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Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Ferris, KG; Sexton, JP; Willis, JH
Published in: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
August 2014

Speciation can occur on both large and small geographical scales. In plants, local speciation, where small populations split off from a large-ranged progenitor species, is thought to be the dominant mode, yet there are still few examples to verify speciation has occurred in this manner. A recently described morphological species in the yellow monkey flowers, Mimulus filicifolius, is an excellent candidate for local speciation because of its highly restricted geographical range. Mimulus filicifolius was formerly identified as a population of M. laciniatus due to similar lobed leaf morphology and rocky outcrop habitat. To investigate whether M. filicifolius is genetically divergent and reproductively isolated from M. laciniatus, we examined patterns of genetic diversity in ten nuclear and eight microsatellite loci, and hybrid fertility in M. filicifolius and its purported close relatives: M. laciniatus, M. guttatus and M. nasutus. We found that M. filicifolius is genetically divergent from the other species and strongly reproductively isolated from M. laciniatus. We conclude that M. filicifolius is an independent rock outcrop specialist despite being morphologically and ecologically similar to M. laciniatus, and that its small geographical range nested within other wide-ranging members of the M. guttatus species complex is consistent with local speciation.

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Published In

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences

DOI

EISSN

1471-2970

ISSN

0962-8436

Publication Date

August 2014

Volume

369

Issue

1648

Start / End Page

20140001

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Reproductive Isolation
  • Reproduction
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Plant Dispersal
  • Mimulus
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Hybridization, Genetic
  • Geography
 

Citation

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Ferris, K. G., Sexton, J. P., & Willis, J. H. (2014). Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 369(1648), 20140001. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0001
Ferris, Kathleen G., Jason P. Sexton, and John H. Willis. “Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 369, no. 1648 (August 2014): 20140001. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0001.
Ferris KG, Sexton JP, Willis JH. Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological sciences. 2014 Aug;369(1648):20140001.
Ferris, Kathleen G., et al. “Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, vol. 369, no. 1648, Aug. 2014, p. 20140001. Epmc, doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0001.
Ferris KG, Sexton JP, Willis JH. Speciation on a local geographic scale: the evolution of a rare rock outcrop specialist in Mimulus. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological sciences. 2014 Aug;369(1648):20140001.
Journal cover image

Published In

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences

DOI

EISSN

1471-2970

ISSN

0962-8436

Publication Date

August 2014

Volume

369

Issue

1648

Start / End Page

20140001

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Reproductive Isolation
  • Reproduction
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Plant Dispersal
  • Mimulus
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Hybridization, Genetic
  • Geography