Distinguishing genomic homogenization from parapatric speciation in an elevationally replacing pair of Ramphocelus tanagers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa E. Luzuriaga‐Aveiga ◽  
Mauricio Ugarte ◽  
Jason T. Weir
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan B. Linck ◽  
Benjamin G. Freeman ◽  
C. Daniel Cadena ◽  
Cameron K. Ghalambor

Rapid species turnover in tropical mountains has fascinated biologists for centuries. A popular explanation for this heightened beta diversity is that climatic stability at low latitudes promotes the evolution of narrow thermal tolerance ranges, leading to local adaptation, evolutionary divergence and parapatric speciation along elevational gradients. However, an emerging consensus from research spanning phylogenetics, biogeography and behavioural ecology is that this process rarely, if ever, occurs. Instead, closely related species typically occupy a similar elevational niche, while species with divergent elevational niches tend to be more distantly related. These results suggest populations have responded to past environmental change not by adapting and diverging in place, but instead by shifting their distributions to tightly track climate over time. We argue that tropical species are likely to respond similarly to ongoing and future climate warming, an inference supported by evidence from recent range shifts. In the absence of widespread in situ adaptation to new climate regimes by tropical taxa, conservation planning should prioritize protecting large swaths of habitat to facilitate movement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1806) ◽  
pp. 20190532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Blanckaert ◽  
Claudia Bank ◽  
Joachim Hermisson

Gene flow tends to impede the accumulation of genetic divergence. Here, we determine the limits for the evolution of postzygotic reproductive isolation in a model of two populations that are connected by gene flow. We consider two selective mechanisms for the creation and maintenance of a genetic barrier: local adaptation leads to divergence among incipient species due to selection against migrants, and Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) reinforce the genetic barrier through selection against hybrids. In particular, we are interested in the maximum strength of the barrier under a limited amount of local adaptation, a challenge that many incipient species may initially face. We first confirm that with classical two-locus DMIs, the maximum amount of local adaptation is indeed a limit to the strength of a genetic barrier. However, with three or more loci and cryptic epistasis, this limit holds no longer. In particular, we identify a minimal configuration of three epistatically interacting mutations that is sufficient to confer strong reproductive isolation. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards the completion of speciation: the evolution of reproductive isolation beyond the first barriers’.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julissa Roncal

Among the hypotheses invoked to explain high species richness in tropical forests, the niche differentiation hypothesis has received observational and experimental support (Ashton 1969, Chesson 2000, Clark et al. 1999, Souza & Martins 2004, Svenning 2001, Terborgh & Mathews 1999). Habitat specialization with regard to edaphic factors and topography has been observed in several plant groups including trees, lianas, shrubs, ferns and palms (Clark et al. 1999, Ibarra-Manriquez & Martinez-Ramos 2002, Svenning 1999, Tuomisto & Ruokolainen 1993). Treefall gaps and light gradients have also been found to be important ecological factors affecting plant distribution and niche differentiation in the understory (Chazdon 1986, Poorter & Arets 2003, Terborgh & Mathews 1999). It is suggested that such habitat heterogeneity may not only maintain biodiversity but also may lead to the origin of new species through the process of parapatric speciation (Gentry 1989, Haffer 1997, Patton & Smith 1992).


2017 ◽  
Vol 421 ◽  
pp. 81-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Yamaguchi ◽  
Yoh Iwasa

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Rossetto ◽  
Chris B Allen ◽  
Katie AG Thurlby ◽  
Peter H Weston ◽  
Melita L Milner

2013 ◽  
Vol 291 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Thornhill ◽  
C. L. Fincher

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