Promoter: Jamie MacLaren
​​â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹â¶Ä‹Supervision: Anastasia Selini
Subject: Modern pinnipeds (seals, sea-lions, fur-seals and walruses) are adapted to a life in water, where they primarily feed using a wide set of feeding strategies (pierce-feeding, grip-and-tear, filter and underwater suction-feeding). These feeding strategies are often associated with different mandibular morphologies and therefore with variable biomechanical properties. Exploring the function of pinniped jaws across different taxa provides valuable insights into the feeding specializations and evolution of these semi-aquatic carnivorans. Feeding capabilities can be investigated biomechanically using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a technique that is traditionally used in engineering for testing the structural integrity of man-made structures. However, in nature, the complexity is much higher, resulting in the need to simplify the model parameters to successfully solve the simulations. One such fundamental parameter is 3D model resolution, which may differ across taxa and subsequently different jaw morphologies. Investigating the optimal 3D model resolution is an essential step in accurately interpreting FEA results of feeding performance. Comparing the jaw biomechanical performance of pinnipeds across the main families (Phocidae, Otariidae, Odobenidae) would provide a better understanding of their feeding capabilities and behaviour.
In this project, the student will: (1) become familiar with pinniped craniomandibular anatomy; (2) gather 3D surface scans of pinniped mandibles; (3) perform biomechanical simulations using FEA on pinniped mandibles of variable model resolutions; (4) identify the best model resolution for FEA on pinniped mandibles; (5) assess interspecific differences in feeding performance across the main pinniped families.
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