From slenderness to robustness: Understanding long bone shape in sigmodontine rodents.

The morphological evolution of the appendicular skeleton may reflect the selective pressures specific to different environments, phylogenetic inheritance, or allometry. Covariation in bone shapes enhances morphological integration in response to ecological specializations. In contrast to previous multivariate studies using classical linear morphometry, we use a geometric morphometric approach to explore the morphological diversity of long bones and examine relationships between ecological categories and morphological characters in a species-rich and ecomorphologically diverse group of rodents.