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Ecological divergence and speciation between lemur (Eulemur) sister species in Madagascar
M E Blair1, E J Sterling, M Dusch
1Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA. mblair1@amnh.org
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|July 20, 2013
Summary
Ecological niche models reveal varied speciation processes in lemurs. While most sister species show niche equivalence supporting allopatric speciation, one pair exhibits significant niche divergence, suggesting parapatric speciation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Biogeography
Background:
- Understanding ecological niche evolution is key to organismal biogeography.
- Lemurs (genus Eulemur) in Madagascar provide a model for studying speciation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test hypotheses of ecological divergence and speciation in sister lemur species pairs.
- To utilize climate-based ecological niche models (ENMs) for the first time in this context.
Main Methods:
- Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) were generated for eight Eulemur species.
- Model validation confirmed significant support for all generated ENMs.
- Comparative analyses assessed niche equivalence, overlap, and divergence among four sister species pairs.
Main Results:
- Nonequivalent niches and varying degrees of niche overlap were observed between sister lemur species.
- Three sister-pair comparisons supported niche equivalence, consistent with allopatric speciation.
- One sister pair (E. flavifrons-E. macaco) exhibited significant niche divergence, supporting parapatric speciation.
Conclusions:
- Multiple speciation processes contribute to the diversification of closely related Eulemur species.
- Findings suggest allopatric speciation driven by geographic barriers (e.g., rivers) for some pairs.
- Parapatric speciation is supported for the E. flavifrons-E. macaco pair due to niche divergence without clear geographic barriers.
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