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Community assembly through evolutionary diversification and dispersal in Middle American treefrogs
Daniel S Moen1, Sarah A Smith, John J Wiens
1Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA. dmoen@life.bio.sunysb.edu
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|August 12, 2009
Summary
Community assembly is shaped by both evolution and dispersal. New species can invade existing communities, with early arrivals diversifying most, influencing regional biodiversity patterns.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Biogeography
Background:
- Community structure arises from the addition of species through in situ evolution or dispersal.
- Understanding the relative roles of these processes is key to explaining biodiversity patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop metrics for quantifying the roles of evolution and dispersal in community assembly.
- To apply these metrics to Middle American treefrogs to understand their community structure.
Main Methods:
- Examined two ecological traits (larval habitat, body size) in 39 treefrog communities.
- Utilized phylogenetic and ecological data from 278 species.
Main Results:
- Community variation reflects complex interactions between evolution and dispersal.
- Elevation influences community structure; species invade communities with similar traits.
- Dispersal occurs between climatically similar regions.
- Early invading lineages show greater ecological diversification than later ones.
Conclusions:
- Elevation is a significant factor in structuring regional communities.
- Invasion by ecologically similar species is possible.
- Climatic similarity drives dispersal patterns.
- The timing of invasion impacts subsequent ecological diversification.
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