The damselfishes are one of the dominant coral reef fish lineages. Their ecological diversification has involved repeated transitions between pelagic feeding using fast bites and benthic feeding using forceful bites. A highly‐integrative approach that combined gene expression assays, shape analyses, and high‐speed video analyses was used to examine the development of trophic morphology in embryonic, larval, juvenile, and adult damselfishes. The anatomical characters that distinguish pelagic‐feeding and benthic‐feeding species do not appear until after larval development. Neither patterns of embryonic jaw morphogenesis, larval skull shapes nor larval bite mechanics significantly distinguished damselfishes from different adult trophic guilds. Analyses of skull shape and feeding performance identified two important transitions in the trophic development of a single species (the orange clownfish; Amphiprion percula): (a) a pronounced transformation in feeding mechanics during metamorphosis; and (b) more protracted cranial remodeling over the course of juvenile development. The results of this study indicate that changes in postlarval morphogenesis have played an important role in damselfish evolution. This is likely to be true for other fish lineages, particularly if they consist of marine species, the majority of which have planktonic larvae with different functional requirements for feeding in comparison to their adult forms.

中文翻译：

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从胚胎到成虫的功能形态发生：后期发育塑造了珊瑚礁雀鲷的营养生态位。

雀鲷是主要的珊瑚礁鱼类谱系之一。他们的生态多样化涉及使用快速叮咬的中上层饲料和使用强力叮咬的底栖动物喂养之间的反复过渡。将基因表达分析，形状分析和高速视频分析相结合的高度集成方法用于检查胚胎，幼虫，幼年和成年豆豆的营养形态发展。直到幼体发育后，才出现区分上层食物和底栖动物的解剖特征。胚胎颌骨形态发生的模式，幼虫的颅骨形状和幼虫的咬合机制都没有明显地区分来自不同成年营养协会的雀鲷。（Amphiprion percula）（amphipion percula）：（a）变态期间进食机理的明显转变；（b）在青少年发育过程中更长时间的颅骨重塑。这项研究的结果表明，幼虫后形态发生的变化在雀鲷的进化中起了重要作用。这对于其他鱼类谱系可能是正确的，特别是如果它们由海洋物种组成，其中大多数具有浮游性幼虫，与成年鱼类相比，它们具有不同的喂养功能要求。