Phylogenetic evidence for recent diversification of obligate coral-dwelling gobies compared with their host corals.

ABSTRACT: The rich diversity of coral reef organisms is supported, at least in part, by the diversity of coral reef habitat. Some of the most habitat specialised fishes on coral reefs are obligate coral-dwelling gobies of the genus Gobiodon that inhabit a range of coral species, mostly of the genus Acropora. However, the role of this specialised pattern of habitat use in the evolution of coral-dwelling gobies is not well understood. Diversification of coral-dwelling gobies may be driven by the diversification of their host corals (cospeciation), or alternatively, diversification of these fishes may have occurred independently of the diversification of host corals. The cospeciation hypothesis assumes similar timing in evolution of the gobies and their host corals. We used four genes for each group an

SUBMITTER: Duchene D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4047829 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature