Species Differentiation on a Dynamic Landscape: Shifts in Metapopulation Genetic Structure Using the Chronology of the Hawaiian Archipelago

Species formation during adaptive radiation often occurs in the context of a changing environment. The establishment and arrangement of populations, in space and time, sets up ecological and genetic processes that dictate the rate and pattern of differentiation. Here, we focus on how a dynamic habit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary biology 2012-06, Vol.39 (2), p.192-206
Main Authors: Roderick, George K., Croucher, Peter J. P., Vandergast, Amy G., Gillespie, Rosemary G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive radiation
Animal Genetics and Genomics
Archipelagoes
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Developmental Biology
Divergence
Ecological succession
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetic structure
Habitat preferences
Habitats
Human Genetics
Landscape
Life Sciences
Metapopulations
Population establishment
Population genetics
Research Article
Species
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Summary:Species formation during adaptive radiation often occurs in the context of a changing environment. The establishment and arrangement of populations, in space and time, sets up ecological and genetic processes that dictate the rate and pattern of differentiation. Here, we focus on how a dynamic habitat can affect genetic structure, and ultimately, differentiation among populations. We make use of the chronology and geographical history provided by the Hawaiian archipelago to examine the initial stages of population establishment and genetic divergence. We use data from a set of 6 spider lineages that differ in habitat affinities, some preferring low elevation habitats with a longer history of connection, others being more specialized for high elevation and/or wet forest, some with more general habitat affinities. We show that habitat preferences associated with lineages are important in ecological and genetic structuring. Lineages that have more restricted habitat preferences are subject to repeated episodes of isolation and fragmentation as a result of lava flows and vegetation succession. The initial dynamic set up by the landscape translates over time into discrete lineages. Further work is needed to understand how genetic changes interact with a changing set of ecological interactions amongst a shifting mosaic of landscapes to achieve species formation.
ISSN:0071-3260
1934-2845
DOI:10.1007/s11692-012-9184-5