Connecting micro and macroevolution through quantitative genetics : a study on New World Marsupials
Biologists are witnessing an explosion of trait-by-trait approaches to macroevolution, largely spurred by the development of univariate phylogenetic comparative methods. Yet, microevolutionary studies have for long suggested that multivariate genetic and developmental constraints can play a significant role in shaping macroevolutionary diversification patterns. Here, we use methods based on phylogenetic systematics and quantitative genetic theory to test hypotheses regarding the drivers of morphological diversification in a large clade of New World Marsupials. Our results suggest that the morphological diversification of this group can only be understood when accounting for multivariate genetic and developmental constraints, since rare moments of developmental innovation have a significant impact on morphological diversification rates.