Conservation and Convergence of Genetic Architecture in the Adaptive Radiation of Anolis Lizards
AbstractThe matrix, which quantifies the genetic architecture of traits, is often viewed as an evolutionary constraint. However, can evolve in response to selection and may also be viewed as a product of adaptive evolution. Convergent evolution of in similar environments would suggest that evolves a...
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Published in | The American naturalist Vol. 200; no. 5; p. E207 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
01.11.2022
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get more information |
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Summary: | AbstractThe
matrix, which quantifies the genetic architecture of traits, is often viewed as an evolutionary constraint. However,
can evolve in response to selection and may also be viewed as a product of adaptive evolution. Convergent evolution of
in similar environments would suggest that
evolves adaptively, but it is difficult to disentangle such effects from phylogeny. Here, we use the adaptive radiation of
lizards to ask whether convergence of
accompanies the repeated evolution of habitat specialists, or ecomorphs, across the Greater Antilles. We measured
in seven species representing three ecomorphs (trunk-crown, trunk-ground, and grass-bush). We found that the overall structure of
does not converge. Instead, the structure of
is well conserved and displays a phylogenetic signal consistent with Brownian motion. However, several elements of
showed signatures of convergence, indicating that some aspects of genetic architecture have been shaped by selection. Most notably, genetic correlations between limb traits and body traits were weaker in long-legged trunk-ground species, suggesting effects of recurrent selection on limb length. Our results demonstrate that common selection pressures may have subtle but consistent effects on the evolution of
, even as its overall structure remains conserved. |
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ISSN: | 1537-5323 |
DOI: | 10.1086/721091 |