Integration and evolution of the cichlid pharyngeal skeleton: seeking the causes and consequences of trait covariation.

Abstract excerpt

The evolutionary success of animals has been facilitated by the expansion and diversification of serially homologous elements. The vertebrate pharyngeal skeleton exemplifies this process. Evolved from a uniform series of cartilaginous rods, different elements have evolved distinct shapes and functions over time. This process implies that the evolution of the pharyngeal skeleton involved the decoupling of its...

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