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Landscape structure and genetic architecture jointly impact rates of niche evolution

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Understanding the factors that afect rates of adaptation at range margins is crucial for interpreting and predicting changes in species’ ranges.
creator Eckhart, V. M.
creator Schiffers, Katja.
creator Schurr, Frank M.
creator Travis, Justin M. J.
creator Duputié, Anne.
creator Lavergne, Sébastien.
creator McInerny, Greg.
creator Moore, Kara A.
creator Pearman, Peter B.
creator Thuiller, Wilfried.
creator Wüest, Rafael O.
creator Holt, Robert D.
Title Landscape structure and genetic architecture jointly impact rates of niche evolution
supporting host Grinnell College. Biology Department.
Index Date 2014
Date (Other) 2014-05-05
Publisher Grinnell College
Type of Resource text
Genre article, published version
Digital Origin born digital
Digital Extent 12 pages
Media Type application/pdf
note Evolutionary adaptation is a key driver of species’ range dynamics. Understanding the factors that afect rates of adaptation at range margins is thus crucial for interpreting and predicting changes in species’ ranges. Te spatial structure of environmental conditions is one of the determinants of whether and how quickly adaptations occur. However, while landscape structures at range edges are typically complex, most theoretical work has so far focused on relatively simple environmental geometries. Using an individual-based allelic model, we explore the efects of diferent landscape structures on the rate of adaptation to novel environments and investigate how these structures interact with the genetic architecture of the trait governing adaptation and the dispersal capacity of the considered species. Generally, we fnd that rapid adaptation is favored by a good match between the coarseness of the trait’s genetic architecture (many loci of small efects versus few loci of large efects) and the coarseness of the landscape (abruptness of transitions in environmental conditions). For example, in rugged landscapes, adaptation is quicker for genetic architectures with few loci of large efects, while for shallow gradients the opposite is true. Moreover, dispersal capacities afect the rate of adaptation by modulating the ‘apparent coarseness’ of the landscape: a gradient perceived as smooth by species with limited dispersal capacities appears rather steep for highly dispersive ones. We also fnd that the distribution of evolving phenotypes strongly depends on the interplay of landscape structure and dispersal capacities, ranging from two distinct phenotypes for most rugged landscapes, over the co-occurrence of an additional third phenotype for highly dispersive species, to the whole range of phenotypes on smooth gradients. By identifying basic factors that drive the fxation probability of newly arising benefcial mutations, we hope to further broaden the understanding of evolutionary adaptation at range margins and, hence, species’ range dynamics.
citation/reference Gould, B; Moeller DA; Eckhart VM; Tiffin P; Fabio E; Geber, MA. "Local adaptation and range boundary formation in response to complex environmental gradients across the geographic range of Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana," Journal of Ecology, v.102, 2014, p. 95. doi:101111/1365-2745.12188
credits K. Schifers (katja.schifers@gmail.com), S. Lavergne, W. Tuiller and R. O. Wüest, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, LECA, FR-38000 Grenoble, France, and CNRS, LECA, FR-38000 Grenoble, France. – P. B. Pearman and ROW, Landscape Dynamics Unit, Swiss Federal Research Inst. WSL, 111 Zürcherstraße, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland. – F. M. Schurr, Inst. des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier, UMR-CNRS 5554, Univ. Montpellier II, FR-34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France, and Inst. of Landscape and Plant Ecology, Univ. of Hohenheim, DE-70593 Stuttgart, Germany. – J. M. J. Travis, Inst. of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB242TZ, UK. – A. Duputié, Laboratoire Génétique et Évolution des Populations Végétales, UMR CNRS 8198, Univ. des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 1, FR-59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France. – V. M. Eckhart, Dept of Biology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA, USA. – G. McInerny, Dept of Computer Science, Univ. of Oxford, Wolfson Building, Parks Road, OX1 3QD, UK, and Computational Science Laboratory, Microsoft Research Ltd, 21 Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2FB, UK. – K. A. Moore, Dept of Evolution and Ecology, Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. – R. D. Holt, Dept of Biology, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32605, USA.
Language English
Topic Natural selection.
Topic Niche (Ecology)
Keyword environment
Keyword range dynamics
Classification QK
Related Item Digital Grinnell
Related Item Faculty Scholarship
Identifier (hdl) http://hdl.handle.net/11084/26660
Identifier (u1) eckhart
Identifier (u2) BIO
Identifier (local) grinnell:26660
Access Condition Copyright to this work is held by the author(s), in accordance with United States copyright law (USC 17). Readers of this work have certain rights as defined by the law, including but not limited to fair use (17 USC 107 et seq.).
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