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Rapid Change in Mammalian Eye Shape Is Explained by Activity Pattern.

Joanna Baker1, Chris Venditti1

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6BX, UK.

Current Biology : CB
|March 12, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ecological shifts, like changes in species activity patterns (nocturnal, diurnal), significantly drive rapid eye shape evolution in mammals. This research links environmental changes to the pace of morphological adaptation.

Keywords:
activity patterncomparative methodseye shapemorphological ratesnatural selectionphylogeny

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Paleontology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Morphological evolution rates vary significantly across phylogenetic lineages.
  • The link between evolutionary rates and adaptation, driven by natural selection, lacks robust empirical evidence.
  • Demonstrating a connection between rapid evolution and ecological shifts or innovations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if species activity patterns explain bursts of evolutionary change in eye shape.
  • To test the hypothesis that ecological factors drive rapid morphological evolution.
  • To understand how ecological changes manifest in evolutionary rates.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized modern phylogenetic methods to identify shifts in morphological evolution rates.
  • Analyzed eye shape evolution in mammals in relation to activity patterns (nocturnal, cathemeral, diurnal).
  • Examined heterogeneity in the evolution of activity patterns across mammalian orders.

Main Results:

  • Over 74% of rapid eye shape evolution in mammals is explained by selection pressures related to activity patterns.
  • Distinct selection pressures act on nocturnal, cathemeral, and diurnal species, driving eye shape change.
  • Differences in eye shape evolution rates among mammalian orders correlate with how activity patterns evolved.

Conclusions:

  • Ecological changes, specifically activity patterns, are key drivers of rapid morphological evolution.
  • The evolution of ecology itself influences the rate of subsequent morphological evolution.
  • This study provides a novel approach to identify factors promoting adaptation and biodiversity.