Meeting Abstract

P3.73  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Do constructional constraints influence cyprinid craniofacial diversification? HOLLINGSWORTH, P.R.*; HULSEY, C.D.; University of Tennessee; University of Tennessee phollin1@utk.edu

Constraints on form should determine how organisms diversify. Due to competition for the limited space within the body, investment in adjacent structures may frequently represent an evolutionary compromise. For example, evolutionary tradeoffs between eye size and jaw muscle volume in North American cyprinid fishes could have influenced craniofacial diversification in this group. To test the evolutionary independence of these structures in North American cyprinid fishes, we measured the mass of the three major adductor mandibulae (AM) muscles and determined the eye volume in 40 species. This data was then combined with a well-resolved molecular phylogeny in order to test for constructional trade-offs using phylogenetic independent contrasts.