scholarly journals Phylogeny of the damselfishes (Pomacentridae) and patterns of asymmetrical diversification in body size and feeding ecology

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258889
Author(s):  
Charlene L. McCord ◽  
Chloe M. Nash ◽  
W. James Cooper ◽  
Mark W. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
And Function

The damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) inhabit near-shore communities in tropical and temperature oceans as one of the major lineages in coral reef fish assemblages. Our understanding of their evolutionary ecology, morphology and function has often been advanced by increasingly detailed and accurate molecular phylogenies. Here we present the next stage of multi-locus, molecular phylogenetics for the group based on analysis of 12 nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences from 345 of the 422 damselfishes. The resulting well-resolved phylogeny helps to address several important questions about higher-level damselfish relationships, their evolutionary history and patterns of divergence. A time-calibrated phylogenetic tree yields a root age for the family of 55.5 mya, refines the age of origin for a number of diverse genera, and shows that ecological changes during the Eocene-Oligocene transition provided opportunities for damselfish diversification. We explored the idea that body size extremes have evolved repeatedly among the Pomacentridae, and demonstrate that large and small body sizes have evolved independently at least 40 times and with asymmetric rates of transition among size classes. We tested the hypothesis that transitions among dietary ecotypes (benthic herbivory, pelagic planktivory and intermediate omnivory) are asymmetric, with higher transition rates from intermediate omnivory to either planktivory or herbivory. Using multistate hidden-state speciation and extinction models, we found that both body size and dietary ecotype are significantly associated with patterns of diversification across the damselfishes, and that the highest rates of net diversification are associated with medium body size and pelagic planktivory. We also conclude that the pattern of evolutionary diversification in feeding ecology, with frequent and asymmetrical transitions between feeding ecotypes, is largely restricted to the subfamily Pomacentrinae in the Indo-West Pacific. Trait diversification patterns for damselfishes across a fully resolved phylogeny challenge many recent general conclusions about the evolution of reef fishes.

scholarly journals Phylogeny of the damselfishes (Pomacentridae) and patterns of asymmetrical diversification in body size and feeding ecology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlene L. McCord ◽  
W. James Cooper ◽  
Chloe M. Nash ◽  
Mark W. Westneat
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
And Function

AbstractThe damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) inhabit near-shore communities in tropical and temperature oceans as one of the major lineages with ecological and economic importance for coral reef fish assemblages. Our understanding of their evolutionary ecology, morphology and function has often been advanced by increasingly detailed and accurate molecular phylogenies. Here we present the next stage of multi-locus, molecular phylogenetics for the group based on analysis of 12 nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences from 330 of the 422 damselfish species. The resulting well-resolved phylogeny helps to address several important questions about higher-level damselfish relationships and the monophyly of genera, including Chromis, Chrysiptera, Parma and Stegastes. A time-calibrated phylogenetic tree scaled using fossil data and recent estimated ovalentarian clade ages, yields an older root age for the family (55.3 mya) than previously proposed, refines the age of origin for a number of diverse genera, and shows that ecological changes during the Eocene-Oligocene transition provided opportunities for damselfish diversification. We explored the idea that body size extremes have evolved repeatedly among the Pomacentridae, and demonstrate that large and small body sizes have evolved independently at least 30 times and with asymmetric rates of transition. We tested the hypothesis that transitions among three dietary ecotypes (benthic herbivory, pelagic planktivory and intermediate omnivory) are asymmetric, with higher transition rates from intermediate omnivory to either planktivory or herbivory. Using multistate hidden-state speciation and extinction models, we found that dietary ecotype is significantly associated with patterns of diversification across the damselfishes, and that the highest rates of net diversification are associated with pelagic planktivory. We also conclude that the pattern of evolutionary diversification in feeding ecology, with frequent and asymmetrical transitions between a small number of feeding ecotypes, is largely restricted to the subfamily Pomacentrinae in the Indo-West Pacific.

A new species of the Pristimantis orestes group (Amphibia: Strabomantidae) from the high Andes of Ecuador, Reserva Mazar

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3616 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUAN M. GUAYASAMIN ◽  
ALEJANDRO F. ARTEAGA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Small Body Size ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
A New Species

We describe a new Pristimantis from La Libertad and Rumiloma, Reserva Mazar, Andes of Southeastern Ecuador, at elevations between 2895–3415 m. This species is assigned to the P. orestes group, from whose members it differs by its small body size (adult males ≤ 18.1 mm; adult females ≤ 23.7 mm), usually reticulated ventral pattern, and visible tympanum. The vocalization of the new species consists of a series of calls; each call is composed by a pulsed, non-modulated note in frequency, and with a dominant frequency of 3122–3171 Hz. A molecular phylogeny based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene 12S shows that the new species is sister to Pristimantis simonbolivari.

