What can flatfish ontogenies tell us about pelagic and benthic lifestyles?

Eye migration, asymmetrical pigmentation, and a 90° rotation in posture are developmental changes that unify all flatfishes and facilitate a transition from a pelagic to a benthic existence. Settlement places the fish in new environmental conditions which may require different types and levels of performance for survival compared to those needed in the water column. Since structure and performance vary as a consequence of ontogeny, it is likely that natural selection has acted on the ontogeny of flatfishes differently from fishes that do not settle (pelagic fishes) to provide different survival skills by the time flatfishes settle. This paper provides examples of quantitative methods for comparing fish ontogenies in the context of three predictions: (1) different flatfish species undergo settlement at a common ontogenetic state; (2) they have a common set of skills at settlement that differ from those of pelagic species of the same ontogenetic state; and (3) skills or features that appear earlier in the ontogenetic program of flatfishes than in pelagic fishes suggest attributes that are important to survival in a benthic habitat. Preliminary comparisons suggest that flatfishes may have accelerated development of their mechanosensory system relative to pelagic species. Firm conclusions about ecologically important differences between the pelagic and benthic habitats derived from analyses of ontogenetic events will require more kinds of data from a broader selection of species.