Here are my Most Significant Publications
Phylogenomic and comparative genomic analyses support a single evolutionary origin of flatfish asymmetry. Duarte-Ribeiro E., Rosas U., Friedman M., Woodruff G. C., Hughes L. C., Carpenter K. E, Domínguez-Domínguez O., Ortí G., Arcila D., Betancur-R, R. (2024) Nature Genetics https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01784-w.
This publication addressed the origins of the asymmetric body plan in flatfishes. By accounting for lineage-specific variations in base composition, we challenged the notion of convergent evolution and instead supported a simpler hypothesis of a single origin for flatfish asymmetry. This research garnered significant attention, including a piece by Carl Zimmer in The New York Times.
Evolutionary determinism and convergence associated with water-column transitions in marine fishes. Duarte-Ribeiro, E.*, Rincon-Sandoval, M.*, Davis, A. M., Santaquiteria, A., Hughes, L. C., Baldwin, C. C., Betancur-R, R.* (2020). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(52), 33396-33403. * Equal contribution.
A fundamental question in biology concerns whether evolutionary outcomes are predictable, governed by natural laws, or contingent upon unpredictable historical events, such as environmental catastrophes. This publication presented links between incursions into the water column and evolutionary convergence in pelagic fish body plan, supporting the notion of deterministic evolution along this ecological gradient.
Post-Cretaceous bursts of evolution along the benthic-pelagic axis in marine fishes. Ribeiro, E. D., Davis, A. M., Rivero-Vega, R. A., Ortí, G., & Betancur-R, R. (2018). Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 285(1893), 20182010.
This publication highlighted the importance of increased ecological opportunities following the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, which ignited a series of adaptive radiations now recognized as the onset of "the modern age of fishes."
Here is a List of Peer-reviewed Publications
Interactions with cetaceans fueled the evolution of fish endothermy. Melendez-Vazquez, F., Lucaci, A., Selberg, A., Clavel, J., Rincon, S. Santaquiteria, A., White, W., Drabeck, D., Carnevale, G., Duarte-Ribeiro, E., Miya, M., Westneat, M., Baldwin, C., Hughes, L., Orti, G., Pond, S., Betancur-R, R., Arcila, D. Science Advances (in press).
Phylogenomics and Historical Biogeography of Seahorses, Dragonets, Goatfishes, and Allies (Teleostei: Syngnatharia): Assessing the Factors Driving Uncertainty in Biogeographic Inferences. Santaquiteria A., Siqueira A.C., Duarte-Ribeiro E., Carnevale G., White W., Pogonoski J, Baldwin C. C., Ortí G., Arcila D., Betancur-R R. Systematic Biology 70.6 (2021): 1145-1162.
Phylogeography, population connectivity and demographic history of the Stoplight parrotfish, Sparisoma viride (Teleostei: Labridae), in the Greater Caribbean. Loera-Padilla, F. J., Piñeros, V. J., Baldwin, C. C., Cox, C. E., Simoes, N., Duarte-Ribeiro, E., Domínguez-Domínguez, O. (2021). Coral Reefs, 1-13.
Biogeography and species delimitation of the rheophilic suckermouth catfish genus Pseudolithoxus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with the description of a new species from the Brazilian Amazon. Collins, R. A., Bifi, A. G., de Oliveira, R. R., Ribeiro, E. D., Lujan, N. K., Rapp Py-Daniel, L. H., & Hrbek, T. (2018). Systematics and biodiversity, 16(6), 538-550.
A preliminary inventory of the catfishes of the lower Rio Nhamundá, Brazil (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes). Collins, R. A., Ribeiro, E. D., Machado, V. N., Hrbek, T., & Farias, I. P. (2015). Biodiversity Data Journal, (3).
Chromosomal polymorphism in two species of Hypancistrus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): an integrative approach for understanding their biodiversity. Da Silva, M., Ribeiro, E. D., Matoso, D. A., Sousa, L. M., Hrbek, T., Py-Daniel, L. R., & Feldberg, E. (2014). Genetica, 142(2), 127-139.
Marcada diferenciação cariotípica entre as “manjubas” Atherinella blackburni e A. brasiliensis (Atheriniformes). Ribeiro, E. D., & Molina, W. F. (2013). Biota Amazônia, 3(2), 40-52.
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African Cichlid Lake Radiations Recapitulate Riverine Axial Morphologies Through Repeated Exploration of Morphospace. Bucklow C.V., Duarte-Ribeiro E., Ronco F., Vranken .N, Oliver M.K., Salzburger W., Stiassny M., Benson R., Verd B. . bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.13.653847
Dissecting Factors Underlying Phylogenetic Uncertainty Using Machine Learning Models. Rosas U., Duarte-Ribeiro E., Khanmohammadi S., Arcila D., Ortí G. Betancur-R. R. bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.20.558635