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254-4 Expanding the Frontiers of Visualization using Biomechanical Analyses of Arthropods

Session: Recent Advances in Fossil Imaging

Presenting Author:

Russell Bicknell

Authors:

Bicknell, Russell D. C.¹, Wolfe, Joanna M.², Flynn, John J.³, Hopkins, Melanie J.⁴

(1) Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, USA, (2) 2 Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA, (3) Division of Paleontology (Vertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, Richard Gilder Graduate School, New York, NY, USA, (4) Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA,

Abstract:

The modern realm of digital paleontology has introduced novel frameworks for considering the morphology of fossil animals. Associated with a shift into 3D spaces to document extinct organisms has been the adoption of techniques from other sub-fields to push the limits of knowledge when reconstructing forms. One such tool is finite element analyses—an engineering tool that allows biomechanicists to visualize how a biological structure would perform under stress or strain. The results from biomechanical data can then be used to present new contexts and knowledge associated with these animals. To capitalize on these developments, we present preliminary results exploring the functional morphology of decapod crustacean claws. We showcase how combining 3D finite element analyses for summarizing functional traits associated with food acquisition and generalized Procrustes surface alignment for comparing complex 3D shapes can produce adaptive landscapes. These landscapes, when integrated with phylogenetic frameworks, produce phylomorphospaces that allow us to track the evolutionary distribution of related crab groups through morphospace. By leveraging this multidimensional toolkit, we aim to test links between claw morphologies, ecology, and evolution.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7068

Expanding the Frontiers of Visualization using Biomechanical Analyses of Arthropods

Description

Session Format: Oral

Presentation Date: 10/22/2025

Presentation Start Time: 08:55 AM

Presentation Room: HBGCC, 304B

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