Proximamente en el Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

Hola estimados usuarios, aqui les adjunto el resumen de nuestro trabajo que se publicará en el Biological Journal of the Linnean Society proximamente. Trabajamos con damiselas del Pacífico Oriental. Analizamos morfometría, ecología, ecomorfología y filogenia, todo esto lo digerimos mediante el uso de los metodos comparativos filogenéticos (PCM). Espero les guste... Rosalía

Patterns of morphological evolution of the cephalic region in damselfishes (Perciformes, Pomacentridae) of the Eastern Pacific

ROSALÍA AGUILAR-MEDRANO^1*, BRUNO FRÉDÉRICH ², EFRAÍN DE LUNA ³, EDUARDO F. BALART¹

¹ Laboratorio de Necton y Ecología de Arrecifes, y Colección Ictiológica, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, B.C.S. 23090 México

²Laboratoire de Morphologie fonctionnelle et évolutive, Institut de Chimie (B6c), Université de Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium

³Departamento de Biodiversidad y Sistemática, Instituto de Ecología, AC, Xalapa, Veracruz 91000 México

*email: liabiol@gmail.com

Pomacentridae are one of the most abundant fish families inhabiting reefs of tropical and temperate regions. This family, comprising 29 genera, shows a remarkable diversity of habitat preferences, feeding and behaviors. Twenty-four species belonging to seven genera have been reported in the Eastern Pacific region. This study focuses on the relationship between the diet and the cephalic profile in the 24 endemic damselfishes of this region. Feeding habits were determined by means of underwater observations and the gathering of bibliographic data. Variations in cephalic profile were analyzed by means of geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic methods. The present study shows that the 24 species can be grouped into three main trophic guilds: zooplanktivores, algivores and an intermediate group feeding on small pelagic and benthic preys. Shape variations were low within each genus except Abudefduf. Phylogenetically adjusted regression reveals that head shape can be explained by differences in feeding habits. Our morphometric phylogeny recovered the subfamily Stegastinae and the relationship between A. troschelii and Chromis species. The cephalic profile of damselfishes contains a clear and strong phylogenetic signal.

ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: head shape – phylogenetic morphometrics – Gulf of California – reef fishes – trophic niche.