scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Topic

Adaptive radiation

About: Adaptive radiation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1228 publications have been published within this topic receiving 81794 citations.


Papers
More filters
Book
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: This chapter discusses the origins of ecological diversity and the ecological basis of speciation, as well as the progress of adaptive radiation and its role in ecology.
Abstract: 1. The origins of ecological diversity 2. Detecting adaptive radiation 3. The progress of adaptive radiation 4. The ecological theory of adaptive radiation 5. Divergent natural selection between environments 6. Divergence and species interactions 7. Ecological opportunity speciation 8. The ecological basis of speciation 9. Divergence along genetic lines of least resistance 10. The ecology of adaptive radiation

3,439 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Ole Seehausen1
TL;DR: A concept that reconciles views of hybridization and ecological speciation theory is developed and adds a new twist to this debate, which predisposes colonizing populations to rapid adaptive diversification under disruptive or divergent selection.
Abstract: Whether interspecific hybridization is important as a mechanism that generates biological diversity is a matter of controversy. Whereas some authors focus on the potential of hybridization as a source of genetic variation, functional novelty and new species, others argue against any important role, because reduced fitness would typically render hybrids an evolutionary dead end. By drawing on recent developments in the genetics and ecology of hybridization and on principles of ecological speciation theory, I develop a concept that reconciles these views and adds a new twist to this debate. Because hybridization is common when populations invade new environments and potentially elevates rates of response to selection, it predisposes colonizing populations to rapid adaptive diversification under disruptive or divergent selection. I discuss predictions and suggest tests of this hybrid swarm theory of adaptive radiation and review published molecular phylogenies of adaptive radiations in light of the theory.

1,599 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent theory on how plasticity promotes: (i) the origin of novel phenotypes, (ii) divergence among populations and species, (iii) the formation of new species and (iv) adaptive radiation is reviewed.
Abstract: Phenotypic plasticity (the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in response to variation in the environment) is commonplace. Yet its evolutionary significance remains controversial, especially in regard to whether and how it impacts diversification and speciation. Here, we review recent theory on how plasticity promotes: (i) the origin of novel phenotypes, (ii) divergence among populations and species, (iii) the formation of new species and (iv) adaptive radiation. We also discuss the latest empirical support for each of these evolutionary pathways to diversification and identify potentially profitable areas for future research. Generally, phenotypic plasticity can play a largely underappreciated role in driving diversification and speciation.

998 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
27 Mar 1998-Science
TL;DR: This paper examined the evolutionary radiation of Anolis lizards on the four islands of the Greater Antilles and found that the same set of habitat specialists, termed ecomorphs, occurs on all four islands.
Abstract: The vagaries of history lead to the prediction that repeated instances of evolutionary diversification will lead to disparate outcomes even if starting conditions are similar. We tested this proposition by examining the evolutionary radiation of Anolis lizards on the four islands of the Greater Antilles. Morphometric analyses indicate that the same set of habitat specialists, termed ecomorphs, occurs on all four islands. Although these similar assemblages could result from a single evolutionary origin of each ecomorph, followed by dispersal or vicariance, phylogenetic analysis indicates that the ecomorphs originated independently on each island. Thus, adaptive radiation in similar environments can overcome historical contingencies to produce strikingly similar evolutionary outcomes.

958 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that measures of uncertainty are useful and should always be provided, despite simplistic assumptions about the probabilistic models that underlie them, and if uncertainty is too high, reconstruction should be abandoned.
Abstract: Theories of ecological diversification make predictions about the timing and ordering of character state changes through history. These theories are testable by "reconstructing" ancestor states using phylogenetic trees and measurements of contemporary species. Here we use maximum likelihood to estimate and evaluate the accuracy of ancestor reconstructions. We present likelihoods of discrete ancestor states and derive probability distributions for continuous ancestral traits. The methods are applied to several examples: diets of ancestral Darwin's finches; origin of inquilinism in gall wasps; microhabitat partitioning and body size evolution in scrubwrens; digestive enzyme evolution in artiodactyl mammals; origin of a sexually selected male trait, the sword, in platies and swordtails; and evolution of specialization in Anolis lizards. When changes between discrete character states are rare, the maximum-likelihood results are similar to parsimony estimates. In this case the accuracy of estimates is often high, with the exception of some nodes deep in the tree. If change is frequent then reconstructions are highly uncertain, especially of distant ancestors. Ancestor states for continuous traits are typically highly uncertain. We conclude that measures of uncertainty are useful and should always be provided, despite simplistic assumptions about the probabilistic models that underlie them. If uncertainty is too high, reconstruction should be abandoned in favor of approaches that fit different models of trait evolution to species data and phylogenetic trees, taking into account the range of ancestor states permitted by the data.

922 citations


Network Information
Related Topics (5)
Biological dispersal
30K papers, 1.2M citations
87% related
Natural selection
9.2K papers, 659.9K citations
87% related
Sexual selection
9.9K papers, 588.7K citations
87% related
Range (biology)
17K papers, 447K citations
86% related
Monophyly
11.4K papers, 465.5K citations
86% related
Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202339
202291
202175
202057
201970
201860