scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
JournalISSN: 0024-4066

Biological Journal of The Linnean Society 

Linnean Society of London
About: Biological Journal of The Linnean Society is an academic journal published by Linnean Society of London. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Biological dispersal. It has an ISSN identifier of 0024-4066. Over the lifetime, 5978 publications have been published receiving 243843 citations.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The genetic effects of pleistocene ice ages are approached by deduction from paleoenvironmental information, by induction from the genetic structure of populations and species, and by their combination to infer likely consequences.
Abstract: The genetic effects of pleistocene ice ages are approached by deduction from paleoenvironmental information, by induction from the genetic structure of populations and species, and by their combination to infer likely consequences. (1) Recent palaeoclimatic information indicate rapid global reversals and changes in ranges of species which would involve elimination with spreading from the edge. Leading edge colonization during a rapid expansion would be leptokurtic and lead to homozygosity and spatial assortment of genomes. In Europe and North America, ice age contractions were into southern refugia, which would promote genome reorganization. (2) The present day genetic structure of species shows frequent geographic subdivision, with parapatric genomes, hybrid zones and suture zones. A survey of recent DNA phylogeographic information supports and extends earlier work. (3) The grasshopperChorthippus parallelusis used to illustrate such data and processes. Its range in Europe is divided on DNA sequences into five parapatric races, with southern genomes showing greater haplotype diversity — probably due to southern mountain blocks acting as refugia and northern expansion reducing diversity. (4) Comparison with other recent studies shows a concordance of such phylogeographic data over pleistocene time scales. (5) The role that ice age range changes may have played in changing adaptations is explored, including the limits of range, rapid change in new invasions and refugial differentiation in a variety of organisms. (6) The effects of these events in causing divergence and speciation are explored usingChorthippusas a paradigm. Repeated contraction and expansion would accumulate genome differences and adaptations, protected from mixing by hybrid zones, and such a composite mode of speciation could apply to many organisms.

3,850 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Diversity from southern to northern Europe in the extent of allelic variation and species subdivision is seen; this is attributed to rapid expansion northward and the varied topography of southern refugia allowing populations to diverge through several ice ages.
Abstract: Population structure is the result of both present processes and past history. Molecular markers are proving of great value in describing the former, and it is important to similarly determine the latter in order to understand their respective contributions. The study of palaeo-climates has also advanced significantly, and in particular that of the Pleistocene ice ages, which modified species ranges considerably. The last ice age and rapid post-glacial colonization of Europe is summarized. Possible population genetic consequences of expansion northward from southern refugia, and those of remaining in these mountainous regions are discussed. A series of recent case studies are detailed where DNA sequence information has been used to describe species genetic variation and subdivision across Europe. These include a grasshopper, the hedgehog, oak trees, the common beech, the black alder, the brown bear, newts, shrews, water vole, silver fir and house mice. These molecular data confirm southern peninsulas of Europe as major ice age refugia, and in most cases demonstrate that genetically distinct taxa emerged from them. They can thus define genomic differences and so greatly augment previous fossil data. The refugial genomes contributed differently in various species to the re-colonization of Europe, with three broad patterns described as paradigms—«grasshopper», «hedgehog» and «bear». These different expansion patterns produced clusters of hybrid zones where they made contact, and it is argued that many species genomes may be further cryptically subdivided. A reduction in diversity from southern to northern Europe in the extent of allelic variation and species subdivision is seen; this is attributed to rapid expansion northward and the varied topography of southern refugia allowing populations to diverge through several ice ages. The differences in DNA sequence indicate that some species have been diverging in refugial regions for a few ice ages at most, whilst distinct lineages in other species suggest much more ancient separation.

2,566 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Metapopulation studies have important conceptual links with the equilibrium theory of island biogeography and with studies on the dynamics of species living in patchy environments as mentioned in this paper, and they play an increasingly important role in landscape ecology and conservation biology.
Abstract: We review the early development of metapopulation ideas, which culminated in the well-known model by Levins in 1969. We present a survey of metapopulation terminology and outline the kinds of studies that have been conducted on single-species and multispecies metapopulations. Metapopulation studies have important conceptual links with the equilibrium theory of island biogeography and with studies on the dynamics of species living in patchy environments. Metapopulation ideas play an increasingly important role in landscape ecology and conservation biology.

1,537 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Seven guidelines are proposed to help integrative taxonomists recognize cases when species are supported by broad biological evidence and therefore are deserving of an official name and to prevent the over-abundance of both synonyms and names of doubtful application from worsening.
Abstract: Delineating species boundaries correctly is crucial to the discovery of life’s diversity because it determines whether or not different individual organisms are members of the same entity. The gap in communication between the different disciplines currently involved in delimiting species is an important and overlooked problem in the so-called ‘taxonomy crisis’. To solve this problem, it is suggested that taxonomy become integrative, and this integration is seen as the real challenge for the future of taxonomy. ‘Integrative taxonomy’ is defined as the science that aims to delimit the units of life’s diversity from multiple and complementary perspectives (phylogeography, comparative morphology, population genetics, ecology, development, behaviour, etc.). Some workers have already collaborated and successfully adopted an integrative approach to taxonomy. However, it is now time for the whole discipline to evolve. A radical change in mentality is needed concerning the creation of names in order to achieve this integration and to prevent the over-abundance of both synonyms and names of doubtful application from worsening. Integrative taxonomy gives priority to species delineation over the creation of new species names. Furthermore, it is emphasized that describing morphological diversity, referred to as ‘morphodiversity’, does not require the naming of any single set of specimens. Seven guidelines are proposed to help integrative taxonomists recognize cases when species are supported by broad biological evidence and therefore are deserving of an official name. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 85 , 407‐415. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: biodiversity ‐ character variation ‐ DNA barcoding ‐ ecology ‐ morphodiversity ‐ phylogenetics ‐ phylogeography ‐ population biology ‐ species delineation ‐ systematics.

1,451 citations

Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
202360
2022146
2021219
2020190
2019226
2018200