Hybridizing salamanders experience accelerated diversification

Patton, Austin H.; Margres, Mark J.; Epstein, Brendan; Eastman, Jon; Harmon, Luke J.; Storfer, Andrew

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-63378-w

Cited by 27 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 109 publications

(144 reference statements)

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“…On the one hand, hybridization can serve as a source of novelty (Anderson 1953;Stebbins 1959;Lewontin and Birch 1966) through adaptive introgression of alleles across species boundaries (Pardo-Diaz et al 2012;Racimo et al 2015), by reinforcing existing reproductive barriers (Lukhtanov et al 2005), or by producing new hybrid species (Mallet 2007). This creative role for hybridization may explain observed correlations between hybridization frequency and net species diversification, as seen in salamanders and plants (Mitchell and Whitney 2021;Patton et al 2020). In contrast, and perhaps more commonly, hybridization can be a destructive force.…”

Section: Impact Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

The dynamics of introgression across an avian radiation

et al. 2021

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Hybridization and resulting introgression can play both a destructive and a creative role in the evolution of diversity. Thus, characterizing when and where introgression is most likely to occur can help us understand the causes of diversification dynamics. Here, we examine the prevalence of and variation in introgression using phylogenomic data from a large (1300+ species), geographically widespread avian group, the suboscine birds. We first examine patterns of gene tree discordance across the geographic distribution of the entire clade. We then evaluate the signal of introgression in a subset of 206 species triads using Patterson's D-statistic and test for associations between introgression signal and evolutionary, geographic, and environmental variables. We find that gene tree discordance varies across lineages and geographic regions. The signal of introgression is highest in cases where species occur in close geographic proximity and in regions with more dynamic climates since the Pleistocene. Our results highlight the potential of phylogenomic datasets for examining broad patterns of hybridization and suggest that the degree of introgression between diverging lineages might be predictable based on the setting in which they occur.

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Section: Impact Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

The dynamics of introgression across an avian radiation

et al. 2021

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“…Contemporary hybridization may facilitate Plethodontid diversification through increased speciation and decreased extinction rates (Patton et al 2020), and may be a creative strategy for rapid adaptation to novel stressors expected with climate change. It will be critical to continue monitoring hybrid populations for greater resolution of the role hybridization may play in salamanders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variation in Demographic Processes and the Potential Role of Hybridization to Future Persistence

Gade¹,

Zhao²,

Peterman³

2021

Preprint

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CONTEXTSpatial variation in life history traits plays a crucial role in the structure and dynamics of populations. The demographic responses of local populations to fine-scale habitat heterogeneity have consequences for species at a broader scale and responses vary across spatial scales. Yet, the specific nature of such relationships is unclear across taxa.OBJECTIVESWe evaluated the spatial variation in demographic traits of cryptic terrestrial salamanders across the broad scale environmental gradient of elevation (i.e. temperature) and the fine-scale gradient of stream distance (i.e. moisture).METHODSUsing a 4-years of spatial mark-recapture and count data, we implemented a spatially explicit Integrated Population Model to understand demographic rates across scales. We also investigated how hybridization, which occurs in between lungless salamanders at mid-elevations, may influence demographic rates.RESULTSWe found that high elevation animals grow faster and move more, especially far from streams likely as a result of increased temperatures. Survival was highest but recruitment rates were lowest at low elevations and significantly declined with distance to stream. We also found that hybrid animals at low elevations had higher survival probabilities.CONCLUSIONSOur study reveals nuanced spatial variation in demographic rates that differ in magnitude depending on the scale at which they are assessed. Our results also show animals exhibit demographic compensation across abiotic gradients, underscoring the need for further conservation and management efforts to implement spatially explicit and dynamic strategies to match the demographic variation of species and populations of species separated across space.

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“…In most stable hybrid zones, it is expected that selection against hybrids occurs thus reinforcing reproductive isolation (Howard, 1993;Garner et al, 2018). At the other extreme, new species may be formed as a result of hybridization (e.g., Pelophylax, Dubey et al, 2019;Vipera, Zinenko et al, 2016); these hybrid species may be unable to reproduce with their parental taxa (as seen in some teiid lizards; Reeder et al, 2002) and can significantly increase species diversity for a group (e.g., plethodontid salamanders; Patton et al, 2020). Additionally, adaptive introgression of beneficial alleles may help the receiver better adapt to local environments (Abbott et al, 2013;Bierne et al, 2013;Ma et al, 2019), reducing the possibility of extinction.…”

Section: Reproductive Isolation and Hybrid Zonesmentioning

confidence: 99%