Shark mandible evolution reveals patterns of trophic and habitat-mediated diversification.

ABSTRACT: Environmental controls of species diversity represent a central research focus in evolutionary biology. In the marine realm, sharks are widely distributed, occupying mainly higher trophic levels and varied dietary preferences, mirrored by several morphological traits and behaviours. Recent comparative phylogenetic studies revealed that sharks present a fairly uneven diversification across habitats, from reefs to deep-water. We show preliminary evidence that morphological diversification (disparity) in the feeding system (mandibles) follows these patterns, and we tested hypotheses linking these patterns to morphological specialisation. We conducted a 3D geometric morphometric analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods on 145 specimens representing 90 extant shark species using computed t

SUBMITTER: Lopez-Romero FA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10167336 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature