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How hard-surface feeding unlocked a burst of reef fish evolution 50 million years ago

phys.org·Liana Wait·about 1 month ago
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Butterfly fish feeding on a coral reef. The ability to bite food off hard surfaces, such as coral, evolved about 50 million years ago and led to the rapid formation of new species of fish on coral reefs and similar habitats, a new UC Davis study finds. Credit: Public domain Why are there so many species of coral reef fish? According to a new study, it's because about 50 million years ago, some fish figured out how to bite food from hard surfaces. Evolution doesn't proceed at an even pace: Species evolve in jumps and spurts, followed by lulls. These periods of rapid diversification usually occur after a dramatic environmental change or upheaval, or when a lineage develops a new "innovation" that allows them to use a previously inaccessible resource. For fish, the ability to feed from a hard surface was one such innovation.…

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