study, the large humeral sample of T. fossilis and T. europaea from the Plio-Pleistocene of Hungary is re-investigated using a geom...

Habitat segregation has been reported for the Japanese shrew-moles by several studies. However, there is a lack of surveys aimed at characterizing the ecological separation occurring between Urotrichus talpoides and Dymecodon pilirostris. In this paper, possible reasons for this ecological separation are proposed for the first time. A geometric mor...

The enigmatic Early Miocene fossorial mammal Mesoscalops montanensis shows one of the most modified humeri among terrestrial mammals. It has been suggested, on qualitative considerations, that this species has no extant homologues for humerus kinematics and that, functionally, the closest extant group is represented by Chrysochloridae. We combine h...

The evolutionary trends of tooth size in quaternary carnivores support an almost direct association with climate. However, phenotypic trait may follow distinct tempo and mode of evolution such as Brownian, OrnsteineUhlenbeck or random walk. Here, we investigated the morphometric variations and evolutionary trends in the carnassial teeth size of the...

The subfamily Talpinae includes two tribes: Talpini and Scalopini whose most recent common ancestor traces back to the Late Eocene. Both North-American and Eurasian origin have been proposed for this clade. During the Neogene Talpinae spread across all the Paleartic. One of the most investigated skeletal elements is the humerus as it is found parti...

We explored the morphological organization of the skull within Crocodylidae analyzing functional and phylogenetic interactions between its two constituent functional modules: the rostrum and the postrostrum. We used geometric morphometrics to identify localized shape changes, focusing on the differences between the major clades of the crown-group C...

The shape and mechanical performance in Talpidae humeri were studied by means of Geometric Morphometrics and Finite Element Analysis, including both extinct and extant taxa. The aim of this study was to test whether the ability to dig, quantified by humerus mechanical performance, was characterized by convergent or parallel adaptations in different...

Stasis, random walk and directional evolutionary patterns have been tested on the lower and upper first molars of the Rhagapodemus-Rhagamys lineage (Rodentia, Muridae) from Middle and Late Pleistocene fissure fillings of Monte Tuttavista, Orosei, Sardinia, Italy. We recorded the maximum length/maximum width ratio and size on 252 lower first molars...