Ecological specialization and morphological diversification in Greater Antillean boas

Reynolds, R. Graham; Collar, David C.; Pasachnik, Stesha A.; Niemiller, Matthew L.; Puente‐Rolón, Alberto R.; Revell, Liam J.

doi:10.1111/evo.12987

Cited by 33 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 107 publications

(198 reference statements)

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“…Island systems have long been a model for such biogeographic research on a local scale (Darwin, 1859;Warren et al, 2015). Islands are discrete units with different degrees of barriers to gene flow for terrestrial organisms leading to different degrees of adaptation and diversification (Reynolds et al, 2016;Ricklefs and Bermingham, 2008). Extreme forms of morphological adaptations or even secondary loss of dispersal abilities in putatively good dispersers are not unusual in island systems (Frankham, 2008;Gillespie et al, 1997;Meiri, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global biogeography of Tetragnatha spiders reveals multiple colonization of the Caribbean

Čandek¹,

Agnarsson

Binford

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Organismal variation in dispersal ability can directly affect levels of gene flow amongst populations, therefore importantly shaping species distributions and species richness patterns. The intermediate dispersal model of biogeography (IDM) predicts that in island systems, species diversity of those lineages with an intermediate dispersal potential is the highest. We broadly test this prediction, focusing on 'four-jawed spiders' (genus Tetragnatha) of the Caribbean archipelago. First, we report on original sampling of this globally distributed genus with numerous widespread as well as endemic species. We then reconstruct multiple Tetragnatha phylogenies from roughly 300 individuals delineated into 54 putative species. Our results support the monophyly of the four-jawed spiders but reject the monophyly of those lineages that reach the Caribbean, where we find low levels of endemism yet high diversity within Tetragnatha. The chronogram detects a potential early overwater colonization of the Caribbean, and in combination with reconstructed biogeographic history, refutes the possibility of ancient vicariant origins of Caribbean Tetragnatha as well as the GAARlandia landbridge scenario. Instead, biogeographic results hypothesize multiple colonization events to, and from the Caribbean since mid-Eocene to late-Miocene. Tetragnatha seems unique among the arachnids explored so far in comprising some species that are excellent dispersers, and others that are not, perhaps having secondarily lost this dispersal propensity. A direct test of the IDM would require consideration of three categories of dispersers. However, four-jawed spiders do not fit one of these three a priori definitions, but rather represent a more complex combination of attributes of a 'dynamic disperser'.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global biogeography of Tetragnatha spiders reveals multiple colonization of the Caribbean

Čandek¹,

Agnarsson

Binford

et al. 2018

Preprint

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“…Dots are colored by geographic region according to the color coding shown in Figure 1The high degree of morphological resemblance observed across the entire radiation is mirrored in the results yielded by the SURFACE algorithm. SURFACE did not detect convergence across lineages occupying equivalent foraging niches as has been shown in other groups such as dragon lizards, boas, terapontid fishes, and myobatrachid frogs (e.g.,Collar, Schulte, O'Meara, & Losos, 2010;Davis & Betancur-R, 2017;Esquerré & Keogh, 2016;Reynolds et al, 2016;Vidal-García & Keogh, 2017). The only convergent regimes identified by SURFACE corresponded to monotypic genera and/or lineages that have colonized a novel and underexploited environment like Origma solitaria, the only acanthizid species strongly associated with rock formations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Environmental determinism, and not interspecific competition, drives morphological variability in Australasian warblers (Acanthizidae)

García‐Navas

Rodríguez-Rey

Marki

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Interspecific competition is thought to play a key role in determining the coexistence of closely related species within adaptive radiations. Competition for ecological resources can lead to different outcomes from character displacement to, ultimately, competitive exclusion. Accordingly, divergent natural selection should disfavor those species that are the most similar to their competitor in resource use, thereby increasing morphological disparity. Here, we examined ecomorphological variability within an Australo‐Papuan bird radiation, the Acanthizidae, which include both allopatric and sympatric complexes. In addition, we investigated whether morphological similarities between species are related to environmental factors at fine scale (foraging niche) and/or large scale (climate). Contrary to that predicted by the competition hypothesis, we did not find a significant correlation between the morphological similarities found between species and their degree of range overlap. Comparative modeling based on both a priori and data‐driven identification of selective regimes suggested that foraging niche is a poor predictor of morphological variability in acanthizids. By contrast, our results indicate that climatic conditions were an important factor in the formation of morphological variation. We found a significant negative correlation between species scores for PC1 (positively associated to tarsus length and tail length) and both temperature and precipitation, whereas PC2 (positively associated to bill length and wing length) correlated positively with precipitation. In addition, we found that species inhabiting the same region are closer to each other in morphospace than to species outside that region regardless of genus to which they belong or its foraging strategy. Our results indicate that the conservative body form of acanthizids is one that can work under a wide variety of environments (an all‐purpose morphology), and the observed interspecific similarity is probably driven by the common response to environment.

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“…Ecological hypotheses feature prominently in observed differences in phenotypic evolutionary rates across lineages. Transitioning from one ecological niche to another can promote changes in the tempo of morphological evolution by either limiting morphological diversification or substantially accumulating change (e.g., [ 20 , 21 – 24 ]). For example, rock-dwelling and arboreal lizard species display reduced rates of morphological evolution compared to their terrestrial counterparts [ 22 ], while coral reef habit is correlated with increased rates of phenotypic evolution in fish [ 20 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rates of morphological evolution, asymmetry and morphological integration of shell shape in scallops

2017

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BackgroundRates of morphological evolution vary across different taxonomic groups, and this has been proposed as one of the main drivers for the great diversity of organisms on Earth. Of the extrinsic factors pertaining to this variation, ecological hypotheses feature prominently in observed differences in phenotypic evolutionary rates across lineages. But complex organisms are inherently modular, comprising distinct body parts that can be differentially affected by external selective pressures. Thus, the evolution of trait covariation and integration in modular systems may also play a prominent role in shaping patterns of phenotypic diversity. Here we investigate the role ecological diversity plays in morphological integration, and the tempo of shell shape evolution and of directional asymmetry in bivalved scallops.ResultsOverall, the shape of both valves and the magnitude of asymmetry of the whole shell (difference in shape between valves) are traits that are evolving fast in ecomorphs under strong selective pressures (gliders, recessers and nestling), compared to low rates observed in other ecomorphs (byssal-attaching, free-living and cementing). Given that different parts of an organism can be under different selective pressures from the environment, we also examined the degree of evolutionary integration between the valves as it relates to ecological shifts. We find that evolutionary morphological integration is consistent and surprisingly high across species, indicating that while the left and right valves of a scallop shell are diversifying in accordance with ecomorphology, they are doing so in a concerted fashion.ConclusionsOur study on scallops adds another strong piece of evidence that ecological shifts play an important role in the tempo and mode of morphological evolution. Strong selective pressures from the environment, inferred from the repeated evolution of distinct ecomorphs, have influenced the rate of morphological evolution in valve shape and the magnitude of asymmetry between valves. Our observation that morphological integration of the valves making up the shell is consistently strong suggests tight developmental pathways are responsible for the concerted evolution of these structures while environmental pressures are driving whole shell shape. Finally, our study shows that directional asymmetry in shell shape among species is an important aspect of scallop macroevolution.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-017-1098-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Ecological specialization and morphological diversification in Greater Antillean boas

Cited by 33 publications

References 107 publications

Global biogeography of Tetragnatha spiders reveals multiple colonization of the Caribbean

Global biogeography of Tetragnatha spiders reveals multiple colonization of the Caribbean

Environmental determinism, and not interspecific competition, drives morphological variability in Australasian warblers (Acanthizidae)

Rates of morphological evolution, asymmetry and morphological integration of shell shape in scallops

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