Figure 1: Theoretical challenges of the vertebrate water-land transition in early tetrapods. Life in the new medium requires, among other things, adjustments to (1) respiration, (2) perception, (3) locomotion, (4) ingestion, (5) excretion, (6) osmoregulation, and (7) reproduction (not shown here).
The early terrestrial vertebrates (Tetrapods) faced new conditions and challenges that contrasted with their previous way of life due to the transition from a life in water to a life on land (Fig. 1). The vertebrate water-land transition has already been considered from many perspectives. Still, the feeding behaviour of the early land vertebrates has not yet been fully clarified. Particularly problematic with the question of the feeding behaviour of these animals is the change in the physical conditions of the surrounding medium. The typical aquatic ingestion and transport of food are not possible on land since both are made powered by hydrodynamic forces. However, hydrodynamic transport can only occur in a medium of relatively high density and viscosity. Therefore, changes in the form and function of the feeding apparatus of early tetrapods were essential to enable feeding under new and potentially challenging physical conditions.
This project's experimental work (in vivo) focuses on salamanders, as these are particularly well suited for modelling issues related to early tetrapods for various reasons. In addition, morphological studies of early tetrapods (ex vivo) are used to conclude the feeding behaviour of these early tetrapods in analogy to the results of salamander research. Computer-aided modelling approaches are applied to test the resulting hypotheses.
