Are Feeding Modes Concealing Morphofunctional Diversity? The Case of the New World Parrotfishes

In functional ecology, morphology is expected to reflect function; however, occasional decoupling of these two can be found. the case feeding diversity diet or modes within a clade positively related morphological traits involved in performance. Parrotfishes are separated into main groups, “reef” and “seagrass” clade. Both groups have important differences their evolutionary history. Still, more interestingly, they ecological differences. The genera Scarus Sparisoma most specious parrotfishes. They belong each those respectively. All species same mode, while , there three different modes. We want test if jaw corresponds with Using disparity analysis phylogenetical framework, we did not find relationship between American parrotfishes . Interestingly found that some muscular source high genus explore possible morpho-functional reasons for this phenomenon reappraise parrotfishes’ scraper mode’s diversity. also consider could differentiation aware of. an ancestral reconstruction 52 parrotfishes, scraping mode exhibited by all convergence performed species. Different selective pressures conditions may shaped ecology genera. Probably, key novel structures properties species’ played essential role genus’s diversification. Finally, propose fully capture complexity