Convergent Evolution Provides Evidence of Similar Radiations in Shell Shape in the Turtle Families Emydidae and Geoemydidae

Abstract:  We investigated phenotypic diversification in the species-rich and ecologically diverse turtle families Emydidae and Geoemydidae. In particular, we were interested in whether these groups, with many ecologically and morphologically similar species, show similar patterns of evolutionary radiation. We focused on directions of evolution and evolutionary allometry; we also quantitatively investigated whether two supposed morphological analogs shared within the two groups (e.g., “Box Turtles” and “Wood Turtles”) show evidence of convergence. A set of 53 three-dimensional landmarks were digitized on 1029 turtle shells representing 50 emydid species and 62 geoemydid species. These data were analyzed using standard geometric morphometric techniques. Evolutionary patterns were assessed using tests for phylogenetic signal, and the relationship between size and shell shape was determined via phylogenetic regression. Tests for phylogenetic signal in shell shape and for allometry both yielded significant re...