Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation.

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Main Authors: Garcia, Vhon Oliver, Riginos, Cynthia, Blomberg, Simone, Cook, Lyn G
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Royal Society open science 2025
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author Garcia, Vhon Oliver
Riginos, Cynthia
Blomberg, Simone
Cook, Lyn G
author_facet Garcia, Vhon Oliver
Riginos, Cynthia
Blomberg, Simone
Cook, Lyn G
Garcia, Vhon Oliver
Riginos, Cynthia
Blomberg, Simone
Cook, Lyn G
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation. Garcia, Vhon Oliver Riginos, Cynthia Blomberg, Simone Cook, Lyn G Adaptive radiations are expected to generate striking differences in species and morphological diversity between closely related groups. Not all hypotheses in evolutionary biology, including these observed disparities, are amenable to experimental manipulation or comparative phylogenetics. In some cases, the use of null hypotheses offers a way to test these scientific conjectures such that their premise can be rejected. We examine the sea snakes (Hydrophiinae: Hydrophiini), a putative example of adaptive radiation based on both its species and morphological diversity. We compared its observed species richness and morphological disparity with the closely related, yet species and morphologically depauperate clade, . We used phylogenetic null models and a phylomorphospace approach to test for significant differences in diversification rate and in morphological disparity between these two major sea snake lineages. We found no diversification rate differences between the and groups under an equal-rates Markov model of diversification. However, species occupy a significantly larger region of the morphospace than the group, consistent with previous conclusions that ecological specialization causes increased levels of morphological disparity. While the and lineages do not significantly differ in species numbers, the significant morphological disparity among species further upholds its adaptive radiation.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41164337
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2025
publisher Royal Society open science
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation.
Garcia, Vhon Oliver
Riginos, Cynthia
Blomberg, Simone
Cook, Lyn G
Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation. Garcia, Vhon Oliver Riginos, Cynthia Blomberg, Simone Cook, Lyn G Adaptive radiations are expected to generate striking differences in species and morphological diversity between closely related groups. Not all hypotheses in evolutionary biology, including these observed disparities, are amenable to experimental manipulation or comparative phylogenetics. In some cases, the use of null hypotheses offers a way to test these scientific conjectures such that their premise can be rejected. We examine the sea snakes (Hydrophiinae: Hydrophiini), a putative example of adaptive radiation based on both its species and morphological diversity. We compared its observed species richness and morphological disparity with the closely related, yet species and morphologically depauperate clade, . We used phylogenetic null models and a phylomorphospace approach to test for significant differences in diversification rate and in morphological disparity between these two major sea snake lineages. We found no diversification rate differences between the and groups under an equal-rates Markov model of diversification. However, species occupy a significantly larger region of the morphospace than the group, consistent with previous conclusions that ecological specialization causes increased levels of morphological disparity. While the and lineages do not significantly differ in species numbers, the significant morphological disparity among species further upholds its adaptive radiation.
title Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation.
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41164337/