Advanced search
Start date
Betweenand
Related content
(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Intense natural selection preceded the invasion of new adaptive zones during the radiation of New World leaf-nosed bats

Full text
Author(s):
Rossoni, Daniela M. ; Assis, Ana Paula A. ; Giannini, Norberto P. ; Marroig, Gabriel
Total Authors: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 7, SEP 11 2017.
Web of Science Citations: 8
Abstract

The family Phyllostomidae, which evolved in the New World during the last 30 million years, represents one of the largest and most morphologically diverse mammal families. Due to its uniquely diverse functional morphology, the phyllostomid skull is presumed to have evolved under strong directional selection; however, quantitative estimation of the strength of selection in this extraordinary lineage has not been reported. Here, we used comparative quantitative genetics approaches to elucidate the processes that drove cranial evolution in phyllostomids. We also quantified the strength of selection and explored its association with dietary transitions and specialization along the phyllostomid phylogeny. Our results suggest that natural selection was the evolutionary process responsible for cranial diversification in phyllostomid bats. Remarkably, the strongest selection in the phyllostomid phylogeny was associated with dietary specialization and the origination of novel feeding habits, suggesting that the adaptive diversification of phyllostomid bats was triggered by ecological opportunities. These findings are consistent with Simpson's quantum evolutionary model of transitions between adaptive zones. The multivariate analyses used in this study provides a powerful tool for understanding the role of evolutionary processes in shaping phenotypic diversity in any group on both micro-and macroevolutionary scales. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/00852-4 - Study of morphological changes and evolutionary processes in the mammal community of the Grinnell project
Grantee:Ana Paula Aprígio Assis
Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 14/12632-4 - Morphological evolution and cranial integration in Phyllostomidae
Grantee:Daniela Munhoz Rossoni
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
FAPESP's process: 11/14295-7 - Modularity and its evolutionary consequences
Grantee:Gabriel Henrique Marroig Zambonato
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants