How Likely Is Speciation in Neutral Ecology?

Patterns of biodiversity predicted by the neutral theory rely on a simple phenomenological model of speciation. To further investigate the effect of speciation on neutral biodiversity, we analyze a spatially explicit neutral model based on population genetics. We define the metacommunity as a system...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2012-01, Vol.179 (1), p.137-144
Main Authors: Desjardins-Proulx, Philippe, Gravel, Dominique
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Communities
Ecological genetics
Ecological modeling
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Flow
General aspects
Genetic mutation
Genetic Speciation
Genetics
Haplotypes
Models, Biological
Mutation
Nonnative species
Panama
Population Dynamics
Population ecology
Selection, Genetic
Speciation
Species
Species diversity
Synecology
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Summary:Patterns of biodiversity predicted by the neutral theory rely on a simple phenomenological model of speciation. To further investigate the effect of speciation on neutral biodiversity, we analyze a spatially explicit neutral model based on population genetics. We define the metacommunity as a system of populations exchanging migrants, and we use this framework to introduce speciation with little or no gene flow (allopatric and parapatric speciation). We find that with realistic mutation rates, our metacommunity model driven by neutral processes cannot support more than a few species. Adding natural selection in the population genetics of speciation increases the number of species in the metacommunity, but the level of diversity found in the Barro Colorado Island is difficult to reach.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/663196