Diversity of feeding mechanisms is a hallmark of reef fishes, but the history of this variation is
not fully understood. Here, we explore the emergence and proliferation of a biting mode of …

Many of the most dramatic patterns in biological diversity are created by “Perfect Storms”—
rare combinations of mutually reinforcing factors that push origination, extinction, or diversity …

Modifications to the pharyngeal jaws—a prey processing system located posterior to the
mouth cavity—are widely considered a key innovation that enhanced diversification within …

Evolution proceeds unevenly across the tree of life, with some lineages accumulating
diversity more rapidly than others. Explaining this disparity is challenging as similar …

Key innovations, traits that provide species access to novel niches, are thought to be a major
generator of biodiversity. One commonly cited example of key innovation is pharyngognathy …

Geographic access to isolated ecosystems is an important catalyst of adaptive radiation.
Cichlid fishes repeatedly colonized rift, crater, and volcanic lakes from surrounding rivers …

Myrmecophytic plants utilise defensive services offered by obligate ant partners nesting in
their domatia in a novel means of survival in tropical habitats. Although much is known about …

Ray-finned fishes have two jaw systems, the oral and pharyngeal jaws, which perform
functions associated with prey capture and processing, respectively. The structural …

The modified pharyngeal jaw system of cichlid fishes is widely viewed as a key innovation
that substantially facilitated the evolutionary exuberance of this iconic evolutionary radiation …

Hybridization between organisms from evolutionarily distinct lineages can have profound
consequences on organismal ecology, with cascading effects on fitness and evolution. Most …