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

生物多样性的标志之一是在不同的分类类群中物种在形式上的无与伦比的差异。对新物种起源和野外适应的洞察往往基于对形态特征的描述，这些特征增强了摄食，利用了新的栖息地，躲避了捕食者，或吸引了配偶。该项目的一个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。这项研究是基于形态-功能复合体的关键概念，该概念描述了形态如何影响性能、生态和健康。因此，要证明一种性状的适应性重要性，就需要说明它是如何影响生存或繁殖的。该项目的第二个目标是展示形态在预测物种栖息地占有率和群落组织方面的作用。此外，这项工作将研究形态特征如何驱动多样性模式，并通过比较物种数量不同的支系之间的差异来评估形态的适应性基础。该项目综合了用于微观和宏观进化分析的生态形态方法，并提供了一个大型数据库来刺激未来的研究。核心数据来自于PI以蜥蜴为模型系统在生态和进化背景下对形态(900种)和生理表现(300种)之间的协变所做的工作。过去30年积累的已发表和未发表的数据将提供广泛物种系统发育样本中最大的生态形态综合分析，并提供机会测试关于性状多样性变异、形态差异是否促进功能差异、形状-功能复合体的趋同进化以及形态和生理特征在促进适应性辐射中的作用等假说。基于这些数据，这些分析将1)对主要蜥蜴分支的形态多样性进行全面分析，2)检验有关生态特征(生境、饮食)在影响系统发育多样性、形态多样性和功能多样性方面的影响的假设，3)使用系统发育知情分析估计种间性能梯度，4)描述性能梯度的时间和空间变异性，以及5)使用长期数据库确定形态、性能和适合度之间的联系。生态地貌数据综合分析的结果将包括提交一本专著。同时，与合成相关的数据将作为表型数据库提供，以增加对生态地貌学感兴趣的其他研究人员的可及性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 The published and unpublished data amassed over the past 30+ years will provide the largest synthetic analysis of ecomorphology across an extensive phylogenetic sample of species and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.