Fossil evidence for trait diversification in an adaptive radiation

Fossil evidence for trait diversification in an adaptive radiation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Biological Sciences - Article Fossil evidence for trait diversification in an adaptive radiation Nare Ngoepe, Salome Mwaiko, Mary Kishe, Giulia Wienhues, Yunuén Temoltzin-Loranca, and 12 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6764933/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Adaptive radiation is an important process for the origin of functional and ecological biodiversity. Understanding how, when, and why adaptive radiations occur is a long-standing interest in evolutionary ecology. Although many adaptive radiations have been studied, few studies resolved the temporal sequence of events during adaptive radiation. Here, we assembled a continuous record of tooth fossils of Lake Victoria’s haplochromine cichlid fish, the fastest and youngest of the classical adaptive radiations, from sediment cores extending from lake refilling to the present. We use these fossil records to reconstruct temporal patterns in the unfolding of this adaptive radiation. Our results reveal an extremely fast expansion in morphospace, from an undiverse ancestral condition, within the first three millennia after the onset of the modern lake. Comparison with modern cichlid teeth suggests that large-scale diversification across the food web emerged within these first three millennia. We detect a clear signal of an evolutionary trend from trophic generalists to specialists, but we also show that generalists persisted amid the growing radiation of specialists. Altogether, this pattern confirms the unusual evolutionary potential of the Lake Victoria hybrid lineage of haplochromine cichlids that seeded the radiation and the unusual speed with which the adaptive radiation occurred. Biological sciences/Ecology/Evolutionary ecology Biological sciences/Ecology/Palaeoecology Adaptive radiation Biodiversity Diversification Early burst Explosive evolution Morphospace expansion Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementaryinformation.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6764933","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Biological Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":463950028,"identity":"ccda2119-5b91-463a-a0ab-695cd1d53f40","order_by":0,"name":"Nare 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