Systematics of Piranha Shape and Ontogeny

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9509195 Zelditch This research will extend studies of the ontogeny (the development of single individuals from egg to adult) of body form to be informative about phylogeny, and to provide information that was not available from comparisons of other body features. The proposed research will extend these studies of the ontogeny of body form, as part of an ongoing revision of piranha fishes. %%% The significance of the work is that it involves use of a novel morphometric method and investigation of the strengths and weaknesses of this method and its utility to systematic biology. Specifically, the research will address general questions regarding the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny. One general question concerns the potential constraints that ontogeny may impose on morphological evolution. A commonly invoked constraint is Odevelopmental integrationO the association among the parts of an ontogeny. One specific hypothesis is that developmentally integrated features will exhibit congruent phylogenetic patterns because, in effect, they are not independent characters. This has been an important issue in systematics and evolutionary morphology and will be examined in this research. ***