Abstract Survival and reproductive success are determined by the complex interplay between behavior, physiology, morphology, and performance. When optimal trait combinations along these various phenotypic axes differ between sexes or across seasons, regulatory mechanisms such as sex steroids can often facilitate sex-specific and/or seasonal trait expression. In this study, we used surgical cast...

Aggression is an important component of behavior in many animals and may be crucial to providing individuals with a competitive advantage when resources are limited. Although much is known about the effects of catecholamines and hormones on aggression, relatively few studies have examined the effects of physical performance on aggression. Here we use a large, sexually dimorphic teiid lizard to ...

BACKGROUND When teeth are extracted, sensory function is decreased by a loss of periodontal ligament receptions. When replacing teeth by oral implants, one hopes to restore the sensory feedback pathway as such to allow for physiological implant integration and optimized oral function with implant-supported prostheses. What remains to be investigated is how to adapt to different oral rehabilitat...

The American sabercat Smilodon fatalis is among the most charismatic of fossil carnivores. Despite broad agreement that its extraordinary anatomy reflects unique hunting techniques, after >150 years of study, many questions remain concerning its predatory behavior. Were the "sabers" used to take down large prey? Were prey killed with an eviscerating bite to the abdomen? Was its bite powerful or...

AIM To prospectively evaluate the functional capacity of the masticatory musculature as a predictive variable in determining functional appliance treatment outcomes in Class II/1 malocclusion children. METHODS Twenty Class II/1 malocclusion children (11.4 ± 1.7 years) were treated with functional appliances during 1 year. Masseter muscle thickness and maximal molar bite force measurements, la...

AIMS The purpose of this study is to functionally evaluate the behavior of the masticatory muscles (masseter and temporalis) following zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fractures by assessing bite force, electromyography (EMG), and mandibular movements. MATERIALS AND METHODS Group I consisted of 20 patients with unilateral ZMC fractures who were treated surgically with one-, two-, or three-po...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between masticatory performance and maximum bite force in the primary dentition. The sample comprised 15 children of both genders, aged 3 to 5.5 years, with good systemic and oral health, presence of all primary teeth without large caries, no structural anomalies, without severe malocclusion, and no history of orthodontic treatment. They ch...

The evolution of ecomorphs within a species may represent either unique evolutionary events or multiple convergent events in similar environments. Functional studies of differing morphological traits of ecomorphs have been important to elucidate their role in adaptive radiations. The Cape dwarf chameleon, Bradypodion pumilum, has two ecomorphs: a large, brightly colored, ornate form found in cl...