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144 results for “Speciation: ecological”
Data from: Can the genomics of ecological speciation be predicted across the divergence continuum from host races to species? A case study in Rhagoletis
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Data from: Ecological speciation in European whitefish is driven by a large‐gaped predator
<p>Lake‐dwelling fish that form species pairs/flocks characterized by body size divergence are important model systems for speciation research. Although several sources of divergent selection have been identified in these systems, their importance for driving the speciation process remains elusive. A major problem is that in retrospect, we cannot distinguish selection pressures that initiated divergence from those acting later in the process. To address this issue, we studied the initial stages of speciation in European whitefish (<i>Coregonus lavaretus</i>) using data from 358 populations of varying age (26–10,000 years). We find that whitefish speciation is driven by a large‐growing predator, the northern pike (<i>Esox lucius</i>). Pike initiates divergence by causing a largely plastic differentiation into benthic giants and pelagic dwarfs: ecotypes that will subsequently develop partial reproductive isolation and heritable differences in gill raker number. Using an eco‐evolutionary model, we demonstrate how pike's habitat specificity and large gape size are critical for imposing a between‐habitat trade‐off, causing prey to mature in a safer place or at a safer size. Thereby, we propose a novel mechanism for how predators may cause dwarf/giant speciation in lake‐dwelling fish species.</p>
Data from: A rapidly evolved shift in life history timing during ecological speciation is driven by the transition between developmental phases
<p>For insect species in temperate environments, seasonal timing is often governed by the regulation of diapause, a complex developmental program that allows insects to weather unfavorable conditions and synchronize their lifecycles with available resources. Diapause development consists of a series of distinct phases including initiation, maintenance, termination, and post-diapause development. The evolution of insect seasonal timing depends in part on how these phases of diapause development and post-diapause development interact to affect variation in phenology. Here, we dissect the physiological basis of a recently evolved phenological shift in Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae), a model system for ecological divergence. A recently derived population of R. pomonella shifted from specializing on native hawthorn fruit to earlier fruiting introduced apples, resulting in a 3-4 week shift in adult emergence timing. We tracked metabolic rates of individual flies across post-winter development to test which phases of development may act either independently or in combination to contribute to this recently evolved divergence in timing. Apple and hawthorn flies differed in a number of facets of their post-winter developmental trajectories. However, divergent adaptation in adult emergence phenology in these flies was due almost entirely to the end of the pupal diapause maintenance phase, with post-diapause development having a very small effect. The relatively simple underpinnings of variation in adult emergence phenology suggest that further adaptation to seasonal change in these flies for this trait might be largely due to the timing of diapause termination unhindered by strong covariance among different components of post-diapause development.</p>
Loss of ecologically important genetic variation in late generation hybrids reveals links between adaptation and speciation
Adaptation to contrasting environments occurs when advantageous alleles accumulate in each population, but it remains largely unknown whether these same advantageous alleles create genetic incompatibilities that can cause intrinsic reproductive isolation leading to speciation. Identifying alleles that underlie both adaptation and reproductive isolation is further complicated by factors such as dominance and genetic interactions among loci, which can affect both processes differently and obscure potential links between adaptation and speciation. Here, we use a combination of field and glasshouse experiments to explore the connection between adaptation and speciation while accounting for dominance and genetic interactions. We created a hybrid population with equal contributions from four contrasting ecotypes of Senecio lautus (Asteraceae), which produced hybrid genomes both before (F1 hybrid generation) and after (F4 hybrid generation) recombination among the parental ecotypes. In the glasshouse, plants in the second generation (F2 hybrid generation) showed reduced fitness as a loss of fertility, but fertility was recovered in subsequent generations suggesting that genetic variation underlying fertility reduction was lost in subsequent generations. To quantify the effects of losing genetic variation at the F2 generation on the fitness of later generation hybrids, we used a reciprocal transplant to test for fitness differences between parental ecotypes, and F1 and F4 hybrids in all four parental habitats. Compared to the parental ecotypes and F1 hybrids, variance in F4 hybrid fitness was lower, and lowest in habitats that showed stronger native-ecotype advantage, suggesting that stronger natural selection for the native ecotype reduced fitness variation in the F4 hybrids. Fitness trade-offs that were present in the parental ecotypes and F1 hybrids were absent in the F4 hybrid. Together, these results suggest that the genetic variation lost after the F2 generation was likely associated with both adaptation and intrinsic reproductive isolation among populations adapted to contrasting environments.
