OPUS: CRS Conceptual and Analytical Synthesis of Ecomorphological insights into diversification and adaptation

生物多样性的标志之一是不同分类类群的物种在形态上的无与伦比的差异。对新物种的起源和野外适应的深入了解通常基于形态学特征的特征，这些特征可以增强摄食、利用新的栖息地、躲避捕食者或吸引配偶。该项目的核心目标是确定形态特征与生态功能和栖息地开发之间的关系。这项研究是基于形式-功能复合体的关键概念，它描述了形态如何影响表现、生态和健康。因此，要证明一种特征的适应性意义，就需要证明它是如何影响生存或繁殖的。该项目的第二个目标是证明形态学在预测物种栖息地占用和群落组织中的作用。此外，本研究将探讨形态特征如何驱动多样性模式，并通过比较不同物种数量支系之间的差异来评估形态的适应基础。该项目综合了微观和宏观进化分析中使用的生态形态学方法，并提供了一个大型数据库，以促进未来的研究。核心数据来源于PI在生态和进化背景下以蜥蜴为模型系统的形态学（900+种）和生理性能（300+种）的共变研究。在过去30多年中积累的已发表和未发表的数据将为广泛的物种系统发育样本提供最大规模的生态形态学综合分析，并为检验性状多样化变异、形态差异是否促进功能差异、形式-功能复合体的趋同进化以及形态和生理性状在促进适应性辐射中的作用等假设提供机会。基于这些数据的分析将：(1)对主要蜥蜴分支的形态多样化进行综合分析；(2)检验有关生态性状（栖息地、饮食）对系统发育多样化、形态多样化和功能多样化影响的假设；(3)利用系统发育信息分析估计种间性能梯度；(4)描述性能梯度的时空变异性。5)利用长期数据库确定形态、表现和适应度之间的联系。生态形态数据综合分析的结果将包括提交一篇专题论文。同时，与合成相关的数据将作为表型数据库提供，以增加对生态形态学感兴趣的其他研究人员的可访问性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

One of the hallmarks of biological diversity is the unparalleled variation in form among species across taxonomic groups. Insights into the origin of new species and adaptation in the wild are often based on the characterization of morphological traits that enhance feeding, use of novel habitats, evading predators, or attracting mates. A core goal of this project is to determine how morphological traits are related to ecological function and exploitation of habitats. The research is based on the key concept of the form-function complex, which describes how morphology influences performance, ecology, and fitness. Thus, demonstrating the adaptive significance of a trait requires showing how it affects survival or reproduction. A second goal of this project is to demonstrate the role of morphology in predicting species habitat occupancy and community organization. Furthermore, the work will investigate how morphological traits drive diversification patterns as well as evaluate the adaptive basis of morphology by comparing disparity between clades that differ in species number.This project synthesizes ecomorphological approaches used in micro- and macroevolutionary analyses and makes available a large database to stimulate future research. The core data are derived from the PI's work on the covariation between morphology (900+ species) and physiological performance (300+ species) in ecological and evolutionary contexts using lizards as a model system. The published and unpublished data amassed over the past 30+ years will provide the largest synthetic analysis of ecomorphology across an extensive phylogenetic sample of species and provides the opportunity to test hypotheses regarding variation in trait diversification, whether morphological disparity promotes functional disparity, convergent evolution in form-function complexes and the roles of morphology and physiological traits in promoting adaptive radiations. Based on these data the analyses will 1) result in a comprehensive analysis of morphological diversification among major lizard clades, 2) test hypotheses pertaining to the influence of ecological traits (habitat, diet) in influencing phylogenetic diversification, morphological diversification, and functional diversification 3) estimate interspecific performance gradients using a phylogenetically informed analyses, 4) describe temporal and spatial variability of the performance gradient, and 5) determine the link between morphology, performance, and fitness using a long-term database. The results of the synthetic analysis of ecomorphological data will include the submission of a monograph. Concomitantly, the data associated with the synthesis will be made available as a phenotypic database to increase the accessibility to other researchers interested in ecomorphology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.