Dissertation Research: Convergent Evolution of Mollusc Crushing in Teleost Fishes

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Wainwright 9700758 The proposed dissertation research will investigate the convergent evolution of pharyngeal jaw molluse crushing in teleost fishes. Five groups of percomorph fishes will be studied to determine whether the same suite of functional, morphological, and physiological modifications underlie this trophic specialization in such case. An integrative approach will be used to compare the molluse crushing capacity of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus in molluscivores and closely related generalist predators: 1) Functional Morphology; comparison of the pharyngeal jaw mechanism including mesurements of the musculoskeletal system, electromyography, and in vivo stimulation experiments, 2) Physiology; biochemical assays will determine the physiological nature of the muscles will be measured in the laboratory. The significance of this research will be threefold. First, it will reveal the relationships among different levels of organismal design and performance in the repeated evolution of a novel feeding behavior. Secold, it will increase our understanding of how rigorously the physical demands of mollusc crushing constrained the evolutionary modification of the teleost pharyngeal jaw apparatus in multiple origins of this behavior. Third, this research will elucidate presumed musculoskeletal adaptations for pharyngeal mollusc crushing by testing hypothesis of convergence among several teleost lineages.