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Repeated upslope biome shifts in Saxifraga during late-Cenozoic climate cooling
The origins of alpine plant diversity are unclear. Here, the authors provide a time-calibrated molecular phylogenetic tree for Saxifraga, a diverse alpine plant clade, and show that upslope biome shifts into the alpine zone occurred more often than dispersal between alpine regions.
- Tom Carruthers
- , Michelangelo S. Moerland
- & Wolf L. Eiserhardt
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Article
| Open Access
The angiosperm radiation played a dual role in the diversification of insects and insect pollinators
Interactions with angiosperms are thought to have had a significant impact on insect diversification. Here, the authors use a Bayesian process-based approach to find that angiosperm radiation played a dual role that changed through time, mitigating insect extinction in the Cretaceous and promoting insect origination in the Cenozoic.
- David Peris
- & Fabien L. Condamine
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Article
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African bushpigs exhibit porous species boundaries and appeared in Madagascar concurrently with human arrival
The evolutionary history of pigs in Africa is unclear. Here, the authors examine 67 whole genomes, finding incomplete speciation between bushpigs and red river hogs as well as evidence suggesting that humans brought bushpigs to Madagascar 1000-5000 years ago.
- Renzo F. Balboa
- , Laura D. Bertola
- & Rasmus Heller
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| Open Access
Diversification of flowering plants in space and time
Global spatiotemporal patterns of plant diversification are unclear. Here, the authors use a genus-level phylogeny and global distribution data for 14,244 flowering plant genera, finding a negative correlation between spatial patterns of diversification and genus diversity.
- Dimitar Dimitrov
- , Xiaoting Xu
- & Zhiheng Wang
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Article
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Accelerated body size evolution in upland environments is correlated with recent speciation in South American freshwater fishes
While speciation rates vary across regions, the causes of this disparity and its impact on biodiversity patterns still puzzle scientists. Studying South American fish speciation, Cerezer et al. uncover key associations of body size evolution—especially rapid changes in uplands—with accelerated speciation.
- Felipe O. Cerezer
- , Cristian S. Dambros
- & Catherine H. Graham
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Article
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Genomics of cold adaptations in the Antarctic notothenioid fish radiation
The notothenioid radiation is a remarkable group of fish adapted to life in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean. This study investigates the evolutionary history of this group and the basis of their adaption to cold environments through genomic analysis of 24 new genome assemblies.
- Iliana Bista
- , Jonathan M. D. Wood
- & Richard Durbin
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to “Subgenome-aware analyses suggest a reticulate allopolyploidization origin in three Papaver genomes”
- Xiaofei Yang
- , Shenghan Gao
- & Kai Ye
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Subgenome-aware analyses suggest a reticulate allopolyploidization origin in three Papaver genomes
- Ren-Gang Zhang
- , Chaoxia Lu
- & Wei Zhao
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Article
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Multiple drivers and lineage-specific insect extinctions during the Permo–Triassic
The impact of three extinction events during the Permo–Triassic interval on terrestrial invertebrates is unclear. Here, the authors find that key abiotic and biotic factors, including changes in floral assemblages, were correlated with changes in insect diversity through this interval.
- Corentin Jouault
- , André Nel
- & Fabien L. Condamine
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Article
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Early stages of sympatric homoploid hybrid speciation in crater lake cichlid fishes
Here, the authors present a rare example of sympatric homoploid hybrid speciation, without ploidy changes, in the Midas cichlid fishes from Nicaragua. Midas cichlid hybrids occupy a different ecological niche, likely facilitated by body shape adaptations.
- Melisa Olave
- , Alexander Nater
- & Axel Meyer
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Article
| Open Access
Genomic architecture of adaptive radiation and hybridization in Alpine whitefish
In this genomic study on Alpine whitefish radiations, the authors reveal details on the genetic architecture underlying the repeated eco-morphological diversification and the role of hybridization in the evolution of endemic whitefish species.
- Rishi De-Kayne
- , Oliver M. Selz
- & Philine G. D. Feulner
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Article
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A subterranean adaptive radiation of amphipods in Europe
There are relatively few known extant adaptive radiations in Europe that predate the Pleistocene. Here, Borko et al. characterize the diversity and diversification of the subterranean amphipod genus Niphargus, showing evidence for a large adaptive radiation associated with massif uplift 15 million years ago.
- Špela Borko
- , Peter Trontelj
- & Cene Fišer
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Article
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Ecological and biogeographic drivers of biodiversity cannot be resolved using clade age-richness data
Age-richness rate (ARR) estimates of evolutionary diversification are widely used to study factors that influence species richness among clades. Here the authors show that ARR inference is based on problematic assumptions and recommend against its use in comparison of past diversity or diversification rates across clades.
- Daniel L. Rabosky
- & Roger B. J. Benson
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Reply to “Re-evaluating the evidence for facilitation of stickleback speciation by admixture in the Lake Constance basin”
- David A. Marques
- , Kay Lucek
- & Ole Seehausen
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Re-evaluating the evidence for facilitation of stickleback speciation by admixture in the Lake Constance basin
- Daniel Berner
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Article
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Recent accelerated diversification in rosids occurred outside the tropics
There is mixed evidence for how temperature affects diversification rates. Here, authors use a supermatrix of nearly 20,000 rosid species, comprising almost a quarter of flowering plants, to show that tropical groups are older and speciated twice as slowly as their counterparts from cooler climates.
- Miao Sun
- , Ryan A. Folk
- & Robert P. Guralnick
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Article
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The coincidence of ecological opportunity with hybridization explains rapid adaptive radiation in Lake Mweru cichlid fishes
Recent studies have suggested that hybridization can facilitate adaptive radiations. Here, the authors show that opportunity for hybridization differentiates Lake Mweru, where cichlids radiated, and Lake Bangweulu, where cichlids did not radiate despite ecological opportunity in both lakes.
- Joana I. Meier
- , Rike B. Stelkens
- & Ole Seehausen
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Article
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Admixture between old lineages facilitated contemporary ecological speciation in Lake Constance stickleback
Ecological speciation can proceed rapidly, but the origin of genetic variation facilitating it has remained elusive. Here, the authors show that secondary contact and introgression between deeply diverged lineages of stickleback fish facilitated rapid ecological speciation into lake and stream ecotypes in Lake Constance.
- David A. Marques
- , Kay Lucek
- & Ole Seehausen
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Article
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Repeated species radiations in the recent evolution of the key marine phytoplankton lineage Gephyrocapsa
The phytoplankton Gephyrocapsa have gone through repeated macroevolutionary shifts in size. Here, Bendif et al. combine fossil and genomic data to show the latest shift was coincident with a species radiation and suggest that previous shifts have also resulted from cycles of radiation and extinction.
- El Mahdi Bendif
- , Bruno Nevado
- & Dmitry A. Filatov
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Article
| Open Access
Contemporaneous radiations of fungi and plants linked to symbiosis
Plants and fungi interact widely and in diverse ways, from mutualism to parasitism and decomposition. Here, Lutzoni et al. analyse the timing of plant and fungal evolutionary radiations and identify four major periods in which plant-fungal interactions likely drove lineage diversification.
- François Lutzoni
- , Michael D. Nowak
- & Susana Magallón
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Article
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Phylogenomics uncovers early hybridization and adaptive loci shaping the radiation of Lake Tanganyika cichlid fishes
Lake Tanganyika’s cichlid radiation is the main source of East African cichlid diversity. Irisarri et al. resolve its phylogenetic backbone using anchored phylogenomics and identify trans-lineage hybridization prior to major speciation bursts and adaptive loci underlying ecological innovations.
- Iker Irisarri
- , Pooja Singh
- & Axel Meyer
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Transcriptomic and macroevolutionary evidence for phenotypic uncoupling between frog life history phases
In animals with complex life cycles, selection on one life phase may constrain adaptation in another phase. Here the authors find that, during the adaptive radiation of mantellid frogs, the evolution of tadpole and adult morphologies has been uncoupled through phase-specific gene expression.
- Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero
- , Joan Garcia-Porta
- & Miguel Vences
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Article
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Ancient hybridization fuels rapid cichlid fish adaptive radiations
Cichlids underwent a rapid diversification in the Lake Victoria region, expanding to more than 700 species within 150,000 years. Here, Meier and colleagues show that an ancient hybridization between two divergent cichlid lineages generated high genetic diversity that facilitated the rapid radiation.
- Joana I. Meier
- , David A. Marques
- & Ole Seehausen
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Article
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Adaptive radiation by waves of gene transfer leads to fine-scale resource partitioning in marine microbes
Adaptive radiations are well-known for animals and plants, but not for microbes. Here, Hehemann et al. show that there has been a recent adaptive radiation of bacteria in the Vibrionaceae to use different forms of alginate and that this radiation has been mediated by horizontal gene transfer.
- Jan-Hendrik Hehemann
- , Philip Arevalo
- & Martin F. Polz
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Article
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Comparative genomics reveals adaptive evolution of Asian tapeworm in switching to a new intermediate host
Only one of the three Taenia species causing taeniasis in humans was previously sequenced. Here the authors provide draft genomes of Taenia saginata and Taenia asiatica, analyse genome evolution of all three species, and identify potential targets for developing diagnostic markers or intervention tools.
