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THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Eric Snively A ... - Ohio University

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the animals ran on uneven ground. This is an intnguing possibility, although<br />

Carpenter (1997) did not offer a detailed morphological analysis.<br />

Hypotheses of biological role or function of the arctometatarsus must derive<br />

from thorough assessment of the observed inter-relatedness of its parts.<br />

Therefore, this thesis attempts a large-sale analysis of arctometatarsus function<br />

and its selective implications, through study of basic morphology, systematic<br />

variation of the arctometatarsalian pes, and possible connectivities (Bock 1989)<br />

between this organ system's constituent structures.<br />

Elicitation and testing of hypotheses: atomization, synthesis, and extrapolation<br />

The salient features of the arctometatarsus are the proximal and plantar<br />

constnction of MT Ill. These observations alone suggest a general prirnary<br />

hypothesis and nuIl hypothesis:<br />

H(a): MT III constnction imparted functional differences between the<br />

arctometatarsus and other theropod metatarsus morphologies.<br />

H(o): The constricted MT Ill of the arctometatarsus functioned identically to<br />

unconstricted theropod third metatarsais.<br />

Superficially these hypotheses appear overly broad. However, generating<br />

hypotheses of specific function or performance advantage requires more<br />

comprehensive observation. M en these focused hypotheses are supported or<br />

falsified, the validity of the more general hypothesis can be upheld or discounted.<br />

This thesis seeks out and tests more specific hypotheses of arctometatarsus<br />

function through the following methods:

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