Neves, Mayara P.Hugi, AprilChan, HowanArnold, KaleighTitus, KaraWestneat, Mark W.Zelditch, Miriam L.Brandl, SimonEvans, Kory M.2024-11-202024-11-202024Neves, M. P., Hugi, A., Chan, H., Arnold, K., Titus, K., Westneat, M. W., Zelditch, M. L., Brandl, S., & Evans, K. M. (2024). Ecological shifts underlie parallels between ontogenetic and evolutionary allometries in parrotfishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291(2033), 20241897. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1897https://hdl.handle.net/1911/118056During ontogeny, animals often undergo significant shape and size changes, coinciding with ecological shifts. This is evident in parrotfishes (Eupercaria: Labridae), which experience notable ecological shifts during development, transitioning from carnivorous diets as larvae and juveniles to herbivorous and omnivorous diets as adults, using robust beaks and skulls for feeding on coral skeletons and other hard substrates. These ontogenetic shifts mirror their evolutionary history, as parrotfishes are known to have evolved from carnivorous wrasse ancestors. Parallel shifts at ontogenetic and phylogenetic levels may have resulted in similar evolutionary and ontogenetic allometric trajectories within parrotfishes. To test this hypothesis, using micro-computed tomography (μCT) scanning and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we analyse the effects of size on the skull shape of the striped parrotfish Scarus iseri and compare its ontogenetic allometry to the evolutionary allometries of 57 parrotfishes and 162 non-parrotfish wrasses. The young S. iseri have skull shapes resembling non-parrotfish wrasses and grow towards typical adult parrotfish forms as they mature. There was a significant relationship between size and skull shapes and strong evidence for parallel ontogenetic and evolutionary slopes in parrotfishes. Our findings suggest that morphological changes associated with the ecological shift characterizing interspecific parrotfish evolution are conserved in their intraspecific ontogenies.engExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.Journal articleLabridaecoral reefdevelopmentallometryevolutionneves-et-al-2024https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1897