Reticulate evolution in a neutral model: speciation, extinctions, and hybridizations

Abstract

Evolution is usually pictured as a tree where ancient species branch into new ones and eventually disappear. In this simplified view, the balance between speciation and extinction fully determines the diversity of life. Hybridization, however, introduces another level of complexity, allowing neighboring branches of the tree to interact, mixing their genetic content. This generates further diversity leading to reticulated phylogenetic trees. In this paper we study processes of speciation, extinction and hybridization using a genetically and spatially explicit neutral model of diversification. Speciation, extinction and hybridization events are tracked throughout the evolutionary process leading to complete and exact phylogenetic trees. We found that genome size played a key role in these processes, increasing the extinction rate and decreasing the hybridization rate. In our simulations, hybridization after one speciation event occurred throughout the evolutionary process but hybridization after two speciation events was only observed during the initial radiation. Most hybridization occurred between relatively abundant species, discarding lack of sexual partners or small population sizes as potential causes. We found that hybridization occurred mostly because of opportunity (genetic similarity and spatial proximity) between recently branched species, when the number of accumulated mutations is not yet too large.