Project

Evolutionary adaptiveness for a highly specialised feeding niche: algae scraping in tropical catfish

Code
3E006807
Duration
01 October 2007 → 30 September 2013
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Animal biology
    • Evolutionary biology
    • Genetics
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Veterinary medicine
Keywords
South American catfishes algae scraping trophic adaptations
 
Project description

In this project the evolution towards a highly specialised feeding apparatus, i.e. that for algae scraping by means of a sucker mouth, will be studied. Such a high level of specialized feeding has only been observed in tadpoles and tropical catfishes. With a multidisciplinary appraoch, this projects objectives are to study the ontogeny, function and evolution of such an algae scraping apparatus in three families of traopical catfishes.