Sexual selection, speciation and constraints on geographical range overlap in birds
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Cooney, CR
Tobias, JA
Weir, JT
Botero, CA
Seddon, N
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The role of sexual selection as a driver of speciation remains unresolved, not least because we lack a clear empirical understanding of its influence on different phases of the speciation process. Here, using data from 1306 recent avian speciation events, we show that plumage dichromatism (a proxy for sexual selection) does not predict diversification rates, but instead explains the rate at which young lineages achieve geographical range overlap. Importantly, this effect is only significant when range overlap is narrow (< 20%). These findings are consistent with a ‘differential fusion’ model wherein sexual selection reduces rates of fusion among lineages undergoing secondary contact, facilitating parapatry or limited co-existence, whereas more extensive sympatry is contingent on additional factors such as ecological differentiation. Our results provide a more mechanistic explanation for why sexual selection appears to drive early stages of speciation while playing a seemingly limited role in determining broad-scale patterns of diversification.
Date Issued
2017-05-16
Date Acceptance
2017-04-03
Citation
Ecology Letters, 2017, 20 (7), pp.863-871
ISSN
1461-023X
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
863
End Page
871
Journal / Book Title
Ecology Letters
Volume
20
Issue
7
Copyright Statement
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS. This is the accepted version of the following article: Cooney, C. R., Tobias, J. A., Weir, J. T., Botero, C. A. and Seddon, N. (2017), Sexual selection, speciation and constraints on geographical range overlap in birds. Ecol Lett, 20: 863–871, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.12780
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Ecology
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Differential fusion
plumage dichromatism
sexual selection
speciation
species co-existence
sympatry
SPECIES RICHNESS
LATITUDINAL GRADIENT
EXTINCTION RATES
LIFE-HISTORY
BODY-SIZE
EVOLUTION
PATTERNS
DIVERSIFICATION
SYMPATRY
ECOLOGY
Publication Status
Published