Meeting Abstract
Due to the large variability among habitats and geographic regions, fishes have evolved extraordinary morphological and functional diversity to best utilize different environments. However, the relationships among geographic ranges, ecological processes, patterns of functional trait distributions, and multivariate shape diversity are not well understood. In this study, we aim to examine these complex interactions through an integrative analysis of the spatial and phylogenetic distribution of biomechanical traits associated with feeding and locomotion across a charismatic family of marine fishes, the triggerfishes. Triggerfishes (Balistidae) are a circumtropical family of approximately 42 species that occupy a wide variety of ecological roles, with habitats ranging from complex coral reefs to the vast open ocean and diets ranging from planktivory to durophagy. Previous studies have revealed that triggerfishes have converged on fin and cranial morphologies best suited for specific ecological functions. We integrate detailed multivariate shape data of the body, fins, and jaw linkage mechanics of 27 species with comprehensive georeferenced coordinate data and fine-scale ecological data in order to understand of the distribution of ecologically relevant biomechanical traits among taxon specific biogeographic regions and across the phylogeny. Our results reveal show the relationships between the spatial distribution and evolution of triggerfish biomechanical and morphological diversity among geographic regions and species assemblages. NSF 1541547.
