Repeated evolution of amphibious behavior in fish and its implications for the colonization of novel environments

We know little about on how frequently transitions into new habitats occur, especially the colonization of novel environments that are the most likely to instigate adaptive evolution. One of the most extreme ecological transitions has been the shift in habitat associated with the move from water to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution 2016-08, Vol.70 (8), p.1747-1759
Main Authors: Ord, Terry J., Cooke, Georgina M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Amphibious fish
Animals
Biological Evolution
Blenniidae
blenny
convergent evolution
Ecosystem
Environment
Evolution & development
Fish
Fishes - physiology
intertidal zone
Life History Traits
mudskipper
Perciformes
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
water-land invasion
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Summary:We know little about on how frequently transitions into new habitats occur, especially the colonization of novel environments that are the most likely to instigate adaptive evolution. One of the most extreme ecological transitions has been the shift in habitat associated with the move from water to land by amphibious fish. We provide the first phylogenetic investigation of these transitions for living fish. Thirty-three families have species reported to be amphibious and these are likely independent evolutionary origins of fish emerging onto land. Phylogenetic reconstructions of closely related taxa within one of these families, the Blenniidae, inferred as many as seven convergences on a highly amphibious lifestyle. Taken together, there appear to be few constraints on fish emerging onto land given amphibious behavior has evolved repeatedly many times across ecologically diverse families. The colonization of novel habitats by other taxa resulting in less dramatic changes in environment should be equally, if not, more frequent in nature, providing an important prerequisite for subsequent adaptive differentiation.
ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1111/evo.12971