ArticleRoyal Society open science2018
Trophic specialization drives morphological evolution in sea snakes.
Article in Royal Society open science, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- The genomic origins and evolutionary path to a key innovation in the world's most venomous snakes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Exploring the Role of Prey Availability as a Driver of Seasonal Shifts in Local Distribution of Vipers (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Return to the sea:Parasitology · 2026Article
- Convergent morphological and genetic patterns delimit Evolutionary Significant Units in endangered Aipysurus sea snakes.BMC ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Divergent Paths, Convergent Heads: Morphological Adaptation of Head Shape to Habitat Use and Diet in Snakes.Journal of morphology · 2025Article
- Using a null hypothesis framework to test expectations of disparity in an adaptive radiation.Royal Society open science · 2025Article
- Dynamic Expansions and Retinal Expression of Spectrally Distinct Short-Wavelength Opsin Genes in Sea Snakes.Genome biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Article
- Sexual dimorphism in aipysurine sea snakes (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae).Royal Society open science · 2023Article
- The adaptive significance of large size at birth in marine snakes.Royal Society open science · 2023Article
- Comparative Venom Multiomics Reveal the Molecular Mechanisms Driving Adaptation to Diverse Predator-Prey Ecosystems in Closely Related Sea Snakes.Molecular biology and evolution · 2023Article
- Macroevolution in axial morphospace: innovations accompanying the transition to marine environments in elapid snakes.Royal Society open science · 2022Article
- Population dynamics of the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae).Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Sexual dimorphism in size and shape of the head in the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus (Hydrophiinae, Elapidae).Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Mistaken identity may explain why male sea snakes (Aipysurus laevis, Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) "attack" scuba divers.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Article
- New Environment, New Invaders-Repeated Horizontal Transfer of LINEs to Sea Snakes.Genome biology and evolution · 2020Article
- Exploring the functional meaning of head shape disparity in aquatic snakes.Ecology and evolution · 2020Article
- Novel vascular plexus in the head of a sea snake (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) revealed by high-resolution computed tomography and histology.Royal Society open science · 2019Article
- Ultrastructural evidence of a mechanosensory function of scale organs (sensilla) in sea snakes (Hydrophiinae).Royal Society open science · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Viviparous sea snakes are the most rapidly speciating reptiles known, yet the ecological factors underlying this radiation are poorly understood. Here, we reconstructed dated trees for 75% of sea snake species and quantified body shape (forebody relative to hindbody girth), maximum body length and trophic diversity to examine how dietary specialization has influenced morphological diversification in this rapid radiation. We show that sea snake body shape and size are strongly correlated with the proportion of burrowing prey in the diet. Specialist predators of burrowing eels have convergently evolved a 'microcephalic' morphotype with dramatically reduced forebody relative to hindbody girth and intermediate body length. By comparison, snakes that predominantly feed on burrowing gobies are generally short-bodied and small-headed, but there is no evidence of convergent evolution. The eel specialists also exhibit faster rates of size and shape evolution compared to all other sea snakes, including those that feed on gobies. Our results suggest that trophic specialization to particular burrowing prey (eels) has invoked strong selective pressures that manifest as predictable and rapid morphological changes. Further studies are needed to examine the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying these dramatic morphological changes and assess their role in sea snake speciation.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.