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Related Experiment Videos

Testing hypotheses about ecological specialization using phylogenetic trees.

P Nosil1, A O Mooers

  • 1Department of Biosciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada. pnosila@sfu.ca

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|January 13, 2006
PubMed
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Ecological specialization is not an evolutionary dead-end. New analyses show transitions to and from specialization occur, challenging the idea that it limits further evolution in phytophagous insects.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ecology
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • The assumption that ecological specialization limits further evolution is widespread.
  • Previous analyses suggested a bias toward specialization, potentially supporting this 'dead-end' hypothesis.
  • The influence of character state frequency on inferred transition rates was not fully explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-examine evolutionary transition rates between ecological specialization and generalization.
  • To test the 'specialist as dead end' framework using alternative analytical methods.
  • To clarify whether transitions away from specialization occur and impact evolutionary trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • Maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses on insect phylogenies.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Comparison of models of character change, including those with irreversible evolution.
  • Ancestral state reconstruction to infer evolutionary history.

    • Main Results:

    • Models predicting irreversible evolution (no transitions away from specialization) were strongly rejected.
    • Two clear instances of generalists evolving from specialists were identified.
    • Inferred transition rates are influenced by the frequency of specialist species.

    Conclusions:

    • Ecological specialization does not necessarily limit further evolution.
    • Transitions between generalization and specialization occur in both directions.
    • Rethinking evolutionary inferences by comparing models and examining ancestral states is crucial.