Speciation Flashcards
What does Speciation involve
Involves the breakdown of mating systems between populations
Importance of speciation
Shows where biodiversity comes from –> Speciation process generates diversity
Important to understanding patterns of variation in nature
- All variation = driven by speciation
Affects of being different Species
Species = puts things on independent evolutionary paths
What is a species
Still up for debate – Some even argue if spcies are even real
Argument about species
- Some argue if species are real – argue if there is something biologically meaningful in being different species
- Species seems like an important level of biologic organization but is it really meaningful
- Argue what a species is
Is species meanigful
Species seems like an important level of biological organization BUT is it really meaningful – our other levels of linnean classification are rather artubtrary –> we know they all have to be monophyletic groups but the level at which we place socies is not objective
Species in hierachy + meaningfulness of species
We know species is part of heirachy
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We know Linean nomelcature has levels that are reflective of physiological relationships – each level shows a monophyletic cleft
Question: Is there anything special about where we designate levels acorss phylogeny – is it objective or subjective?
In mammalia where do we decide to delineate orders or family is?
Many levels of varaition to put monophyletic group in – question is - is it subjective what level of organization to put animals in to?
Dividing Order
Order is divided into families –> Had split between monophyletic groups
Why do we label things? – some of the way things are divided is obvious = put in the same monophyletic clave BUT it is also somwhat arbutrary
- Someone decided what to name things
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Arbitrary in deciding species
There is a level or artbirainess in species –> Leads to the question is there anything special in species level variation (Does the discontunity we see in nature correspond to anything meaningful?)
Does dicontunity we see in nature correspond to anything biologically meaningful (is species meaningful)
Most biologists agree that discontunity is realo and corresponds to species level class = teh differences are unique to species –> MEANS species are meaningful level of organization that requires some degree of specilization
Nature of evolution
Evolution –> Allele frequencey chnage –> IT IS CONTINOUS
Question – does this just lead to continous allelic variation across teh living world OR is discontunity a function of evolution
IF evolution is continous –> is all varaition continous and humans are just imposing that teh vraaition is discontinous???
Our answer for are species biologically meaningful?
ANSWER: YES –> Discontinuity among organisms indicates that species is biologically meaningful level of organization
NOW – if we know that species are real –> what do they reflect?
Step after knowing species are real
Can we come up with an objective concept that describes discontinuity that epxlains what a sepcies is
We know nature is full of discontinous varieties – can we come up with an objective concept of what a species is?
Species concepts vs. Species diagnostics
Related BUT different things
Species concept = idea of what species means
Class perspective on species
Focus on species of sexually reproducing organisms
WHY – explaining discontinuity in asexual lineages is rather straightforwards BUT sex and recombination homogenizes genomes
- Focus on sexual because of framework we have been using + where discontinuity ends up is harder to understand
Effect of sex
Sex and recombination homogenize genomes
- Sex and recombination breakdown and homogenize differences among groups
Mating minimizing discontinuity = harder to explain discontinuity in sexual reproducing
Explaining asexual speciation
Explaining discontinuity is rather straightfoward – because can’t come back into contact = explaining discontinuity is not hard
Species concepts
- Morphospecies concept
- Phylogenetic species concept
- Ecological Species concept
- Biologic species concept
- Genotypic clustering species concept
Morphospecies concept
Overall: Species are groups that are morphologically distinguishable
- Of see some difference in shape or size or traits = different species
Issues in Morphospecies
No one studying speciation uses this – still doesn’t mean it is not useful in some circumstances
Used to describe speciation BUT only if it is the only option
Issue = people argue over how many species there are
Example – argue over horns (if different horns means they are different species) – using morphology is difficult
Use of morphospecies
Only potentially useful for long extict organisms – used for drawing distictions when we don’t have any other information other than the size and shape of organism