Body Size, Adaptation and Function

1989 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynaldo Martorell
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Growth Retardation ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
And Function ◽  
Excellent Tool

This is a brief discussion of the "small but healthy" hypothesis proposed by David Seckler in the early 1980s. Four basic points are made. First, adults in developing countries have small body sizes largely as a result of poor diets and infection during childhood. Therefore, to acclaim small body sizes as a desirable attribute for populations is also to affirm that its causes are desirable. Second, monitoring the growth of children is widely recognized as an excellent tool for detecting health problems. Growth retardation, rather than an innocuous response to environmental stimuli, is a warning signal of increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Third, the conditions which give rise to stunted children also affect other aspects such as cognitive development. Finally, stunted girls who survive to be short women are at greater risk of delivering growth retarded infants with a greater probability of dying in infancy. For all these reasons, small is not healthy.

scholarly journals The paradox of inverted biomass pyramids in kelp forest fish communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1833) ◽  
pp. 20160816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rowan Trebilco ◽  
Nicholas K. Dulvy ◽  
Sean C. Anderson ◽  
Anne K. Salomon
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Fish Muscle ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Body Sizes

Theory predicts that bottom-heavy biomass pyramids or ‘stacks’ should predominate in real-world communities if trophic-level increases with body size (mean predator-to-prey mass ratio (PPMR) more than 1). However, recent research suggests that inverted biomass pyramids (IBPs) characterize relatively pristine reef fish communities. Here, we estimated the slope of a kelp forest fish community biomass spectrum from underwater visual surveys. The observed biomass spectrum slope is strongly positive, reflecting an IBP. This is incongruous with theory because this steep positive slope would only be expected if trophic position decreased with increasing body size (consumer-to-resource mass ratio, less than 1). We then used δ 15 N signatures of fish muscle tissue to quantify the relationship between trophic position and body size and instead detected strong evidence for the opposite, with PPMR ≈ 1650 (50% credible interval 280–12 000). The natural history of kelp forest reef fishes suggests that this paradox could arise from energetic subsidies in the form of movement of mobile consumers across habitats, and from seasonally pulsed production inputs at small body sizes. There were four to five times more biomass at large body sizes (1–2 kg) than would be expected in a closed steady-state community providing a measure of the magnitude of subsidies.

scholarly journals Energetic and ecological constraints on population density of reef fishes

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1823) ◽  
pp. 20152186 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Barneche ◽  
M. Kulbicki ◽  
S. R. Floeter ◽  
A. M. Friedlander ◽  
A. P. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Ecological Constraints

Population ecology has classically focused on pairwise species interactions, hindering the description of general patterns and processes of population abundance at large spatial scales. Here we use the metabolic theory of ecology as a framework to formulate and test a model that yields predictions linking population density to the physiological constraints of body size and temperature on individual metabolism, and the ecological constraints of trophic structure and species richness on energy partitioning among species. Our model was tested by applying Bayesian quantile regression to a comprehensive reef-fish community database, from which we extracted density data for 5609 populations spread across 49 sites around the world. Our results indicate that population density declines markedly with increases in community species richness and that, after accounting for richness, energetic constraints are manifested most strongly for the most abundant species, which generally are of small body size and occupy lower trophic groups. Overall, our findings suggest that, at the global scale, factors associated with community species richness are the major drivers of variation in population density. Given that populations of species-rich tropical systems exhibit markedly lower maximum densities, they may be particularly susceptible to stochastic extinction.

scholarly journals Decomposing the effects of ocean environments on predator–prey body-size relationships in food webs

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 180707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoya Dobashi ◽  
Midori Iida ◽  
Kazuhiro Takemoto
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Oxygen Concentration ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Impact

Body-size relationships between predators and their prey are important in ecological studies because they reflect the structure and function of food webs. Inspired by studies on the impact of global warming on food webs, the effects of temperature on body-size relationships have been widely investigated; however, the impact of environmental factors on body-size relationships has not been fully evaluated because climate warming affects various ocean environments. Thus, here, we comprehensively investigated the effects of ocean environments and predator–prey body-size relationships by integrating a large-scale dataset of predator–prey body-size relationships in marine food webs with global oceanographic data. We showed that various oceanographic parameters influence prey size selection. In particular, oxygen concentration, primary production and salinity, in addition to temperature, significantly alter body-size relationships. Furthermore, we demonstrated that variability (seasonality) of ocean environments significantly affects body-size relationships. The effects of ocean environments on body-size relationships were generally remarkable for small body sizes, but were also significant for large body sizes and were relatively weak for intermediate body sizes, in the cases of temperature seasonality, oxygen concentration and salinity variability. These findings break down the complex effects of ocean environments on body-size relationships, advancing our understanding of how ocean environments influence the structure and functioning of food webs.

