Meeting Abstract

S8.3  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Integration and evolution of the cichlid feeding apparatus II: Adaptations for power. ALBERTSON, R.C.; Syracuse Univ., Syracuse NY rcalbert@syr.edu

East African cichlid fish exhibit unparalleled rates of diversification among vertebrates. Their evolutionary history is characterized by repeated bursts of trophic specialization, which has led to the evolution of dramatically different head shapes. A major axis of diversity among Lake Malawi cichlids involves anatomical specializations for the generation and stabilization of force during biting. We show that adaptations for a biting mode of feeding involve stereotypical changes in several elements of the head, and that these skeletal elements exhibit a significant degree of genetic and developmental integration. We suggest that the rapid and replicative nature of cichlid trophic evolution may be due, in part, to unique patterns of integration among trophic characters. The addition of cichlids to the growing number of vertebrate species whose genomes have been sequenced will provide an unprecedented opportunity to test this and related hypotheses.