Convergent evolution of ecomorphological adaptations in geographically isolated Bay gobies (Teleostei: Gobionellidae) of the temperate North Pacific

摘要: North Pacific Bay gobies (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Gobionellidae) inhabit bays, beaches, coastal lagoons, and estuaries of temperate Asia America, but are absent from the boreal northernmost Pacific. Previously, morphological characters conventionally subdivided clade into two groups – an elongate-bodied, infaunal-inhabiting “Astrabe” group, a deeper-bodied, non-infaunal “Chasmichthys” group each with disjunct East–West (amphi-) distribution. Here we use mitochondrial multi-locus nuclear DNA sequence data to show that several previously used delimit these have in fact arisen independently on both sides Pacific, revealing convergence ecologically adaptive within geographically divided clade. Basal divergence resultant tree coincides dramatic global cooling event at Eocene/Oligocene transition, without evidence subsequent trans-Pacific migration. A novel approach partitioning by relative rate, as opposed traditional gene/codon position partitioning, was help distinguish phylogenetic signal noise per-site basis. Resulting improvements topology nodal support, along decreased computational effort, suggest this strategy may be useful for future studies phylogenetics phylogenomics.