Phylogenetic patterns and ecological determinants of adaptive radiation
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- It is well recognized that much of the biodiversity on Earth is the result of adaptive radiation, which is the process by which one biological lineage gives rise to many descendant lineages, all adapted to the various ecological roles they fill. However, it remains unclear why some lineages diversify greatly by adaptive radiation while others diversify little or not at all. The classic view is that "ecological opportunity" (where organisms find themselves in an area with abundant or under-utilized resources) allows the lineage to interact with the environment in novel ways and this promotes adaptive radiation. Here I utilize three taxonomically disparate systems (microbes, plants, and fishes) to examine patterns of diversification and identify possible ecological factors that promote or suppress adaptive radiation. In a laboratory experiment with bacteria and phage, I show that the prior evolutionary history of immigrants may determine their subsequent diversification dynamics after arrival to a new habitat. In another study, using molecular phylogenetics to investigate the rate of diversification of an adaptive radiation of flowering plants in Hawaii, I show that this radiation is among the most rapid yet studied in plants, on a per-unit-area basis, and suggest that the relative scale of habitable area available for the organisms under study is necessary to understand both the rate and the extent of diversification. Lastly, I utilize a radiation of marine fishes along the west coast of North America and show that morphological adaptations can facilitate habitat shifts leading to further evolutionary diversification not only in terrestrial and freshwater systems, but in marine systems as well, confirming the idea that general evolutionary principles apply across systems. One common theme that emerges from these studies is that the "ecological opportunity" hypothesis is supported, but that it may not fully explain diversification patterns. Overall, these studies suggest that explicit consideration of the prior evolution of immigrants, the relative scale of habitable area, and adaptive morphological shifts to novel habitats are necessary to fully understand patterns and drivers of adaptive radiation.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Knope, Matthew Leo |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Biology. |
| Primary advisor | Fukami, Tadashi, 1972- |
| Thesis advisor | Fukami, Tadashi, 1972- |
| Thesis advisor | Dirzo, Rodolfo |
| Thesis advisor | Hadly, Elizabeth Anne, 1958- |
| Thesis advisor | Watt, Ward B |
| Advisor | Dirzo, Rodolfo |
| Advisor | Hadly, Elizabeth Anne, 1958- |
| Advisor | Watt, Ward B |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Matthew Leo Knope. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Biology. |
| Thesis | Ph.D. Stanford University 2012 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2012 by Matthew Leo Knope
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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