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Grossnickle DM, Sadier A, Patterson E, Cortés-Viruet NN, Jiménez-Rivera SM, Sears KE, Santana SE. The hierarchical radiation of phyllostomid bats as revealed by adaptive molar morphology. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1284-1294.e3. [PMID: 38447572 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Adaptive radiations are bursts in biodiversity that generate new evolutionary lineages and phenotypes. However, because they typically occur over millions of years, it is unclear how their macroevolutionary dynamics vary through time and among groups of organisms. Phyllostomid bats radiated extensively for diverse diets-from insects to vertebrates, fruit, nectar, and blood-and we use their molars as a model system to examine the dynamics of adaptive radiations. Three-dimensional shape analyses of lower molars of Noctilionoidea (Phyllostomidae and close relatives) indicate that different diet groups exhibit distinct morphotypes. Comparative analyses further reveal that phyllostomids are a striking example of a hierarchical radiation; phyllostomids' initial, higher-level diversification involved an "early burst" in molar morphological disparity as lineages invaded new diet-affiliated adaptive zones, followed by subsequent lower-level diversifications within adaptive zones involving less dramatic morphological changes. We posit that strong selective pressures related to initial shifts to derived diets may have freed molars from morpho-functional constraints associated with the ancestral molar morphotype. Then, lineages with derived diets (frugivores and nectarivores) diversified within broad adaptive zones, likely reflecting finer-scale niche partitioning. Importantly, the observed early burst pattern is only evident when examining molar traits that are strongly linked to diet, highlighting the value of ecomorphological traits in comparative studies. Our results support the hypothesis that adaptive radiations are commonly hierarchical and involve different tempos and modes at different phylogenetic levels, with early bursts being more common at higher levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Grossnickle
- Natural Sciences Department, Oregon Institute of Technology, Campus Drive, Klamath Falls, OR 97601, USA.
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Universite de Montpellier, Place Eugene Bataillon, Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Edward Patterson
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nashaly N Cortés-Viruet
- Department of Animal Science, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Calle Post, Mayagüez, PR 00681, USA
| | - Stephanie M Jiménez-Rivera
- Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, 500 Dr. John Will Harris Street, Bayamón, PR 00957, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Sharlene E Santana
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Memorial Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Ferry LA, Higham TE. Ecomechanics and the Rules of Life: a Critical Conduit Between the Physical and Natural Sciences. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac114. [PMID: 35878412 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature provides the parameters, or boundaries, within which organisms must cope in order to survive. Therefore, ecological conditions have an unequivocal influence on the ability of organisms to perform the necessary functions for survival. Biomechanics brings together physics and biology to understand how an organism will function under a suite of conditions. Despite a relatively rich recent history linking physiology and morphology with ecology, less attention has been paid to the linkage between biomechanics and ecology. This linkage, however, could provide key insights into patterns and processes of evolution. Ecomechanics, also known as ecological biomechanics or mechanical ecology, is not necessarily new, but has received far less attention than ecophysiology or ecomorphology. Here, we briefly review the history of ecomechanics, and then identify what we believe are grand challenges for the discipline and how they can inform some of the most pressing questions in science today, such as how organisms will cope with global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara A Ferry
- Arizona State University, School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - Timothy E Higham
- University of California Riverside, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Riverside, CA, USA
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