Widespread temporal niche partitioning in an adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes.

ABSTRACT: The partitioning of ecological niches is a fundamental component of species diversification in adaptive radiations. However, it is currently unknown if and how such bursts of organismal diversity are influenced by temporal niche partitioning, wherein species avoid competition by being active or sleeping during different time windows. Here we address this question through profiling temporal activity patterns in the exceptionally diverse fauna of cichlid fishes from the African Lake Tanganyika. By integrating week-long longitudinal behavioural recordings of over 500 individuals from 60 species with eco-morphological and genomic information, we provide two lines of evidence that temporal niche partitioning occurs in this massive adaptive radiation. First, Tanganyikan cichlids exhibit all know

SUBMITTER: Nichols ALA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12507676 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature