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Did postglacial sea-level changes initiate the evolutionary divergence of a Tasmanian endemic raptor from its mainland relative?
Citation
Burridge, CP and Brown, WE and Wadley, J and Nankervis, DL and Olivier, L and Gardner, MG and Hull, C and Barbour, R and Austin, JJ, Did postglacial sea-level changes initiate the evolutionary divergence of a Tasmanian endemic raptor from its mainland relative?, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London: B, 280, (1773) Article 20132448. ISSN 0962-8452 (2013) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2013 The Royal Society
DOI: doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.2448
Abstract
Populations on continental islands are often distinguishable from mainland
conspecifics with respect to body size, appearance, behaviour or life history,
and this is often congruent with genetic patterns. It is commonly assumed that such differences developed following the complete isolation of populations by sea-level rise following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, population
divergence may predate the LGM, or marine dispersal and colonization of islands may have occurred more recently; in both cases, populations may have also diverged despite ongoing gene flow. Here, we test these alternative hypotheses for the divergence between wedge-tailed eagles from mainland Australia (Aquila audax audax) and the threatened Tasmanian subspecies (Aquila audax fleayi), based on variation at 20 microsatellite loci and mtDNA. Coalescent analyses indicate that population divergence appreciably postdates the severance of terrestrial habitat continuity and occurred without any subsequent gene flow. We infer a recent colonization of Tasmania by marine dispersal and cannot discount founder effects as the cause of differences in body size and life history. We call into question the general assumption of post-LGM marine transgression as the initiator of divergence of terrestrial lineages on continental islands and adjacent mainland, and highlight the range of alternative scenarios that should be considered.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | sea level, Last Glacial Maximum, marine dispersal, vicariance, subspecies, inbreeding depression |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Evolutionary biology |
| Research Field: | Biogeography and phylogeography |
| Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
| Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
| Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences |
| UTAS Author: | Burridge, CP (Associate Professor Christopher Burridge) |
| UTAS Author: | Nankervis, DL (Miss Danielle Nankervis) |
| ID Code: | 87982 |
| Year Published: | 2013 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 11 |
| Deposited By: | Zoology |
| Deposited On: | 2013-12-24 |
| Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
| Downloads: | 6 View Download Statistics |
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