Editing Cichlid (section)

==Speciation==
[[File:ChiclidPhylogeny4TC.jpg|thumb|400px|Cichlids of the [[Rift Valley lakes|African rift lake system]] evolved from an original [[hybrid swarm]].<ref name=Meier/>]]
Cichlids provide scientists with a unique perspective of speciation, having become extremely diverse in the recent geological past, those of Lake Victoria actually within the last 10,000 to 15,000&nbsp;years, a small fraction of the millions taken for Galápagos finch speciation in Darwin's textbook case.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Axel |last=Meyer |date=April 2015 |title=The extraordinary evolution of cichlid fishes |magazine=[[Scientific American]] |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-extraordinary-evolution-of-cichlid-fishes/ |access-date=29 April 2023}}</ref> Some of the contributing factors to their diversification are believed to be the various forms of prey processing displayed by cichlid [[pharyngeal jaw]] apparatuses. These different jaw apparatuses allow for a broad range of feeding strategies, including algae scraping, snail crushing, planktivory, piscivory, and insectivory.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Albertson |first1 = R.C. |last2 = Markert |first2 = J.A. |last3 = Danley |first3 = P.D. |last4 = Kocher |first4 = T.D. |year = 1999 |title = Phylogeny of a rapidly evolving clade: The cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi, East Africa |journal = PNAS |volume = 96 |issue = 9 |pages = 5107–5110 |doi=10.1073/pnas.96.9.5107| pmid = 10220426 |pmc = 21824 | bibcode = 1999PNAS...96.5107A |doi-access = free }}</ref> Some cichlids can also show [[phenotypic plasticity]] in their pharyngeal jaws, which can also help lead to speciation. In response to different diets or food scarcity, members of the same species can display different jaw morphologies that are better suited to different feeding strategies. As species members begin to concentrate around different food sources and continue their lifecycle, they most likely spawn with like individuals. This can reinforce the jaw morphology and given enough time, create new species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Muschick |first1 = M. |last2 = Barluenga |first2 = M. |last3 = Salzburger |first3 = W. |last4 = Meyer |first4 = A. |year = 2011 |title = Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in the Midas cichlid fish pharyngeal jaw and its relevance in adaptive radiation |journal = BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume = 11 |issue = 1 |page = 116 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-11-116 |pmid=21529367 |pmc=3103464 |doi-access = free |bibcode = 2011BMCEE..11..116M }}</ref> Such a process can happen through [[allopatric speciation]], whereby species diverge according to different selection pressures in different geographical areas, or through [[sympatric speciation]], by which new species evolve from a common ancestor while remaining in the same area. In [[Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve|Lake Apoyo]] in [[Nicaragua]], ''[[Amphilophus zaliosus]]'' and its sister species ''[[Amphilophus citrinellus]]'' display many of the criteria needed for sympatric speciation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Barluenga |first1 = M. |last2 = Meyer |first2 = A. |last3 = Muschick |first3 = M. |last4 = Salzburger |first4 = W. |last5 = Stolting |first5 = K.N. |year = 2006 |title = Sympatric speciation in Nicaraguan crater lake cichlid fish |journal = Nature |volume = 439 |issue = 7077 |pages = 719–23 |doi=10.1038/nature04325 |pmid=16467837 |bibcode = 2006Natur.439..719B |s2cid = 3165729 |url = https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/123456789/6577/1/sympatric_speciation_in_nicaraguan_crater_lake_cichlid_fish_2006.pdf }}</ref> In the [[Rift Valley lakes|African rift lake system]], cichlid species in numerous distinct lakes evolved from a shared [[hybrid swarm]].<ref name=Meier>{{cite journal |title=Ancient hybridization fuels rapid cichlid fish adaptive radiations |first1=Joana I. |last1=Meier |first2=David A. |last2=Marques |first3=Salome |last3=Mwaiko |first4=Catherine E. |last4=Wagner |first5=Laurent |last5=Excoffier|first6=Ole |last6=Seehausen |date=10 February 2017 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=8 |page=14363 |doi=10.1038/ncomms14363 |doi-access=free |pmid=28186104 |pmc=5309898 |bibcode=2017NatCo...814363M}}</ref>