Patterns of ontogenetic evolution across extant marsupials reflect different allometric pathways to ecomorphological diversity

Abstract

The relatively high level of morphological diversity in Australasian marsupials compared to that observed among American marsupials remains poorly understood. We undertake a comprehensive macroevolutionary analysis of ontogenetic allometry of American and Australasian marsupials to examine whether the contrasting levels of morphological diversity in these groups are reflected in their patterns of allometric evolution. We collate ontogenetic series for 62 species and 18 families of marsupials (n = 2091 specimens), spanning across extant marsupial diversity. Our results demonstrate significant lability of ontogenetic allometric trajectories among American and Australasian marsupials, yet a phylogenetically structured pattern of allometric evolution is preserved. Here we show that species diverging more than 65 million years ago converge in their patterns of ontogenetic allometry under animalivorous and herbivorous diets, and that Australasian marsupials do not show significantly greater variation in patterns of ontogenetic allometry than their American counterparts, despite displaying greater magnitudes of extant ecomorphological diversity.