Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives
Abstract Darwin's finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation, a process by which multiple ecologically distinct species rapidly evolve from a single ancestor. Such evolutionary diversification is typically explained by adaptation to new ecological opportunities. However, the ecological...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6994 |
| _version_ | 1818901191208206336 |
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| author | Ashley M. Reaney Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi Joseph A. Tobias Arkhat Abzhanov |
| author_facet | Ashley M. Reaney Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi Joseph A. Tobias Arkhat Abzhanov |
| author_sort | Ashley M. Reaney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Darwin's finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation, a process by which multiple ecologically distinct species rapidly evolve from a single ancestor. Such evolutionary diversification is typically explained by adaptation to new ecological opportunities. However, the ecological diversification of Darwin's finches following their dispersal to Galápagos was not matched on the same archipelago by other lineages of colonizing land birds, which diversified very little in terms of both species number and morphology. To better understand the causes underlying the extraordinary variation in Darwin's finches, we analyze the evolutionary dynamics of speciation and trait diversification in Thraupidae, including Coerebinae (Darwin's finches and relatives) and, their closely related clade, Sporophilinae. For all traits, we observe an early pulse of speciation and morphological diversification followed by prolonged periods of slower steady‐state rates of change. The primary exception is the apparent recent increase in diversification rate in Darwin's finches coupled with highly variable beak morphology, a potential key factor explaining this adaptive radiation. Our observations illustrate how the exploitation of ecological opportunity by contrasting means can produce clades with similarly high diversification rate yet strikingly different degrees of ecological and morphological differentiation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:15:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8a395721843246928542a8b4aea30ecc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:15:50Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-8a395721843246928542a8b4aea30ecc2022-12-21T20:07:10ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582020-12-011024140201403210.1002/ece3.6994Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relativesAshley M. Reaney0Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi1Joseph A. Tobias2Arkhat Abzhanov3Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UKUniversity de BourgogneUMR Biogeosciences 6282 CNRS UBFC Dijon FranceDepartment of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UKNatural History Museum London UKAbstract Darwin's finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation, a process by which multiple ecologically distinct species rapidly evolve from a single ancestor. Such evolutionary diversification is typically explained by adaptation to new ecological opportunities. However, the ecological diversification of Darwin's finches following their dispersal to Galápagos was not matched on the same archipelago by other lineages of colonizing land birds, which diversified very little in terms of both species number and morphology. To better understand the causes underlying the extraordinary variation in Darwin's finches, we analyze the evolutionary dynamics of speciation and trait diversification in Thraupidae, including Coerebinae (Darwin's finches and relatives) and, their closely related clade, Sporophilinae. For all traits, we observe an early pulse of speciation and morphological diversification followed by prolonged periods of slower steady‐state rates of change. The primary exception is the apparent recent increase in diversification rate in Darwin's finches coupled with highly variable beak morphology, a potential key factor explaining this adaptive radiation. Our observations illustrate how the exploitation of ecological opportunity by contrasting means can produce clades with similarly high diversification rate yet strikingly different degrees of ecological and morphological differentiation.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6994adaptive radiationDarwin's finchesdiversificationmorphological evolutionseedeaterstanagers |
| spellingShingle | Ashley M. Reaney Yanis Bouchenak‐Khelladi Joseph A. Tobias Arkhat Abzhanov Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives Ecology and Evolution adaptive radiation Darwin's finches diversification morphological evolution seedeaters tanagers |
| title | Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives |
| title_full | Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives |
| title_fullStr | Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives |
| title_short | Ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in Darwin's finches and their relatives |
| title_sort | ecological and morphological determinants of evolutionary diversification in darwin s finches and their relatives |
| topic | adaptive radiation Darwin's finches diversification morphological evolution seedeaters tanagers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6994 |
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