10.5061/DRYAD.SJ3TX965G
Schat, Jillian
0000-0002-8243-5061
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Weng, Yi-Ming
0000-0002-8243-5061
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dudko, Roman
0000-0002-7595-9756
Tomsk State University
Kavanaugh, David
0000-0001-8777-9771
California Academy of Sciences
Luo, Lan
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Schoville, Sean
0000-0001-7364-434X
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Evidence for niche conservatism in alpine beetles under a climate-driven
species pump model
Dryad
dataset
2021
FOS: Biological sciences
phenotypic evolution
genomic variation
glacial climate
Ecological selection
2021-12-09T00:00:00Z
2021-12-09T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5768585
125450377 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Aim Past glacial climate cycles have generated lineage diversity in alpine
habitats, acting as a climate-driven species pump. It is not clear how
much this process contributes to ecological diversification of alpine
species. To examine this problem, we test patterns of genetic and
phenotypic divergence in two co-distributed species complexes of
flightless alpine ground beetles. Greater differentiation in
ecologically-important functional traits would indicate that ecological
selection is an outcome of oscillating climate change, whereas greater
differentiation in non-ecological traits would indicate niche
conservatism. Location The Cascades Range and Trinity Mountains of western
North America. Taxon Members of the Nebria paradisi and N. vandykei
species complexes (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Nebriinae) Methods We
generated genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data and
mitochondrial sequence data, as well as morphological and physiological
data, to compare populations spanning the range of both species.
Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses were used to infer the
relationships among taxa and populations within each species complex, as
well as historical population demography. Support vector machines were
used to test for classification of taxa and populations based on
ecomorphological, ecophysiological, and male reproductive traits. Mantel
tests were then used to assess statistical associations between phenotypic
and genetic divergence among populations. Results The N. vandykei and N.
paradisi species complexes are each comprised of genetically distinctive
populations exhibiting long-term demographic declines. Each phylogeny
supports multiple monophyletic groups with geographical cohesion. By
examining phenotypic traits among populations in both species’ complexes,
we show that reproductive trait divergence can discriminate species and
population status more effectively than ecomorphological or
ecophysiological traits. Reproductive and genetic divergence are
significantly correlated in the N. vandykei species complex. Main
Conclusions We found limited evidence of ecological selection acting on
functional traits. Instead, reproductive and genetic divergence evolved
among isolated populations in both species complexes, suggesting niche
conservatism may be a common outcome in alpine species diversification.