Graduate Student University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Abstract Body : Elaboration of the feeding apparatus is a key element of vertebrate evolution. Differences in morphology of the jaw can greatly impact the function, or ecological niches of an organism. The hyoid is important for feeding, but relative to other elements of the skull the causes and consequences of shape variation are not well understood. To fill this knowledge gap we utilized the rapid adaptive radiation of East African cichlids. We show that variation in the morphology of the cichlid hyoid is associated with different foraging niches. Next, we used an F5 hybrid population to characterize the genetic basis for variation in hyoid shape. Finally, we used a developmental series to analyze growth plate dynamics in the parental species of our genetic cross. In all, our results demonstrate the genetic and developmental basis, as well as the evolutionary consequences of morphological differences in the cichlid hyoid.
.jpg "Hewan K. Weldai photo")
