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Niche expansion leads to small-scale adaptive divergence along an elevation gradient in a medium-sized passerine bird.

ABSTRACT: Niche expansion can lead to adaptive differentiation and speciation, but there are few examples from contemporary niche expansions about how this process is initiated. We assess the consequences of a niche expansion by Mexican jays (Aphelocoma ultramarina) along an elevation gradient. We predicted that jays at high elevation would have straighter bills adapted to feeding on pine cones, whereas jays at low elevation would have hooked bills adapted to feeding on acorns. We measured morphological and genetic variation of 95 adult jays and found significant differences in hook length between elevations in accordance with predictions, a pattern corroborated by analysis at the regional scale. Genetic results from microsatellite and mtDNA variation support phenotypic differentiation in the presence of gene flow coupled with weak, but detectable genetic differentiation between high- and low-elevation populations. These results demonstrate that niche expansion can lead to adaptive divergence despite gene flow between parapatric populations along an elevation gradient, providing information on a key precursor to ecological speciation.

SUBMITTER: McCormack JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2603212 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Niche expansion leads to small-scale adaptive divergence along an elevation gradient in a medium-sized passerine bird.

McCormack John E JE Smith Thomas B TB

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20080901 1647

Niche expansion can lead to adaptive differentiation and speciation, but there are few examples from contemporary niche expansions about how this process is initiated. We assess the consequences of a niche expansion by Mexican jays (Aphelocoma ultramarina) along an elevation gradient. We predicted that jays at high elevation would have straighter bills adapted to feeding on pine cones, whereas jays at low elevation would have hooked bills adapted to feeding on acorns. We measured morphological a ...[more]

PMID: 18544512

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Project description:BackgroundEmpirical field studies allow us to view how ecological and environmental processes shape the biodiversity of our planet, but collecting samples in situ creates inherent challenges. The majority of empirical vertebrate gut microbiome research compares multiple host species against abiotic and biotic factors, increasing the potential for confounding environmental variables. To minimize these confounding factors, we focus on a single species of passerine bird found throughout the geologically complex island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. We assessed the effects of two environmental factors, geographic Areas of Endemism (AOEs) and elevation, as well as host sex on the gut microbiota assemblages of the Sulawesi Babbler, Pellorneum celebense, from three different mountains across the island. Using cloacal swabs, high-throughput-amplicon sequencing, and multiple statistical models, we identified the core microbiome and determined the signal of these three factors on microbial composition.ResultsThe five most prevalent bacterial phyla within the gut microbiome of P. celebense were Proteobacteria (32.6%), Actinobacteria (25.2%), Firmicutes (22.1%), Bacteroidetes (8.7%), and Plantomycetes (2.6%). These results are similar to those identified in prior studies of passeriform microbiomes. Overall, microbiota diversity decreased as elevation increased, irrespective of sex or AOE. A single ASV of Clostridium was enriched in higher elevation samples, while lower elevation samples were enriched with the genera Perlucidibaca (Family Moraxellaceae), Lachnoclostridium (Family Lachnospiraceae), and an unidentified species in the Family Pseudonocardiaceae.ConclusionsWhile the core microbiota families recovered here are consistent with other passerine studies, the decreases in diversity as elevation increases has only been seen in non-avian hosts. Additionally, the increased abundance of Clostridium at high elevations suggests a potential microbial response to lower oxygen levels. This study emphasizes the importance of incorporating multiple statistical models and abiotic factors such as elevation in empirical microbiome research, and is the first to describe an avian gut microbiome from the island of Sulawesi.

Dataset Information

Niche expansion leads to small-scale adaptive divergence along an elevation gradient in a medium-sized passerine bird.

Publications

Niche expansion leads to small-scale adaptive divergence along an elevation gradient in a medium-sized passerine bird.

Similar Datasets

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