@article{THESIS,
      recid = {6431},
      author = {Nash, Chloe Mae},
      title = {Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Evolutionary Ecomorphology of  the Goatfishes (Family Mullidae)},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {Ph.D.},
      address = {2023-06},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {Fishes have evolved extraordinary morphological and  sensory adaptations to best utilize their natural habitats  and expand their ranges. Due to the large variability among  habitats and geographic regions, an examination of the  mechanisms that influence and regulate feeding mechanisms  and sensory systems is essential to understanding the  distribution of taxa across space and time. In particular,  an examination of the feeding capabilities of diverse  clades of fishes will elucidate the role of these  functional traits on the range size and distribution of  lineages. The overarching goal of this thesis was to  explore the phylogenetics, evolution and biogeography of  the goatfishes, with a focus on the unique foraging  behavior associated with substrate preferences and barbel  use. In Chapter 2, I explore the evolution of the  goatfishes through inference of the most species rich  time-calibrated phylogeny of the goatfishes to date. This  phylogeny was inferred using a robust genomic dataset and  is used as the basis for all evolutionary analyses used  throughout this thesis and reveals novel aspects of  goatfish evolution that were previously unknown. In Chapter  3, I examine the global biogeographic distribution and  assemblage structure of the goatfishes using  bioregionalization approaches. The boundaries between these  bioregions are specific to the goatfishes and highlight  global patterns of species turnover and the locations of  potential barriers to dispersal. In Chapter 4, I test  hypotheses about the ecomorphological relationship between  head and body shape with preferential foraging on different  substrate types across the goatfishes using a robust  geometric morphometric dataset. I find evidence that  preferential foraging on hard substrate evolved relatively  recently, and is associated with changes to forehead shape,  elongation ratio, and head length. This dissertation  represents a major advance in the integrative examination  of the evolutionary relationships, assemblage patterns, and  ecomorphological associations across the goatfishes. The  results of this thesis provide a comprehensive examination  of the many unique characteristics associated with the  goatfishes, provides the phylogenetic framework required to  fully understand the biology of this family, and enables us  to begin addressing questions about how future changes in  reef ecosystem health will impact the biology of this  clade.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/6431},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.6431},
}