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The Ecomorphological Evolution of Lobe-finned Fishes (Sarcopterygii) During the Paleozoic

Graduate #62
Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: Ecology

Bryan Juarez - Iowa State University
Co-Author(s): Lauren C. Sallan, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA



Patterns of vertebrate cranial/post-cranial trait diversification are not well-understood. These patterns of trait diversification between species are important in understanding how ecology results in the morphological and functional diversity of organisms. Two ecological hypotheses, the ‘head-first’ model and the ‘stages’ model, predict the ordered decoupling of cranial/post-cranial ecomorphological diversification. Rate (tempo) analyses and macroevolutionary model-fitting (mode) analyses are often used to test whether cranial traits or post-cranial traits diversify earlier in vertebrates. Here we reconstructed the tempo of cranial/post-cranial trait evolution in lobe-finned fishes (Sarcopterygii), a group containing coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapodomorph fishes, to test for differences in the timing of vertebrate cranial/post-cranial trait diversification. We hypothesize, primarily based on previous research of aquatic vertebrates, that we will observe a ‘head-first’ cranial pattern of skeletal diversification. We collected full-skeletal geometric morphometric coordinate and PC-reduced data for ~100 species of aquatic and semi-aquatic lobe-fins since the Paleozoic and performed rate and raw disparity through time analyses using both coordinate data and principal component-reduced data. We conclude that cranial ‘head-first’ ecomorphological diversification drove the early Paleozoic radiation of aquatic and semi-aquatic lobe-fins, but more research may be needed to understand conflicting patterns in the Mesozoic when taxonomic diversity was substantially lower among “living fossils”.

Not Submitted

Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF, Frontiers Master's Program at University of Michigan, University of Michigan EEB Program, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Rackham Graduate School

Faculty Advisor: Lauren C. Sallan, laurensallan@gmail.com

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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