The evolution of siphonophore tentilla for specialized prey capture in the open ocean.

ABSTRACT: Predator specialization has often been considered an evolutionary "dead end" due to the constraints associated with the evolution of morphological and functional optimizations throughout the organism. However, in some predators, these changes are localized in separate structures dedicated to prey capture. One of the most extreme cases of this modularity can be observed in siphonophores, a clade of pelagic colonial cnidarians that use tentilla (tentacle side branches armed with nematocysts) exclusively for prey capture. Here we study how siphonophore specialists and generalists evolve, and what morphological changes are associated with these transitions. To answer these questions, we: a) Measured 29 morphological characters of tentacles from 45 siphonophore species, b) mapped these data to

SUBMITTER: Damian-Serrano A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7923536 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature