Selection, constraints, and contingency drive mosaic patterns of evolution during the carangarian adaptive radiation

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-09-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh7825
Primary Topic
Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Selection, constraints, and contingency drive mosaic patterns of evolution during the carangarian adaptive radiation

María Laura Habegger, Ricardo Betancur‐R, William B. Ludt, Todd R. Clardy et al.
Science Advances
Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
article

Selection, constraints, and contingency drive mosaic patterns of evolution during the carangarian adaptive radiation

María Laura Habegger, Ricardo Betancur‐R, William B. Ludt, Todd R. Clardy, HoWan Chan, Emanuell Duarte-Ribeiro, Matt Friedman, Kory M Evans
article en

Abstract

Adaptive radiations generate remarkable morphological diversity, yet traits often diversify at different rates and modes, producing mosaic patterns of evolution. Modularity, the semiautonomous organization of traits, can shape how selection and constraint interact during these radiations, but its macroevolutionary consequences remain unclear. We examined skull modularity during the post-Cretaceous radiation of carangarian fishes, a diverse marine clade that diversified along the benthic-pelagic axis after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Using three-dimensional morphometric data from 188 species integrated with phylogenetic comparative analyses, we found that the carangarian skull is highly modular and exhibits pronounced mosaic evolution. Oral jaw and "uro-cranium" modules evolved fastest and attained the greatest morphological disparity, whereas hyoid arch-derived modules evolved more slowly and remained comparatively constrained. Repeated transitions into pelagic habitats promoted often convergent oral jaw diversification across independent lineages, while elevated rates and disparity in the uro-cranium were concentrated within benthic flatfishes. These findings show how ecological opportunity and developmental architecture generate mosaic evolution during vertebrate radiations.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(37)
University of North Florida (US), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US), University of Basel (CH), University of Michigan (US), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (US), University of California San Diego (US), Rice University (US)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
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