Understanding how anatomical structures evolve requires disentangling the roles of integration and modularity in shaping morphological variation. The vertebral column, a serially repeated and regional...

Vertebrae arise from somites, transient embryonic segments that rhythmically bud from the presomitic mesoderm during axial elongation. The number and identity of vertebrae are ultimately determined by...

African cichlids comprise more than 1800 species of freshwater fishes, with remarkable adaptive radiations in Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi, and Victoria that have given rise to extraordinary morphological...