TY - JOUR
T1 - Accurate systematic frameworks are vital to advance ecological and evolutionary studies, with an example from Australian freshwater fish (Hypseleotris)
AU - Page, Timothy
AU - Sternberg, David
AU - Adams, Mark
AU - Balcombe, Stephen
AU - Cook, Benjamin
AU - Hammer, Michael
AU - Hughes, Jane
AU - Woods, Ryan
AU - UNMACK, Peter
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - The practice of modern evolutionary and ecological research is interdisciplinary, with the process of evolution underpinning the diversity on display. However, the inference of evolutionary patterns can be difficult owing to their historical nature. When the biological units and evolutionary relationships involved are unclear, interpreting any ecological and biological data can be problematic. Herein we explore resulting issues when evolutionary theories rely on an unclear or incomplete biological framework, using some Australian freshwater fish (carp gudgeons: Hypseleotris, Eleotridae) as an example. Specifically, recent theories regarding the role of developmental plasticity on ontogeny and speciation have focused on this group. However, carp gudgeons have complex, and as yet incompletely understood, species boundaries and reproductive biology. Even basic data for the recognised taxa, relating to their phylogenetic relationships, life histories and species distributions, are unclear, have often been misinterpreted and are still in the process of being assembled. Combined, these factors make carp gudgeons a relatively poor group on which to apply more advanced evolutionary theories at the moment, such as the role of developmental plasticity in diversification
AB - The practice of modern evolutionary and ecological research is interdisciplinary, with the process of evolution underpinning the diversity on display. However, the inference of evolutionary patterns can be difficult owing to their historical nature. When the biological units and evolutionary relationships involved are unclear, interpreting any ecological and biological data can be problematic. Herein we explore resulting issues when evolutionary theories rely on an unclear or incomplete biological framework, using some Australian freshwater fish (carp gudgeons: Hypseleotris, Eleotridae) as an example. Specifically, recent theories regarding the role of developmental plasticity on ontogeny and speciation have focused on this group. However, carp gudgeons have complex, and as yet incompletely understood, species boundaries and reproductive biology. Even basic data for the recognised taxa, relating to their phylogenetic relationships, life histories and species distributions, are unclear, have often been misinterpreted and are still in the process of being assembled. Combined, these factors make carp gudgeons a relatively poor group on which to apply more advanced evolutionary theories at the moment, such as the role of developmental plasticity in diversification
KW - Eleotridae
KW - carp gudgeons
KW - developmental plasticity
KW - life history
KW - phylogenetics
KW - species distributions
KW - taxonomy
UR - http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP150100608
U2 - 10.1071/MF16294
DO - 10.1071/MF16294
M3 - Article
SN - 1323-1650
VL - 68
SP - 1199
EP - 1207
JO - Marine Freshwater Research
JF - Marine Freshwater Research
IS - 7
ER -