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Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae).

Publication ,  Journal Article
Willis, CG; Hall, JC; Rubio de Casas, R; Wang, TY; Donohue, K
Published in: Annals of botany
December 2014

Dispersal and establishment ability can influence evolutionary processes such as geographic isolation, adaptive divergence and extinction probability. Through these population-level dynamics, dispersal ability may also influence macro-evolutionary processes such as species distributions and diversification. This study examined patterns of evolution of dispersal-related fruit traits, and how the evolution of these traits is correlated with shifts in geographic range size, habitat and diversification rates in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae).The phylogenetic analysis included 72 taxa sampled from across the Brassiceae and included both nuclear and chloroplast markers. Dispersal-related fruit characters were scored and climate information for each taxon was retrieved from a database. Correlations between fruit traits, seed characters, habitat, range and climate were determined, together with trait-dependent diversification rates.It was found that the evolution of traits associated with limited dispersal evolved only in association with compensatory traits that increase dispersal ability. The evolution of increased dispersal ability occurred in multiple ways through the correlated evolution of different combinations of fruit traits. The evolution of traits that increase dispersal ability was in turn associated with larger seed size, increased geographic range size and higher diversification rates.This study provides evidence that the evolution of increased dispersal ability and larger seed size, which may increase establishment ability, can also influence macro-evolutionary processes, possibly by increasing the propensity for long-distance dispersal. In particular, it may increase speciation and consequent diversification rates by increasing the likelihood of geographic and thereby reproductive isolation.

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Published In

Annals of botany

DOI

EISSN

1095-8290

ISSN

0305-7364

Publication Date

December 2014

Volume

114

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1675 / 1686

Related Subject Headings

  • Seeds
  • Seed Dispersal
  • Quantitative Trait, Heritable
  • Plant Biology & Botany
  • Phylogeny
  • Fruit
  • Climate
  • Brassicaceae
  • Biological Evolution
  • Biodiversity
 

Citation

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Willis, C. G., Hall, J. C., Rubio de Casas, R., Wang, T. Y., & Donohue, K. (2014). Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae). Annals of Botany, 114(8), 1675–1686. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu196
Willis, C. G., J. C. Hall, R. Rubio de Casas, T. Y. Wang, and K. Donohue. “Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae).Annals of Botany 114, no. 8 (December 2014): 1675–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu196.
Willis CG, Hall JC, Rubio de Casas R, Wang TY, Donohue K. Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae). Annals of botany. 2014 Dec;114(8):1675–86.
Willis, C. G., et al. “Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae).Annals of Botany, vol. 114, no. 8, Dec. 2014, pp. 1675–86. Epmc, doi:10.1093/aob/mcu196.
Willis CG, Hall JC, Rubio de Casas R, Wang TY, Donohue K. Diversification and the evolution of dispersal ability in the tribe Brassiceae (Brassicaceae). Annals of botany. 2014 Dec;114(8):1675–1686.
Journal cover image

Published In

Annals of botany

DOI

EISSN

1095-8290

ISSN

0305-7364

Publication Date

December 2014

Volume

114

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1675 / 1686

Related Subject Headings

  • Seeds
  • Seed Dispersal
  • Quantitative Trait, Heritable
  • Plant Biology & Botany
  • Phylogeny
  • Fruit
  • Climate
  • Brassicaceae
  • Biological Evolution
  • Biodiversity