Data from: Parallel changes in gut microbiome composition and function during colonization, local adaptation and ecological speciation
<p>The processes of local adaptation and ecological speciation are often strongly shaped by biotic interactions such as competition and predation. One of the strongest lines of evidence that biotic interactions drive evolution comes from repeated divergence of lineages in association with repeated changes in the community of interacting species. Yet, relatively little is known about the repeatability of changes in gut microbial communities and their role in adaptation and divergence of host populations in nature. Here we utilize three cases of rapid, parallel adaptation and speciation in freshwater threespine stickleback to test for parallel changes in associated gut microbiomes. We find that features of the gut microbial communities have shifted repeatedly in the same direction in association with parallel divergence and speciation of stickleback hosts. These results suggest that changes to gut microbiomes can occur rapidly and predictably in conjunction with host evolution, and that host-microbe interactions might play an important role in host adaptation and diversification.</p>
Data from: Genomic data reject the hypothesis of sympatric ecological speciation in a clade of Desmognathus salamanders
Closely related taxa with dissimilar morphologies are often considered to have diverged via natural selection favoring different phenotypes. However, some studies have found these scenarios to be paired with limited or no genetic differentiation. Desmognathus quadramaculatus and D. marmoratus are sympatric salamander species thought to represent a case of ecological speciation based on distinct morphologies, but the results of previous studies have not resolved corresponding patterns of lineage divergence. Here, we use genome-wide data to test this hypothesis of ecological speciation. Population structure analyses partitioned individuals geographically, but not morphologically, into two adjacent regions of western North Carolina: Pisgah and Nantahala. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the nominal species are non-monophyletic and resolved deep divergence between the two geographic clusters. Model-testing overwhelmingly supported the hypothesis that lineage divergence followed geography. Finally, ecological niche modeling showed that Pisgah and Nantahala individuals occupy different climatic niches, and geographic boundaries for the two lineages correspond to a difference in precipitation regimes across southern Appalachia. Overall, we reject the previous hypothesis of ecological speciation based on microhabitat partitioning. Instead, our results suggest that there are two cryptic lineages, each containing the same pair of morphotypes.
Data from: Correlated divergence of female and male genitalia in replicated lineages with ongoing ecological speciation
Divergence of genital traits among lineages has the potential to serve as a reproductive isolating barrier when copulation, insemination, or fertilization are inhibited by incompatibilities between female and male genitalia. Despite widespread evidence for genital trait diversity among closely related lineages and coevolution of female and male genitalia within lineages, few studies have investigated genital evolution during the early stages of speciation. We quantified genital variation in replicated population pairs of Poecilia mexicana with ongoing ecological speciation between sulfidic (H2S-containing) and nearby non-sulfidic habitats. These analyses revealed rapid and correlated divergence of female and male genitalia across evolutionarily independent population pairs exposed to divergent selection regimes. Both sexes exhibited convergent evolution of genital traits among populations inhabiting similar habitat types. Our results demonstrate that genital evolution can occur during the early stages of speciation-with-gene-flow, potentially as a result of variation in the intensity of sexual conflict among populations. Our results suggest genitalia may contribute to early stages of divergence, and challenge the generality of previously suggested mechanisms of genital evolution in poeciliids.
Data from: Selection on a genetic polymorphism counteracts ecological speciation in a stick insect
The interplay between selection and aspects of the genetic architecture of traits (such as linkage, dominance, and epistasis) can either drive or constrain speciation. Despite accumulating evidence that speciation can progress to "intermediate" stages—with populations evolving only partial reproductive isolation—studies describing selective mechanisms that impose constraints on speciation are more rare than those describing drivers. The stick insect Timema cristinae provides an example of a system in which partial reproductive isolation has evolved between populations adapted to different host plant environments, in part due to divergent selection acting on a pattern polymorphism. Here, we demonstrate how selection on a green/melanistic color polymorphism counteracts speciation in this system. Specifically, divergent selection between hosts does not occur on color phenotypes because melanistic T. cristinae are cryptic on the stems of both host species, are resistant to a fungal pathogen, and have a mating advantage. Using genetic crosses and genome-wide association mapping, we quantify the genetic architecture of both the pattern and color polymorphism, illustrating their simple genetic control. We use these empirical results to develop an individual-based model that shows how the melanistic phenotype acts as a "genetic bridge" that increases gene flow between populations living on different hosts. Our results demonstrate how variation in the nature of selection acting on traits, and aspects of trait genetic architecture, can impose constraints on both local adaptation and speciation.
Ecological speciation by sympatric host shifts in a clade of herbivorous sea slugs, with introgression and localized mitochondrial capture between species
<p>Host shifting in insect-plant systems was historically important to the development of ecological speciation theory, yet surprisingly few studies have examined whether host shifting drives the diversification of marine herbivores. When small-bodied consumers feed and also mate on a preferred host, disruptive selection can split a population into host races despite gene flow. Support for host shifts is notably lacking for invertebrates associated with macroalgae, where the scale of dispersal by planktonic larvae often far exceeds the grain of host patchiness, and adults are typically less specialized than terrestrial herbivores. Here, we present a candidate example of ecological speciation in a clade of sea slugs that primarily consume green algae in the genus <em>Caulerpa</em>, including highly invasive species. Ancestral character state reconstructions supported 'sea grapes' (<em>C. racemosa</em>, <em>C. lentillifera</em>) as the ancestral host for a tropical radiation of 12 <em>Elysia</em> spp., with one shift onto alternative <em>Caulerpa</em> spp. in the Indo-Pacific. A Caribbean radiation of three species included symaptric host shifts to <em>Rhipocephalus brevicaulis </em>in the ancestor of<em> E. pratensis</em> Ortea & Espinosa, 1996, and to <em>C. prolifera</em> in <em>E. hamanni</em> Krug, Vendetti & Valdes 2016, plus a niche expansion to a range of <em>Caulerpa</em> spp. in<em> E. subornata</em> Verrill, 1901. All three species are broadly sympatric across the Caribbean but are host-partitioned at a fine grain, and distinct by morphology and at nuclear loci. However, non-recombining mtDNA revealed a history of gene flow between <em>E. pratensis</em> and <em>E. subornata</em>: COI haplotypes from<em> E. subornata</em> were 10.4% divergent from<em> E. pratensis</em> haplotypes from four sites, but closely related to all <em>E. pratensis </em>haplotypes sampled from six Bahamian islands, indicating historical introgression and localized "mitochondrial capture." Disruptive selective likely fueled divergence and adaptation to distinct host environments, indicating ecological speciation may be an under-appreciated driver of diversification for marine herbivores as well as epibionts and other resource specialists.</p>
Data from: A combination of sexual and ecological divergence contributes to rearrangement spread during initial stages of speciation
Chromosomal rearrangements between sympatric species often contain multiple loci contributing to assortative mating, local adaptation, and hybrid sterility. When and how these associations arise during the process of speciation remains a subject of debate. Here, we address the relative roles of local adaptation and assortative mating on the dynamics of rearrangement evolution by studying how a rearrangement co-varies with sexual and ecological trait divergence within a species. Previously, a chromosomal rearrangement that suppresses recombination on the Z (sex) chromosome was identified in European corn borer moths (Ostrinia nubilalis). We further characterize this recombination suppressor and explore its association with variation in sex pheromone communication and seasonal ecological adaptation in pairs of populations that are divergent in one or both of these characteristics. Direct estimates of recombination suppression in pedigree mapping families indicated that more than 39% of the Z chromosome (encompassing up to ~10 megabases and ~ 300 genes) resides within a non-recombining unit, including pheromone olfactory receptor (OR) genes and a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) that contributes to ecotype differences (Pdd). Combining direct and indirect estimates of recombination suppression, we found that the rearrangement was occasionally present between sexually isolated strains (E versus Z) and between divergent ecotypes (univoltine versus bivoltine). However, it was only consistently present when populations differed in both sexual and ecological traits. Our results suggest that independent of the forces that drove the initial establishment of the rearrangement, a combination of sexual and ecological divergence is required for rearrangement spread during speciation.
Genomic insights into diversification and ecological speciation of three Saccharina species
<p><strong><span>Aim: </span></strong><em><span>Saccharina</span></em><span> is a genus within the brown algae that is of ecological and economic importance and shows rapid adaptive radiation, while the process and genetic mechanism of diversification and speciation remains unclear. In this study, we conducted genome resequencing of three typical <em>Saccharina</em> species, including the four varieties of <em>S. japonica</em>, and its two sister species (<em>S. angustata </em>and<em> S. longissima</em>) to investigate the genetic mechanism of ecological speciation.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Location</span></strong><span>: coast of Japan</span></p> <p><span><strong>Methods</strong>: </span><span>We assess the genomic differentiation and genetic diversity of these <em>Saccharina</em> kelps based on whole-genome resequencing. We applied composite-likelihood approach to identify the ancestral species and reconstruct the evolutionary history. Selective sweep analysis was conducted to detect selective signatures when they adapted to diverse habitat.</span></p> <p><span><strong>Results</strong>: </span><span>The demography suggested that <em>S. angustata, S. longissima </em>and<em> S. japonica</em> var. <em>japonica</em> underwent adaptive speciation early, with <em>S. japonica </em>var<em>. japonica </em>as the oldest variant that diverged into three other varieties. The newly evolved variety SR has the highest genetic diversity, and the variety SD has the lowest genetic diversity. Interspecific hybridization among these congeneric species was low, indicating these species exist in genetic isolation in nature. We detected that some stress response genes (e.g.</span><span> ubiquitin-like protein</span><span>) and growth-related genes (e.g. </span><span>imm</span><span> upregulated 3</span><span>) were under positive selection during the ecological speciation.</span><span> Low linkage disequilibrium decay rate and</span><span> extensive signals of </span><span>selective sweeps are present in these <em>Saccharina</em> species, providing strong support for adaptive differentiation under natural selection as the driving force for its ecological speciation.</span></p> <p><span><strong>Main conclusions</strong>:</span><span> The main driving force of speciation in this genus appears to be not natural hybridization, but genetic isolation and adaptive differentiation by nature selection. The evolutionary history and ecological speciation of <em>Saccharina</em> species allow us to predict how common the species responds to environmental change, and whether they require different management strategies.</span></p>
Data from: Genetic, phenotypic and ecological differentiation suggests incipient speciation in two Charadrius plovers along the Chinese coast
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Data from: Correlated divergence of female and male genitalia in replicated lineages with ongoing ecological speciation
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Data from: Character displacement of a learned behavior and its implications for ecological speciation
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Scripts and detailed command lines supporting: Ecological selection as drivers during early speciation: Insights from two allopatric cypress species in the Himalaya
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Data from: A rapidly evolved shift in life history timing during ecological speciation is driven by the transition between developmental phases
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Species richness and speciation rates for all terrestrial animals emerge from a synthesis of ecological theories
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Data from: A combination of sexual and ecological divergence contributes to rearrangement spread during initial stages of speciation
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Data from: Parallel changes in gut microbiome composition and function during colonization, local adaptation and ecological speciation
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Genomic insights into diversification and ecological speciation of three Saccharina species
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