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APPLICATIONS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL BOX MODELING TO PALEONTOLOGICAL FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2017

Imran A. Rahman  and
Stephan Lautenschlager
Imran A. Rahman
Affiliation:
Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, UK 〈imran.rahman@oum.ox.ac.uk〉
Stephan Lautenschlager
Affiliation:
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgebaston Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK 〈s.lautenschlager@bham.ac.uk〉
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Abstract

Functional analysis through computer modeling can inform on how extinct organisms moved and fed, allowing us to test long-standing paleobiological hypotheses. Many such studies are based on digital models derived from computed tomography or surface scanning, but these methods are not appropriate for all fossils. Here, we show that box modeling—3-D modeling of complex shapes based on simple objects—can be used to reconstruct the morphology of various fossil specimens. Moreover, the results of computational functional analyses utilizing such models are very similar to those for models derived from tomographic or surface-based techniques. Box modeling is more broadly applicable than alternative methods for digitizing specimens; hence, there is great potential for this approach in paleontological functional analysis. Possible applications include large-scale comparative studies, analyses of hypothetical morphologies, and virtually restoring incomplete/distorted specimens.

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Research Article
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The Paleontological Society Papers , Volume 22: Virtual Paleontology , September 2016 , pp. 119 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © 2017, The Paleontological Society 

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