Sexual selection, body mass and molecular evolution interact to predict diversification in birds.
Proc Biol Sci
; 286(1899): 20190172, 2019 03 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30890097
ABSTRACT
Sexual selection is a powerful agent of evolution, driving microevolutionary changes in the genome and macroevolutionary rates of lineage diversification. The mechanisms by which sexual selection might influence macroevolution remain poorly understood. For example, sexual selection might drive positive selection for key adaptations that facilitate diversification. Furthermore, sexual selection might be a general driver of molecular evolutionary rate. We lay out some of the potential mechanisms that create a link between sexual selection and diversification, based on causal effects on other life-history traits such as body mass and the rate of molecular evolution. Birds are ideally suited for testing the importance of these relationships because of their diverse reproductive systems and the multiple evolutionary radiations that have produced their astounding modern diversity. We show that sexual selection (measured as the degree of polygyny) interacts with the rate of molecular evolution and with body mass to predict species richness at the genus level. A high degree of polygyny and rapid molecular evolution are positively associated with the net rate of diversification, with the two factors being especially important for explaining diversification in large-bodied taxa. Our findings further suggest that mutation rates underpin some of the macroevolutionary effects of sexual selection. We synthesize the existing theory on sexual selection as a force for diversity and propose avenues for exploring this association using genome data.
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Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Aves
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Peso Corporal
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Evolução Molecular
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Biodiversidade
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Preferência de Acasalamento Animal
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Biol Sci
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Austrália