Convergent latitudinal erosion of circadian systems in a rapidly diversifying order of fishes.

ABSTRACT: Biological clocks enable organisms to anticipate cyclical environmental changes. Some habitats, such as those at high latitudes or deep sea, experience seasonally diminished or absent diel cues upon which species entrain their circadian rhythms. Fishes of the order Perciformes have rapidly diversified and adapted to these arrhythmic ecosystems, raising the possibility that evolutionary modifications to their circadian biology contributes to their success as one of the most species-rich orders of vertebrates. Here, we used a comparative genomic approach to investigate patterns of biological clock gene loss and circadian rhythms across 33 perciform and six outgroup species. We found both widespread and lineage-specific loss and relaxed selection in core clock genes, particularly in the conve

SUBMITTER: Wright DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12154703 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature