Developmental and Functional Interactions Structure Patterns of Variational Modularity in the Lunar Wrasse Skull.

ABSTRACT: Trait modularity is a defining feature of complex life. However, the drivers of modularity across different scales of biological organization remain opaque. Studies have shown that a combination of developmental and functional interactions can structure patterns of trait covariation at the developmental, population, and even macroevolutionary level. However, it remains unclear how developmental and functional interactions may translate or influence macroevolutionary patterns of trait covariance and diversification. Pharyngognathy is a striking evolutionary innovation that has evolved multiple times in acanthomorph fishes and has resulted in the evolution of robust pharyngeal jaws that are used to process hard prey. Recent studies have found strong patterns of evolutionary integration among

SUBMITTER: Hugi AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12464816 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature