scholarly journals Interdependent Phenotypic and Biogeographic Evolution Driven by Biotic Interactions

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Quintero ◽  
Michael J Landis
Keyword(s):  
Data Augmentation ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Niche Divergence ◽  
Trait Divergence ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Alternative Scenarios ◽  
Beak Size ◽  
Lineage Diversification

Abstract Biotic interactions are hypothesized to be one of the main processes shaping trait and biogeographic evolution during lineage diversification. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that species with similar ecological requirements either spatially exclude each other, by preventing the colonization of competitors or by driving coexisting populations to extinction, or show niche divergence when in sympatry. However, the extent and generality of the effect of interspecific competition in trait and biogeographic evolution has been limited by a dearth of appropriate process-generating models to directly test the effect of biotic interactions. Here, we formulate a phylogenetic parametric model that allows interdependence between trait and biogeographic evolution, thus enabling a direct test of central hypotheses on how biotic interactions shape these evolutionary processes. We adopt a Bayesian data augmentation approach to estimate the joint posterior distribution of trait histories, range histories, and coevolutionary process parameters under this analytically intractable model. Through simulations, we show that our model is capable of distinguishing alternative scenarios of biotic interactions. We apply our model to the radiation of Darwin’s finches—a classic example of adaptive divergence—and find limited support for in situ trait divergence in beak size, but stronger evidence for convergence in traits such as beak shape and tarsus length and for competitive exclusion throughout their evolutionary history. These findings are more consistent with presympatric, rather than postsympatric, niche divergence. Our modeling framework opens new possibilities for testing more complex hypotheses about the processes underlying lineage diversification. More generally, it provides a robust probabilistic methodology to model correlated evolution of continuous and discrete characters. [Bayesian; biotic interactions; competition; data augmentation; historical biogeography; trait evolution.]

scholarly journals Interdependent Phenotypic and Biogeographic Evolution Driven by Biotic Interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Quintero ◽  
Michael J. Landis
Keyword(s):  
Data Augmentation ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Trait Divergence ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Alternative Scenarios ◽  
Beak Size ◽  
Lineage Diversification

AbstractBiotic interactions are hypothesized to be one of the main processes shaping trait and biogeographic evolution during lineage diversification. Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that species with similar ecological requirements either spatially exclude each other, by preventing the colonization of competitors or by driving coexisting populations to extinction, or show niche divergence when in sympatry. However, the extent and generality of the effect of interspecific competition in trait and biogeographic evolution has been limited by a dearth of appropriate process-generating models to directly test the effect of biotic interactions. Here, we formulate a phylogenetic parametric model that allows interdependence between trait and biogeographic evolution, thus enabling a direct test of central hypotheses on how biotic interactions shape these evolutionary processes. We adopt a Bayesian data augmentation approach to estimate the joint posterior distribution of trait histories, range histories, and co-evolutionary process parameters under this analytically intractable model. Through simulations, we show that our model is capable of distinguishing alternative scenarios of biotic interactions. We apply our model to the radiation of Darwin’s finches—a classic example of adaptive divergence—and find support for in situ trait divergence in beak size, convergence in traits such as beak shape and tarsus length, and strong competitive exclusion throughout their evolutionary history. Our modeling framework opens new possibilities for testing more complex hypotheses about the processes underlying lineage diversification. More generally, it provides a robust probabilistic methodology to model correlated evolution of continuous and discrete characters.

Ecological Interactions and Macroevolution: A New Field with Old Roots

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Hembry ◽  
Marjorie G. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Lineage Diversification

Linking interspecific interactions (e.g., mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism) to macroevolution (evolutionary change on deep timescales) is a key goal in biology. The role of species interactions in shaping macroevolutionary trajectories has been studied for centuries and remains a cutting-edge topic of current research. However, despite its deep historical roots, classic and current approaches to this topic are highly diverse. Here, we combine historical and contemporary perspectives on the study of ecological interactions in macroevolution, synthesizing ideas across eras to build a zoomed-out picture of the big questions at the nexus of ecology and macroevolution. We discuss the trajectory of this important and challenging field, dividing research into work done before the 1970s, research between 1970 and 2005, and work done since 2005. We argue that in response to long-standing questions in paleobiology, evidence accumulated to date has demonstrated that biotic interactions (including mutualism) can influence lineage diversification and trait evolution over macroevolutionary timescales, and we outline major open questions for future research in the field.

scholarly journals The latitudinal gradient in rates of evolution for bird beaks, a species interaction trait

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin G Freeman ◽  
Dolph Schluter ◽  
Joseph A Tobias
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Ecological Opportunity ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Rates Of Evolution ◽  
Speciation Rates ◽  
Beak Size

AbstractWhere is evolution fastest? The biotic interactions hypothesis proposes that greater species richness creates more ecological opportunity, driving faster evolution at low latitudes, whereas the “empty niches” hypothesis proposes that ecological opportunity is greater where diversity is low, spurring faster evolution at high latitudes. Here we tested these contrasting predictions by analyzing rates of bird beak evolution for a global dataset of 1141 sister pairs of birds. Beak size evolves at similar rates across latitudes, while beak shape evolves faster in the temperate zone, consistent with the empty niches hypothesis. We show in a meta-analysis that trait evolution and recent speciation rates are faster in the temperate zone, while rates of molecular evolution are slightly faster in the tropics. Our results suggest that drivers of evolutionary diversification are more potent at higher latitudes, thus calling into question multiple hypotheses invoking faster tropical evolution to explain the latitudinal diversity gradient.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic relatedness as a tool in restoration ecology: a meta-analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1734) ◽  
pp. 1761-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Verdú ◽  
Lorena Gómez-Aparicio ◽  
Alfonso Valiente-Banuet
Keyword(s):  
Restoration Ecology ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
General Rule ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Phylogenetic Distance ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
Ecological Requirements

Biotic interactions assembling plant communities can be positive (facilitation) or negative (competition) and operate simultaneously. Facilitative interactions and posterior competition are among the mechanisms triggering succession, thus representing a good scenario for ecological restoration. As distantly related species tend to have different phenotypes, and therefore different ecological requirements, they can coexist, maximizing facilitation and minimizing competition. We suggest including phylogenetic relatedness together with phenotypic information as a predictor for the net effects of the balance between facilitation and competition in nurse-based restoration experiments. We quantify, by means of a Bayesian meta-analysis of nurse-based restoration experiments performed worldwide, the importance of phylogenetic relatedness and life-form disparity in the survival, growth and density of facilitated plants. We find that the more similar the life forms of neighbouring plants are the greater the positive effect of phylogenetic distance is on survival and density. This result suggests that other characteristics beyond life form are also contained in the phylogeny, and the larger the phylogenetic distance, the less is the niche overlap, and therefore the less is the competition. As a general rule, we can maximize the success of the nurse-based practices by increasing life-form disparity and phylogenetic distances between the neighbour and the facilitated plant.

Microbial functional limitations and rhizosphere priming effect in permafrost

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Monteux ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Priming Effect ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Rhizosphere Priming Effect ◽  
Important Challenge ◽  
Thawing Permafrost ◽  
Som Decomposition

<p>Considering the potential positive feedback between climate warming and the release of greenhouse gases following the increased decomposition of the organic matter stored in permafrost soils as they thaw is an important challenge for the upcoming climate change assessments. While our understanding of physico-chemical constraints on thawing permafrost SOM decomposition has vastly improved since IPCC’s fifth assessment report, biotic interactions can still be the source of large uncertainties. Here we discuss the effects of two biotic interactions in the context of thawing permafrost: rhizosphere priming effect and microbial functional limitations. Rhizosphere priming effects are still-unclear mechanisms that result in increased SOM decomposition rates in the vicinity of plant roots. We consider these effects through the PrimeSCale modeling framework, discussing its predictions and its limitations, in particular which observations and data should be acquired to further improve it. Microbial functional limitations were recently evidenced in permafrost microbial communities and consist in missing or impaired functions, likely due to strong environmental filtering over millennial time-scales. We present what this mechanism can imply in terms of permafrost soil functioning and briefly discuss what could be the next steps before its inclusions in modeling efforts.</p>

scholarly journals Disruptive selection in a bimodal population of Darwin's finches

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1657) ◽  
pp. 753-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P Hendry ◽  
Sarah K Huber ◽  
Luis F De León ◽  
Anthony Herrel ◽  
Jeffrey Podos
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Adaptive Divergence ◽  
Santa Cruz Island ◽  
Santa Cruz ◽  
Prolonged Drought ◽  
Geospiza Fortis ◽  
Beak Size ◽  
Insight Into

A key part of the ecological theory of adaptive radiation is disruptive selection during periods of sympatry. Some insight into this process might be gained by studying populations that are bimodal for dual-context traits, i.e. those showing adaptive divergence and also contributing to reproductive isolation. A population meeting these criteria is the medium ground finch ( Geospiza fortis ) of El Garrapatero, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos. We examined patterns of selection in this population by relating individual beak sizes to interannual recaptures during a prolonged drought. Supporting the theory, disruptive selection was strong between the two beak size modes. We also found some evidence of selection against individuals with the largest and smallest beak sizes, perhaps owing to competition with other species or to gaps in the underlying resource distribution. Selection may thus simultaneously maintain the current bimodality while also constraining further divergence. Spatial and temporal variation in G. fortis bimodality suggests a dynamic tug of war among factors such as selection and assortative mating, which may alternatively promote or constrain divergence during adaptive radiation.

scholarly journals Using Data Mining and Network Analysis to Infer Arboviral Dynamics: The Case of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses Reported in Mexico

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
Jesús Sotomayor-Bonilla ◽  
Enrique Del Callejo-Canal ◽  
Constantino González-Salazar ◽  
Gerardo Suzán ◽  
Christopher R. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Identification Algorithm ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Transmission Cycle ◽  
Artibeus Lituratus ◽  
Multiple Pathogens

Given the significant impact of mosquito-borne flaviviruses (MBFVs) on both human and animal health, predicting their dynamics and understanding their transmission cycle is of the utmost importance. Usually, predictions about the distribution of priority pathogens, such as Dengue, Yellow fever, West Nile Virus and St. Louis encephalitis, relate abiotic elements to simple biotic components, such as a single causal agent. Furthermore, focusing on single pathogens neglects the possibility of interactions and the existence of common elements in the transmission cycles of multiple pathogens. A necessary, but not sufficient, condition that a mosquito be a vector of a MBFV is that it co-occurs with hosts of the pathogen. We therefore use a recently developed modeling framework, based on co-occurrence data, to infer potential biotic interactions between those mosquito and mammal species which have previously been identified as vectors or confirmed positives of at least one of the considered MBFVs. We thus create models for predicting the relative importance of mosquito species as potential vectors for each pathogen, and also for all pathogens together, using the known vectors to validate the models. We infer that various mosquito species are likely to be significant vectors, even though they have not currently been identified as such, and are likely to harbor multiple pathogens, again validating the predictions with known results. Besides the above “niche-based” viewpoint we also consider an assemblage-based analysis, wherein we use a community-identification algorithm to identify those mosquito and/or mammal species that form assemblages by dint of their significant degree of co-occurrence. The most cohesive assemblage includes important primary vectors, such as A. aegypti, A. albopictus, C. quinquefasciatus, C. pipiens and mammals with abundant populations that are well-adapted to human environments, such as the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), peccary (Tayassu pecari), opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) and bats (Artibeus lituratus and Sturnira lilium). Our results suggest that this assemblage has an important role in the transmission dynamics of this viral group viewed as a complex multi-pathogen-vector-host system. By including biotic risk factors our approach also modifies the geographical risk profiles of the spatial distribution of MBFVs in Mexico relative to a consideration of only abiotic niche variables.

scholarly journals Distribution modelling of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae Géné, 1839 occurrence in its wintering grounds: a niche-based approach with satellite telemetry data

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINA KASSARA ◽  
JAKOB FRIC ◽  
SPYROS SFENTHOURAKIS
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Telemetry Data ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Eleonora’S Falcon ◽  
Falco Eleonorae

SummaryEleonora’s Falcon is a long-distance migrant of the Palearctic region. In recent years, the advent of satellite telemetry has enabled a more detailed investigation of the species’s migratory and wintering periods. In this study, we model the distribution pattern of four Eleonora’s Falcons originating from Greece within their wintering grounds in Madagascar with the use of satellite telemetry data and a niche-based technique, Maxent. The model predicted few highly suitable areas for the occurrence of the species, restricted to elevated areas receiving large amounts of precipitation during the wintering period, containing patches of primary and degraded humid submontane forests as well as cultivation. Most of these areas occurred within the previously estimated home ranges of the four falcons, as well as of three falcons from another independent study. Taking into account the ongoing alterations in landscape structure that occur within the eastern rainforest region of Madagascar, we believe that it is imperative to better understand the ecological requirements of Eleonora’s Falcon. To this end, we recommend the application of Maxent in the study of habitat selection of the species that could be further refined with the inclusion of biotic interactions and seasonal resource availability.

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