Data from: Widespread ecomorphological convergence in multiple fish families spanning the marine–freshwater interface

The theoretical definition and quantification of convergence is an increasingly topical focus in evolutionary research, with particular growing interest on study scales spanning deep phylogenetic divergences and broad geographical areas. While much progress has recently been made in understanding the role of convergence in driving terrestrial (e.g. anole lizards) and aquatic (e.g. cichlids) radiations, little is known about its macroevolutionary effects across environmental gradients. This study uses a suite of recently developed comparative approaches integrating diverse aspects of morphology, dietary data, habitat affiliation and phylogeny to assess convergence across several well-known tropical–temperate fish families in the percomorph suborder Terapontoidei, a clade with considerable phenotypic and ecological diversity radiating in both marine and freshwater environments. We demonstrate significant widespread convergence across many lineages occupying equivalent trophic niches, particularly feeding habits such as herbivory and biting of attached prey off hard substrates. These include several examples of convergent morphotypes evolving independently in marine and freshwater clades, separated by deep evolutionary divergences (tens of millions of years). The Terapontoidei present a new example of the macroevolutionary dynamics of morphological and ecological coevolution in relation to habitat and trophic preferences, at a greater phylogenetic and habitat scale than most well-studied adaptive radiations.

趋同演化（convergence）的理论界定与量化分析，是演化研究领域日益热门的核心议题，学界对涵盖深度系统发育（phylogeny）分化与大范围地理尺度的研究方向关注度与日俱增。尽管目前学界在解析趋同演化在驱动陆生（如安乐蜥属蜥蜴）与水生（如慈鲷科鱼类）适应性辐射（adaptive radiation）中的作用方面已取得诸多进展，但对于其在不同环境梯度下的宏观演化效应，目前仍知之甚少。本研究采用一系列新近开发的比较分析方法，整合形态学特征、食性数据、生境归属信息与系统发育关系（phylogeny）等多维度数据，对鲈形亚目（Percomorph）下的带鲈亚目（Terapontoidei）中多个知名的热带-温带鱼类科间的趋同演化现象进行评估。该演化支在海洋与淡水环境中均发生了辐射演化，具备丰富的表型与生态多样性。本研究证实，诸多占据相同营养生态位（trophic niche）的支系间存在广泛且显著的趋同演化现象，尤以植食性、从硬质基底啃食附着性猎物等取食习性为典型。此类案例包含多个独立演化出趋同形态型的海洋与淡水演化支，二者间存在数千万年的深度演化分化。带鲈亚目（Terapontoidei）为探究与生境与营养偏好相关的形态与生态协同演化宏观动力学提供了全新案例，其研究涉及的系统发育与生境尺度远超多数已被深入研究的适应性辐射类群。