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Ecological constraints on diversification in a model adaptive radiation

Nature volume 431, pages 984–988 (2004)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 26 May 2005

Abstract

Taxonomic diversification commonly occurs through adaptive radiation, the rapid evolution of a single lineage into a range of genotypes or species each adapted to a different ecological niche1,2. Radiation size (measured as the number of new types) varies widely between phylogenetically distinct taxa2,3,4 and between replicate radiations within a single taxon where the ecological opportunities available seem to be identical5,6. Here we show how variation in energy input (productivity) and environmental disturbance combine to determine the extent of diversification in a single radiating lineage of Pseudomonas fluorescens adapting to laboratory conditions. Diversity peaked at intermediate rates of both productivity and disturbance and declined towards the extremes in a manner reminiscent of well-known ecological patterns7,8,9. The mechanism responsible for the decrease in diversity arises from pleiotropic fitness costs associated with niche specialization10,11, the effects of which are modulated by gradients of productivity and disturbance. Our results indicate that ecological gradients may constrain the size of adaptive radiations, even in the presence of the strong diversifying selection associated with ecological opportunity, by decoupling evolutionary diversification from ecological coexistence.

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Figure 1: The joint effect of productivity and disturbance on diversity, as 1 - λ, for the experiment.
Figure 2: Diversity in relation to productivity, according to disturbance regime.
Figure 3: Population density (log(CFU ml-1)) of smooth (filled circles) and wrinkly spreader (open circles) morphotypes over 4 days across a productivity gradient.

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Acknowledgements

We thank G. Bell, T. Day, M. Doebeli, B. Kerr, J. Pannell and D. Schluter for critical reviews of the manuscript and discussion. A. Gunn and J. Stansfield provided technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from NSERC (Canada) and St Hugh's College, Oxford, to R.K. and BBSRC (UK) and NERC (UK) to P.B.R.

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Author notes

  1. Martin Llewellyn

    Present address: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3RB, Oxford, UK

    Rees Kassen, Martin Llewellyn & Paul B. Rainey

  2. Department of Biology & Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Rees Kassen

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    Paul B. Rainey

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  1. Rees Kassen
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  2. Martin Llewellyn
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Correspondence to Rees Kassen.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Data

A model for ecological patterns of diversity along gradients of productivity and disturbance generated by selection among niche specialists in a heterogeneous environment. (DOC 47 kb)

Supplementary Figure 1

The joint effects of productivity and disturbance on diversity in the Levene model. (PPT 51 kb)

Supplementary Figure 2

The relationship between species richness and island age for Galapagos Island finches. (PPT 36 kb)

Supplementary Figure Legends

Figure legends accompanying Supplementary figures 1 and 2. (DOC 18 kb)

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Kassen, R., Llewellyn, M. & Rainey, P. Ecological constraints on diversification in a model adaptive radiation. Nature 431, 984–988 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02923

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