- Shuai Wang
- , Sen Wang
- & Xuepeng Cai
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Article
| Open Access
Widespread adaptive evolution during repeated evolutionary radiations in New World lupins
Species radiations can be driven by both adaptive and non-adaptive processes, but the relative importance of these drivers is unknown. Here, Nevado et al. show that multiple radiations in the New World lupins were associated with genome-wide accelerations in both coding and regulatory evolution, suggesting a strong influence of adaptive processes.
- Bruno Nevado
- , Guy W. Atchison
- & Dmitry A. Filatov
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Article
| Open Access
Extensive local adaptation within the chemosensory system following Drosophila melanogaster’s global expansion
Fruit flies gain valuable information about their environment by sensing chemicals. Here, Arguello et al. show strong signals of recent selection on the chemosensory system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, consistent with the adaptation of populations to their local chemical environment.
- J. Roman Arguello
- , Margarida Cardoso-Moreira
- & Richard Benton
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Article
| Open Access
Adaptive immunity increases the pace and predictability of evolutionary change in commensal gut bacteria
The mechanisms underlying host-commensal coevolution are incompletely understood. Here the authors show that host adaptive immunity directs the evolution of Escherichia coliin the mouse gut towards host benefit by influencing the microbiome composition.
- João Barroso-Batista
- , Jocelyne Demengeot
- & Isabel Gordo
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Article
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Predator strike shapes antipredator phenotype through new genetic interactions in water striders
Understanding the mechanism underlying the evolution of ecologically relevant traits is challenging. Here the authors show that changes in the Hox protein Ultrabithorax and its target genegiltcontribute to the evolution of long-mid-legs in water striders, a critical trait to escape predators.
- David Armisén
- , Peter Nagui Refki
- & Abderrahman Khila
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Biting disrupts integration to spur skull evolution in eels
Functional integration limits the potential for morphological differences to evolve. Here, the authors show an association between changes in skull morphology and evolutionary integration with feeding behaviour in eels.
- David C. Collar
- , Peter C. Wainwright
- & Rita S. Mehta
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Parallel evolution of Nicaraguan crater lake cichlid fishes via non-parallel routes
Similar morphologies can evolve repeatedly in similar environments. Here, the authors show morphological, ecological and genetic differentiation between sympatric ecomorphs across two independent radiations of crater lake cichlids, but a different order of speciation events across radiations.
- Kathryn R. Elmer
- , Shaohua Fan
- & Axel Meyer
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Extant diversity of bryophytes emerged from successive post-Mesozoic diversification bursts
The macroevolutionary history of bryophytes is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that, while overall diversification rates of bryophytes are substantially lower than those reported in ferns and angiosperms, they increase over time and become comparable to angiosperms in the most recent lineages.
- B. Laenen
- , B. Shaw
- & A. J. Shaw
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Reproductive isolation related to mimetic divergence in the poison frog Ranitomeya imitator
It is unclear how mimetic radiations, the evolution of a species to resemble different model species, contribute to speciation. Here, the authors show patterns of mating behaviour and genetic divergence, suggesting that mimetic divergence has promoted incipient speciation in a group of Peruvian poison frogs.
- Evan Twomey
- , Jacob S. Vestergaard
- & Kyle Summers
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Clustering in community structure across replicate ecosystems following a long-term bacterial evolution experiment
It is unclear how predictable adaptive evolution is in multispecies ecosystems. Here, the authors show that relative abundance of bacterial species varies after long-term evolution, but that the final community composition clusters within a few types, which suggests that evolution follows only a few paths.
- Hasan Celiker
- & Jeff Gore
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Wnt signalling underlies the evolution of new phenotypes and craniofacial variability in Lake Malawi cichlids
The molecular mechanisms that promote and constrain the evolution of morphological traits remain unclear. Here, Parsons et al. show that the Wnt pathway is associated with the development of a novel head form in Lake Malawi cichlid fish but also limits head plasticity later in life.
- Kevin J. Parsons
- , A. Trent Taylor
- & R. Craig Albertson
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Temporal niche promotes biodiversity during adaptive radiation
Environmental fluctuation is known to promote biodiversity on ecological timescales, but its consequences for the evolution of biodiversity are unknown. Here, the authors report that alternations in environmental conditions help maintain evolved biodiversity in rapidly diversifying bacterial populations.
- Jiaqi Tan
- , Colleen K. Kelly
- & Lin Jiang
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Rates of speciation and morphological evolution are correlated across the largest vertebrate radiation
Evolutionary theories predict that rates of morphological change should be positively associated with the rate at which new species arise. Here Raboski et al.demonstrate that rates of species diversification are highly correlated with the rate of body size evolution across ray-finned fish species.
- Daniel L. Rabosky
- , Francesco Santini
- & Michael E. Alfaro
Allopolyploid origin and diversification of the Hawaiian endemic mints