Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evolutionary consequences of competition are of great interest to researchers studying sympatric speciation, adaptive radiation, species coexistence and ecological assembly. Competition's role in driving evolutionary change...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2008-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/34 |
| _version_ | 1818902952112291840 |
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| author | Spencer Christine C Bertrand Melanie Tyerman Jabus G Doebeli Michael |
| author_facet | Spencer Christine C Bertrand Melanie Tyerman Jabus G Doebeli Michael |
| author_sort | Spencer Christine C |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evolutionary consequences of competition are of great interest to researchers studying sympatric speciation, adaptive radiation, species coexistence and ecological assembly. Competition's role in driving evolutionary change in phenotypic distributions, and thus causing ecological character displacement, has been inferred from biogeographical data and measurements of divergent selection on a focal species in the presence of competitors. However, direct experimental demonstrations of character displacement due to competition are rare.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate a causal role for competition in ecological character displacement. Using populations of the bacterium <it>Escherichia coli </it>that have adaptively diversified into ecotypes exploiting different carbon resources, we show that when interspecific competition is relaxed, phenotypic distributions converge. When we reinstate competition, phenotypic distributions diverge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This accordion-like dynamic provides direct experimental evidence that competition for resources can cause evolutionary shifts in resource-related characters.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:43:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7e45cfecd504a45a89bc6310d6da043 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2148 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:43:49Z |
| publishDate | 2008-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7e45cfecd504a45a89bc6310d6da0432022-12-21T20:06:20ZengBMCBMC Evolutionary Biology1471-21482008-01-01813410.1186/1471-2148-8-34Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacementSpencer Christine CBertrand MelanieTyerman Jabus GDoebeli Michael<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evolutionary consequences of competition are of great interest to researchers studying sympatric speciation, adaptive radiation, species coexistence and ecological assembly. Competition's role in driving evolutionary change in phenotypic distributions, and thus causing ecological character displacement, has been inferred from biogeographical data and measurements of divergent selection on a focal species in the presence of competitors. However, direct experimental demonstrations of character displacement due to competition are rare.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate a causal role for competition in ecological character displacement. Using populations of the bacterium <it>Escherichia coli </it>that have adaptively diversified into ecotypes exploiting different carbon resources, we show that when interspecific competition is relaxed, phenotypic distributions converge. When we reinstate competition, phenotypic distributions diverge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This accordion-like dynamic provides direct experimental evidence that competition for resources can cause evolutionary shifts in resource-related characters.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/34 |
| spellingShingle | Spencer Christine C Bertrand Melanie Tyerman Jabus G Doebeli Michael Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| title | Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| title_full | Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| title_fullStr | Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| title_short | Experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| title_sort | experimental demonstration of ecological character displacement |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/34 |
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