The role of abiotic and biotic factors in the unequal body shape diversification of a Gondwanan fish radiation (Otophysi:Characiformes).

Understanding why some clades diversify greatly while others do not is a major goal of evolutionary biology. Both abiotic and biotic factors are important in driving unequal morphological diversity across the tree of life. However, few studies have quantified how abiotic habitat and community composition differences influence unequal morphological diversification in spatiotemporally diffuse radiations. We use geometric morphometrics, abiotic habitat data generated by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses, evolutionary simulations, and phylogenetic comparative methods to determine whether random evolution, habitat variation, competition for niches, or a combination of factors influenced the unequal body shape diversity of a Gondwanan freshwater fish radiation. We find that Neotropical characiform lineages, which exhibit substantially more body shape diversity than their African counterparts, occupy significantly more slope and elevation habitats than African lineages. Differences in habitat occupation between the continental radiations occur through a combination of likely competition with cypriniform fishes in Africa restricting access to higher slope and elevation habitats and significantly more low elevation and slope habitats available in the Neotropics. Our findings suggest that spatiotemporally widespread radiations, like the Characiformes, do not diversify across homogenized habitats and biotic assemblages, with differences in community structure and physical habitat important in driving unequal morphological diversification.