Yongxin Zheng
Pronouns: she/they
Research Mentor(s): Samuel Borstein
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 5 – 3:40pm – 4:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Yongxin Zheng, Samuel Borstein
Presenter: 14
Abstract
The Neotropics are a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater fish. It has one of the most diverse aquatic ecosystems on Earth that harbors more than 6,000 fish species. However, the factors that have led to the stunning array of fish diversity in the Neotropics are not fully known. With a variety of habitat types, one way that neotropical fish have diversified is in their swimming morphology, which is influenced by various environmental factors and species interactions. Suckermouth armored catfish of the family of Loricariidae, with more than 1,000 species, occupy a wide variety of aquatic environments and make up a substantial portion of the fish species in the Neotropics. Investigating the swimming functional morphology in Loricariidae would provide important insight into the morphological diversity of this family. However, an in-depth analysis on swimming functional morphology across Loricariidae has not yet been done. This study analyzes the swimming functional morphology of loricariid catfishes by quantifying morphological traits associated with swimming performance, using specimens housed at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. We used principal component analysis (PCA) to generate a morphospace of loricariid swimming functional morphology and identify the traits that best explain morphological variation associated with swimming in loricariid catfishes. Our results highlight the phenotypic disparity of swimming functional morphology in Loricariidae and provide further insights into the relationship between ecology and morphological diversity in Neotropical fishes.
Environmental Studies, Natural/Life Sciences