Spatial assemblage structure of shallow-water reef fish in Southwest Australia

2020 ◽  
Vol 649 ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
DS Goldsworthy ◽  
BJ Saunders ◽  
JRC Parker ◽  
ES Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Reef Fish Assemblage ◽  
Reef Type ◽  
Present Distribution ◽  
Southwest Australia

Bioregional categorisation of the Australian marine environment is essential to conserve and manage entire ecosystems, including the biota and associated habitats. It is important that these regions are optimally positioned to effectively plan for the protection of distinct assemblages. Recent climatic variation and changes to the marine environment in Southwest Australia (SWA) have resulted in shifts in species ranges and changes to the composition of marine assemblages. The goal of this study was to determine if the current bioregionalisation of SWA accurately represents the present distribution of shallow-water reef fishes across 2000 km of its subtropical and temperate coastline. Data was collected in 2015 using diver-operated underwater stereo-video surveys from 7 regions between Port Gregory (north of Geraldton) to the east of Esperance. This study indicated that (1) the shallow-water reef fish of SWA formed 4 distinct assemblages along the coast: one Midwestern, one Central and 2 Southern Assemblages; (2) differences between these fish assemblages were primarily driven by sea surface temperature, Ecklonia radiata cover, non-E. radiata (canopy) cover, understorey algae cover, reef type and reef height; and (3) each of the 4 assemblages were characterised by a high number of short-range Australian and Western Australian endemic species. The findings from this study suggest that 4, rather than the existing 3 bioregions would more effectively capture the shallow-water reef fish assemblage patterns, with boundaries having shifted southwards likely associated with ocean warming.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Growth and Reproductive Performance of Cloned Pietrain Boars

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2053
Author(s):  
Junsong Shi ◽  
Baohua Tan ◽  
Lvhua Luo ◽  
Zicong Li ◽  
Linjun Hong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Semen Quality ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
F1 Progeny

How to maximize the use of the genetic merits of the high-ranking boars (also called superior ones) is a considerable question in the pig breeding industry, considering the money and time spent on selection. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is one of the potential ways to answer the question, which can be applied to produce clones with genetic resources of superior boar for the production of commercial pigs. For practical application, it is essential to investigate whether the clones and their progeny keep behaving better than the “normal boars”, considering that in vitro culture and transfer manipulation would cause a series of harmful effects to the development of clones. In this study, 59,061 cloned embryos were transferred into 250 recipient sows to produce the clones of superior Pietrain boars. The growth performance of 12 clones and 36 non-clones and the semen quality of 19 clones and 28 non-clones were compared. The reproductive performance of 21 clones and 25 non-clones were also tested. Furthermore, we made a comparison in the growth performance between 466 progeny of the clones and 822 progeny of the non-clones. Our results showed that no significant difference in semen quality and reproductive performance was observed between the clones and the non-clones, although the clones grew slower and exhibited smaller body size than the non-clones. The F1 progeny of the clones showed a greater growth rate than the non-clones. Our results demonstrated through the large animal population showed that SCNT manipulation resulted in a low growth rate and small body size, but the clones could normally produce F1 progeny with excellent growth traits to bring more economic benefits. Therefore, SCNT could be effective in enlarging the merit genetics of the superior boars and increasing the economic benefits in pig reproduction and breeding.

scholarly journals Independent evolution towards larger body size in the distinctive Faroe Island mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Wilches ◽  
William H Beluch ◽  
Ellen McConnell ◽  
Diethard Tautz ◽  
Yingguang Frank Chan
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Laboratory Mouse ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Island Population ◽  
Multiple Loci

Abstract Most phenotypic traits in nature involve the collective action of many genes. Traits that evolve repeatedly are particularly useful for understanding how selection may act on changing trait values. In mice, large body size has evolved repeatedly on islands and under artificial selection in the laboratory. Identifying the loci and genes involved in this process may shed light on the evolution of complex, polygenic traits. Here, we have mapped the genetic basis of body size variation by making a genetic cross between mice from the Faroe Islands, which are among the largest and most distinctive natural populations of mice in the world, and a laboratory mouse strain selected for small body size, SM/J. Using this F2 intercross of 841 animals, we have identified 111 loci controlling various aspects of body size, weight and growth hormone levels. By comparing against other studies, including the use of a joint meta-analysis, we found that the loci involved in the evolution of large size in the Faroese mice were largely independent from those of a different island population or other laboratory strains. We hypothesize that colonization bottleneck, historical hybridization, or the redundancy between multiple loci have resulted in the Faroese mice achieving an outwardly similar phenotype through a distinct evolutionary path.

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