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. 2013 Jul 30;110(31):12738-43.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304661110. Epub 2013 Jul 15.

Phylogeny and tempo of diversification in the superradiation of spiny-rayed fishes

Thomas J Near  1 , Alex Dornburg, Ron I Eytan, Benjamin P Keck, W Leo Smith, Kristen L Kuhn, Jon A Moore, Samantha A Price, Frank T Burbrink, Matt Friedman, Peter C Wainwright
Affiliations

Phylogeny and tempo of diversification in the superradiation of spiny-rayed fishes

Thomas J Near et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Spiny-rayed fishes, or acanthomorphs, comprise nearly one-third of all living vertebrates. Despite their dominant role in aquatic ecosystems, the evolutionary history and tempo of acanthomorph diversification is poorly understood. We investigate the pattern of lineage diversification in acanthomorphs by using a well-resolved time-calibrated phylogeny inferred from a nuclear gene supermatrix that includes 520 acanthomorph species and 37 fossil age constraints. This phylogeny provides resolution for what has been classically referred to as the "bush at the top" of the teleost tree, and indicates acanthomorphs originated in the Early Cretaceous. Paleontological evidence suggests acanthomorphs exhibit a pulse of morphological diversification following the end Cretaceous mass extinction; however, the role of this event on the accumulation of living acanthomorph diversity remains unclear. Lineage diversification rates through time exhibit no shifts associated with the end Cretaceous mass extinction, but there is a global decrease in lineage diversification rates 50 Ma that occurs during a period when morphological disparity among fossil acanthomorphs increases sharply. Analysis of clade-specific shifts in diversification rates reveal that the hyperdiversity of living acanthomorphs is highlighted by several rapidly radiating lineages including tunas, gobies, blennies, snailfishes, and Afro-American cichlids. These lineages with high diversification rates are not associated with a single habitat type, such as coral reefs, indicating there is no single explanation for the success of acanthomorphs, as exceptional bouts of diversification have occurred across a wide array of marine and freshwater habitats.

Keywords: Actinopterygii; Cichlidae; Percomorpha; Teleostei.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Acanthomorpha and results of lineage diversification rate analyses. (A) Bayesian inferred maximum clade credibility time tree of 520 acanthomorph species calibrated with 37 fossil-based age constraints. Branch colors and circled numbers identify the nine best-fitting lineage diversification regimes identified using MEDUSA. The dashed gray circle at 66 Ma denotes the K-Pg boundary. The 14 major percomorph clades delimited in this phylogeny are labeled with Roman numerals (I–XIV). Maximum likelihood bootstrap and Bayesian posterior clade support values are given in Figs. S1 and S2. (B) Time-calibrated phylogeny detailing the earliest divergences within Acanthomorpha. Bars at nodes represent 95% highest posterior density intervals of age estimates, with light blue bars showing Bayesian posterior clade support of 0.95 or greater. (C) Net diversification rate (birth rate minus death rate) estimates with 95% CIs of the nine identified lineage diversification regimes. Colors and circled numbers correspond to clades denoted in Fig. 1A. Fish line drawings are by A.D., K. L. Tang, and W.L.S.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Temporal scale of acanthomorph diversification during the past 140 My. The dashed line at 66 Ma denotes the K-Pg boundary. (A) Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Acanthomorpha with select major clades highlighted with alternating blue and yellow boxes that correspond with group names. (B) Morphological disparity of acanthomorph fossil taxa measured in six numbered stratigraphic bins that extend from the Cretaceous through the Neogene. The drawing of the Cretaceous fossil taxon †Pycnosteroides is taken from ref. . (C) Maximum-likelihood BDS estimates of diversification rates. The blue line represents the diversification rate estimated from the maximum clade credibility time tree (Fig. 1A), and the red lines denote the diversification rate estimates from BDS analyses across 1,000 posterior time trees. Fish line drawings are by A.D. and K. L. Tang.
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References

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