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Speciation in a ring

Irwin, Darren LU ; Bensch, Staffan LU and Price, T D (2001) In Nature 409(6818). p.333-337
Abstract
The evolutionary divergence of a single species into two has never been directly observed in nature, primarily because speciation can take a long time to occur. A ring species, in which a chain of intergrading populations encircles a barrier and the terminal forms coexist without interbreeding, provides a situation in which variation in space can be used to infer variation in time(1-3). Here we reconstruct the pathway to speciation between two reproductively isolated forms of greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides). These two taxa do not interbreed in central Siberia but are connected by a long chain of intergrading populations encircling the Tibetan Plateau to the south(4). Molecular data and climatic history imply that the... (More)
The evolutionary divergence of a single species into two has never been directly observed in nature, primarily because speciation can take a long time to occur. A ring species, in which a chain of intergrading populations encircles a barrier and the terminal forms coexist without interbreeding, provides a situation in which variation in space can be used to infer variation in time(1-3). Here we reconstruct the pathway to speciation between two reproductively isolated forms of greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides). These two taxa do not interbreed in central Siberia but are connected by a long chain of intergrading populations encircling the Tibetan Plateau to the south(4). Molecular data and climatic history imply that the reproductively isolated taxa came into contact following expansions northward around the western and eastern sides of the plateau. Parallel selection pressures for increased song complexity during the northward expansions have been accompanied by divergence in song structure. Playback experiments show that the two Siberian forms do not recognize each other's songs. Our results show how gradual divergence in a trait involved in mate choice leads to the formation of new species. (Less)
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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature
volume
409
issue
6818
pages
5 pages
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:0035905801
ISSN
0028-0836
DOI
10.1038/35053059
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6fe7ed45-4e18-4133-a4ab-3fcde3bc1d2f (old id 145898)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:02:59
date last changed
2023-02-24 08:56:27
@article{6fe7ed45-4e18-4133-a4ab-3fcde3bc1d2f,
  abstract     = {{The evolutionary divergence of a single species into two has never been directly observed in nature, primarily because speciation can take a long time to occur. A ring species, in which a chain of intergrading populations encircles a barrier and the terminal forms coexist without interbreeding, provides a situation in which variation in space can be used to infer variation in time(1-3). Here we reconstruct the pathway to speciation between two reproductively isolated forms of greenish warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides). These two taxa do not interbreed in central Siberia but are connected by a long chain of intergrading populations encircling the Tibetan Plateau to the south(4). Molecular data and climatic history imply that the reproductively isolated taxa came into contact following expansions northward around the western and eastern sides of the plateau. Parallel selection pressures for increased song complexity during the northward expansions have been accompanied by divergence in song structure. Playback experiments show that the two Siberian forms do not recognize each other's songs. Our results show how gradual divergence in a trait involved in mate choice leads to the formation of new species.}},
  author       = {{Irwin, Darren and Bensch, Staffan and Price, T D}},
  issn         = {{0028-0836}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6818}},
  pages        = {{333--337}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature}},
  title        = {{Speciation in a ring}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35053059}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/35053059}},
  volume       = {{409}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}