Functional interpretations of the vertebral structure in paleozoic labyrinthodont amphibians

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Abstract
Previous attempts to analyze structure‐function relationships of vertebral centrum patterns in Paleozoic amphibians have been too simplistic and led to vague conclusions. Vertebral movements, as in the human spine, were coupled. Movements and flexibility of the column were correlated with zygapophysis orientation. The essentially notochordal centrum of early tetrapods permitted several widely divergent patterns to arise without compromising load‐bearing capacity. As the osseous centrum became more robust to assume a greater supportive role in later tetrapods, there was less opportunity to remodel its structure. The seymouriamorph pattern permitted limited axial rotation in association with lateral flexure, while the rhachitomous pattern permitted extended axial rotation in association with lateral flexure by distributing movements within its multipartate centrum. The persistence of widely divergent vertebral configurations, regardless of habitat, in later Paleozoic amphibians can be explained at least partly in terms of historical constraint rather than in strict adaptationist terms.

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