The idea of 'key innovations' has long been influential in theoretical and empirical
approaches to understanding adaptive diversification. Despite originally revolving around …

Following decades of intensive study, Anolis lizards have emerged as a biological model
system. We review how new research on anoles has advanced our understanding of …

Species' phenotypic characteristics often remain unchanged over long stretches of
geological time. Stabilizing selection—in which fitness is highest for intermediate …

Key innovations, traits that provide species access to novel niches, are thought to be a major
generator of biodiversity. One commonly cited example of key innovation is pharyngognathy …

One of the drivers of life's diversification has been the emergence of “evolutionary
innovations”: The evolution of traits that grant access to underused ecological niches. Since …

Rapid diversification of a group is often associated with exploiting an ecological opportunity
and/or the evolution of a key innovation. However, how the interplay of such abiotic and …

Recent work has shown that evaluating functional trait distinctiveness, the average trait
distance of a species to other species in a community offers promising insights into …

Diving is a relatively uncommon and highly specialized foraging strategy in birds, mostly
observed within the Aequorlitornithes (waterbirds) by groups such as penguins, cormorants …

Explosive bouts of diversification are one of the most conspicuous features of the tree of life.
When such bursts are repeated in similar environments, it suggests some degree of …

Modifications to the pharyngeal jaws—a prey processing system located posterior to the
mouth cavity—are widely considered a key innovation that enhanced diversification within …