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Comparing Adaptive Radiations Across Space, Time, and Taxa.
Rosemary G Gillespie1, Gordon M Bennett2, Luc De Meester3
1University of California, Berkeley, Essig Museum of Entomology & Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley, CA.
The Journal of Heredity
|January 21, 2020
Summary
Adaptive radiation, a key evolutionary process, occurs in diverse ways. Ecological opportunity is crucial, but hybridization can also initiate radiations, influencing speciation and diversity patterns.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology
- Genetics
Background:
- Adaptive radiation is central to evolutionary studies but lacks a unified definition.
- Diverse systems, from plants to animals on islands and continents, exhibit adaptive radiation.
- Understanding shared processes across these disparate radiations is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define adaptive radiation broadly and identify commonalities.
- To evaluate factors influencing species radiations across various taxa.
- To understand the drivers and patterns of speciation within adaptive radiations.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed diverse groups of organisms exhibiting adaptive radiation.
- Analyzed factors considered important in species radiations.
- Examined drivers of ecological shifts and the role of admixture.
Main Results:
- Ecological opportunity is a prerequisite for adaptive radiation.
- Hybridization can enhance evolvability and initiate radiations.
- Speciation drivers (external selection vs. internal competition) and admixture timing influence diversity patterns.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive radiations are diverse, driven by ecological opportunity and potentially hybridization.
- Speciation pathways and admixture dynamics shape species accumulation and diversity.
- Adaptive radiations offer rich insights into life's diversification.
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