Is the Evolution of Shape in Dendropsophus Tadpoles (Anura, Hylidae) Related to Diet

• Grant number: 24/16493-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Tiago Leite Pezzuti
• Grantee: Carolina Risso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research project titled "Is the Evolution of Shape in Dendropsophus Tadpoles (Anura, Hylidae) Related to Diet?" aims to investigate the evolution of body shape in tadpoles of the genus Dendropsophus and its relationship with diet and foraging behavior. This study is based on the hypothesis that the observed morphological diversity in tadpoles reflects functional adaptations to their feeding environment. Key aims include testing the phylogenetic signal of body shape, analyzing the relationship between shape and oral disc morphology, and identifying morphological synapomorphies for different clades within the genus. The research will utilize geometric morphometrics and comparative phylogenetic methods to analyze specimens from 24 Dendropsophus species housed in scientific collections, focusing on morphological comparisons and the analysis of shape evolution in a phylogenetic context. This study will contribute to understanding the selective pressures that have shaped the diversification of a neotropical anuran group, particularly in the larval stage.