10.25338/B8TG8S
Friedman, Sarah
0000-0003-0192-5008
University of California, Davis
Price, Samantha
Clemson University
Corn, Katherine
0000-0002-9437-1683
University of California, Davis
Larouche, Olivier
Clemson University
Martinez, Christopher
University of California, Davis
Wainwright, Peter
University of California, Davis
Data from: Body shape diversification along the benthic-pelagic axis in
marine fishes
Dryad
dataset
2019
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB-1556953
2020-07-17T00:00:00Z
2020-07-17T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1053
326316 bytes
5
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Colonization of novel habitats can result in marked phenotypic responses
to the new environment that include changes in body shape and
opportunities for further morphological diversification. Fishes have
repeatedly transitioned along the benthic-pelagic axis, with varying
degrees of association with the substrate. Previous work focusing on
individual lineages shows that these transitions are accompanied by highly
predictable changes in body form. Here, we generalize expectations drawn
from this literature to study the effects of habitat on body shape
diversification across 3,344 marine teleost fishes. We compare rates and
patterns of evolution in eight linear measurements of body shape among
fishes that live in pelagic, demersal, and benthic habitats. While average
body shape differs between habitats, these differences are subtle compared
to the high diversity of shapes found within each habitat. Benthic living
increases the rate of body shape evolution and has led to numerous
lineages evolving extreme body shapes, including both exceptionally wide
bodies and highly elongate, eel-like forms. In contrast, we find that
benthic living is associated with the slowest diversification of
structures associated with feeding. Though we find that habitat can serve
as an impetus for predictable trait changes, we also highlight the
diversity of responses in marine teleosts to opportunities presented by
major habitats.