Meeting Abstract

88-5  Saturday, Jan. 7 11:15 – 11:30  The evolution of diet breadth in coral reef fishes BORSTEIN, S.R*; MCGEE, M.D.; FORDYCE, J.A.; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville sborstei@vols.utk.edu

Understanding dietary differences among taxa is a vital tool for explaining patterns like niche segregation, trophic ecology, and speciation. Here, we focus on the evolution of Diet breadth, the unique types and number of trophic resources consumed by an organism, in coral reef fishes. Coral reefs are highly complex habitats that are extremely nutrient rich, hosting an ecologically and functionally diverse group of fishes. Here we investigate patterns of diet breadth evolution in over 400 coral reef acanthomorph fish species using new ordination methods. We also investigate whether diet breadth evolution is tightly coupled to functional trait evolution, using seven key ecomorphological traits. Our results indicate that while species may occupy similar areas of diet breadth space, they may significantly vary in morphospace occupation.