Antarctic fish,
most of which belonging to the Perciform Suborder Notothenioidei, have
acquired, during their evolution, specific features that allow them to thrive,
at present, at cold and stable temperature (-1.86°C).
The morphological
evolution and diversification of AntarCtic Notothenioid teleosts into
over 120 species is one of the best examples of adaptive radiation in the
marine environment triggered by new ecological chances, for instance the
extinction of antagonists.
The colonization
of vacant niches, or the emergence of key innovative features such as the gain
of antifreeze glycoproteins that allow them to live in cold habitats where
other species would die.
No comments:
Post a Comment