Group that needs morphospecies = people dealing with extict organisms – if just have variation in fossil bodies to know if they are different species
Example – Paleotontology –> Shows issue in concepts + People argue how many species there are
Limitations of morphospecies
- Polyphenism – have the same genotypes but different morphologies
- They shouldn’t be different species but might be placed as such because look different
- Might have different body shapes – Means they are not different species just different morphs + Sexual dymorphism + developmental differences
- People argue over how many there are + using mrpholguy is hard
Phylogenetic species concept
Overall: Species are the smallest recognizable monophyletic groups in phynology
- Make phylogentic tree –> Smaller monophyletic = species level diversity
- See monophyletic group and see groups of species
***There are multiple versions of this
Example phylogenetic tree
See 7 groups of varaition = 7 species
Seems objective –> Take in genetic varaition – if evolution is about genetics then this seems useful
Problem = NOT USED OFTEN
Issue in phylogenetic species concept
Gives an Incomplete lineage story –> Part of reason why varaition in genes doesn’t always match varaition in species
- Variation in ancestrak Might get one allele in one popultion and another alleles in other popultion BUT don’t know if it will end up that way
- Ancestral vraiation is evoloving – which alelles goes to fixatino changes
Get different answer for phylogeny based on gene used = NOT objective
Example Incomplete lineage
Start – 3 types of flies
- 3 groups of drosphila with different morphs – we suspect they are different species
The phylogenetic relationship is different based on 2 different genes –> the two genes gives two answers regarding the flies relationships to each other
- Might get one answer if lookat one one gene or another – NOT reliable way to deleniate if something is the same species
Use of phylogenetics
Useful – If species do not interact with each other
Example – looking to see if they vary genetically + if they are different phylogenies from different clades)
- Look across genome regions = name 2 species in group that was thought to be one
Good if have seperation between organisms – can conclude that they are not exchanging genes BUT we do not know if they were in the same habitat if differences would break down
***Phylogeny might be the best in some cases even if not the best
Ecological species concept
Overall: Species are co-occuring organisms that occupy different niches (Adaptive zones)
- Popultions that are adapted to particular combination of resource bases, predators/parasites, and envirnmental factores in a particular place
- Organisms in the same habitat but different nuche –> Have different requirements (Ex. Different predators)
- Different set of ecological charachteristics = seperate ecological popultion = difefrent species
IDEA = comes from niche exclusion
- If niche is the same then one will go to extiction
- If niches are different = niche that dirves discontuniuty = drives species level diversity
Niche Exlusion
States that two popultions that completley overlap in niches cannot coexist in the long term
- If overlap = can’t co-occur through time
Problems in ecological species concept
- It is impossible to define a niche extrinsilcally of the popultion occupying it
- Can’t define niche without organisms that occupy –> only can define for organism that exists in that space
- Niche are not like parking spaces
- Species do drive each other to extiction due to intense competition BUT does tat mean they weren’t species to begin with
***Not used over the years
Use of Ecological species concepts
Application in asexual organisms
Used in things like prokaryotes
- Useful in some cases – shows how to miantain discontuniuty + drives discontunity in asexual organisms
Biologic species concept
Overall: Species are groups of interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups
- Discontiunity has to do with connective gamete pools of reproductive systems
IF they are exchnaging alleles THEN this is no longer the case –> no longer reproductivley indeoendent = discontinuity is harder to maintain
- If popultions are not reproducing they become evolutionary independent
Variation is discontinous because reproduction is discontinous
Ecologic + morpho + Phylogenetic species concepts
Not very useful for understanding process of speciation –> Not used by evolutionary biologists for understadning how species arise BUT they are useful when in limited situations
What does species drive
Species are meaningful levels of biologic organization that drives discontinuity in biology
Biologic + genologic species concpets
Much more used + get to the crux of what speciation is about
Biologic species Concept (Overall)
Articulated from after the modern synthesis – formed the basis of a lot of speciation reserach
Important reveleation in understanding what species are + gets to idea of how species form
Start to couple pattern + process
Why is variation discontinous according to biologic concept
Variation is discontinous because reproduction is not continous
Different species remain different because they are not exchanging genes through reproduction
Evolution in biologic species concept
The popultions are no reprodcuing with each other + no migration connecting them –> means the evolutionary forces acting ion popultions or within species are independent of each other
- Drift + migration are indepent = species are in independent evolutionary trajectories
- Forces in one popultion does not affect the other
***If popultions are not reproducing with each other they become evolutionarily independent
Closest thing we have to unified species concept
Evolutionary indepence –> closest thing we have to a unfied species concept
When we talk about discontinuity – see different groups that are evolutionarily independent – different trajectories through evolutionary time
Drawbacks to Biologic species concept
- Requires absolute complete reproductive isolation
- Species designations are alwats relative – interbreeidng popultions that are isolated from other groups
- If we are basing this on the potential for interbreeding its hard to say anything about popultions that aren’t actually in contact
Drawback #1 in BSC - Absolute reproductive isolation
In intial incarnation – people held closley that it requires absolute reproductive isolation in order for them to be considered different species and anything less is not speciation
-This is a high hurdle to set for discontinuity if it requires absolute barreiers to gene flow
- This does NOT match with what we see in nature
reproductive Isolation = Different species are incapable of prodcing fertile offspring with each other in the wild
Issue in saying BSC requires absolute reproductive isolation
Doesn’t match what we see in nature –> Hybridization is common in nature between groups that otherwise stay seperate – NOT blending together
- Real species can have hybrids + gene flow
What do we mean by evolutionary independence
Means that the evolutionary forces acting on a popultion do not have any baering on the evolutionary outcome of another popultions
Issue #2 in BSC – always relative
Species designations are always relative –> you are reproductivley isolated from ANOTHER group (not just looking at one group – looking at two groups relative to each other)
- Looking at how they are relative to each other NOT intrinsic about a group itself
Makes BSC less than satisfactory
Issue #3 in BSC – If things would be incontact with each other
One of the biggest when thinking about diagnostic –> the BSC functions poorly because it is hard to test whether things are caopable of reproducing with each other if there were in contact
- If we are looking at groups that are not interacting this is hard to determine
EVEN if do an experiment in lab –> they might not breed in the lab or they might BUT even if they do breed in the lab they might never in nature because of the nature of where they live
- Means that applying BSC in a lot of situations where people think about two things being diverged gets hard in practice
Hybridization (overall)
Pointed out in 1990s – documentaing rayes of hybridiztion in wild for organisms that we otherwise consider species (match strong discontinuity and functional evolutionary independence)
Example Hybrid
- Polar baers + grizzly baers
Example Hybrid
- Polar baers + grizzly baers
- They are very different (easy to tell apart) –> We theerfore call them different species and they mainatin discontinuity (speciation) BUT they can hybridize and their hybrids are fertile
- Seen in zoos (mate readily)
- NOT just done when in caoptivity –> happens in the wild – occuring at increased rates as climate chnage is the blending the linkes of habitats – they are pushed together into the same range and ar hybridzing at significant rates
BUT we are not seeing them collapse as one baer – still have discontinuity even though they are exchanging genes in nature
Shows: Things we think of as good species that match discontinuity and evolutionary independence can still form hybrids and do so in anture + shows that the species can be phylogenetically distant and still mate
- Ducks + geese – can find hybrids easily
- 76% of duck and geese in britain form hybrids with other spcies in nature (form fertile hybrids)
- Chicks + guinea Foul – shwos get hyrbids from things further in ohylogentics distances
- Produce hybrid offspring even though they seperated 35 million years ago
- Example = Sturgeon + American paddle fish – mate –> get hybrid offspring (don’t know if it is fertile) BUT the species have been seperated for at least 200 Million years
What do hybrids show
Shows that discontinuity can be maintained even if have some amount of gene flow
Shows: Things we think of as good species that match discontinuity and evolutionary independence can still form hybrids and do so in anture + shows that the species can be phylogenetically distant and still mate
Affect of seeing hybrids/fertile hybrids in nature
If hybrids/fertile hybrids are seen in nature –> MEANS we need to soften our view on BSC
Means we do not need absolute barriers to gene flow because we can have some amount of gene flow and discontinuity can persist
Result: Led people to make different version of BSC that softens view point
Soften view of BSC
Says that species are groups that are mostly reproductivley isolated
- Less satisfying than an objective idea of what species are
Potential outcome of hybrids
Hybrids can become own species – often occurs in plants
Biggest Issue in BSC
First idea of complete reproductive isolation = most problamatic
Complete repdouctive isolation often does not match up with the discontinuity seen in nature –> hybrids are fairly common and many are fertile YET discontinuity exists
Solution – often soften BSC to mostly reproductively isolated
Genotypic clustering species concept
Overall: Species are genetically distinguishable groups of individuals with few or no intermediates when in contact with other such groups
- Came because of rapid nature of hybrids in nature
- Thinking about organisms occupying diffrent genetic spaces
Gets close to idea of evolutionary independence
Issue in Genotypic Clustering concept
- Still relative – have to compare to another group
- Somehwat wishy/washy – “few or no”
Why are species genetically different according to GCSC
Genetic varaition that no longer overlaps between species because evolutionary forces in one popultion do not act on evolutionary forces of the other
BUT STILL the differences are mainatined in the face of some gene flow
GSCS = gets closer to idea of evolutionary independence
Migration + GCSC
Effect = to homogenize allele frequencies between populations
High migration = we are not able to maintain genetic differences –> cam’t maintain genotypic clusters unless there are other forces acting STRONGLY against migration
What does it mean if there is migration but still have discontiniuity
If there is some migration and they are not collapsing (they still have discontinuity) –> tells us that migration is not meaningful
- If popultions are able to maintain discrete genotypic space even if some reproduction is still going on migration is no longer consequential THEREFORE the popultions are evolutionarily independent
Means the two popultions are still evolving independently without needing absolutely no gene flow
- One popultion does not effect the other depsite some potential continuity
How can genotypic clusters stay intact if reproductive isolation is not absolute
Example:
Start – have two groups in two environments (in two niches within the same envirnmnet)
Start = only red + blue (no intermediates)
IF exchange some genes –> NOW have some purple
- Migration acts to hemogenize allele frequencies SO if we have exchange of genes why doesn’t migration do that?
Occurding to BSC – The purple (result of gene flow) would be sterile = they can’t make offspring = get some hybrids BUT the hybrids can’t go anywhere
BUT what if we have fertile hybrids –> They do not have to be sterile they just ahve to be lower in fitmess
- Lower fitness could be due to reproductive abvility (decrease in fecundity) –> People focused on things that deal with repdoruction because thinking about reproductive isolation as sole driving force of isolation BUT there are ways of affecting reproduction that doesn’t have to do with repdouction directley
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Instead – indiviuals could just be ecologically unfit –> could be infit in envirnment
- Example – The purple might not camoflouge as well = stands out = gets eatten
- OR Hybrids could have lower fitness because hybrid genomes are not as well adpted as parental genomes would have been
Selection of intermediates = important way we view process of speciation rather than just looking at reproduction system directley
Overall: Hybrid just needs to have low fitness –> if pruple does poorly alleles aren’t liley to spread between blue and red = popultions can stay distict
What can cause lower fitness
Lower fitness could be due to reproductive abvility (decrease in fecundity) –> People focused on things that deal with repdoruction because thinking about reproductive isolation as sole driving force of isolation BUT there are ways of affecting reproduction that doesn’t have to do with repdouction directley
Instead – indiviuals could just be ecologically unfit –> could be infit in envirnment
- Example – The purple might not camoflouge as well = stands out = gets eatten
OR Hybrids could have lower fitness because hybrid genomes are not as well adpted as parental genomes would have been
Selection on intermediates
Selection of intermediates = important way we view process of speciation rather than just looking at reproduction system directley
What do we need for two popultions to be different species if have gene flow
Hybrid just needs to have low fitness –> if pruple does poorly alleles aren’t liley to spread between blue and red = popultions can stay distict