Open AccessTesting the impact of effective population size on speciation rates – a negative correlation or lack thereof in lichenized fungi
Author(s) -
JenPan Huang,
Steven D. Leavitt,
H. Thorsten Lumbsch
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-018-24120-9
Subject(s) - genetic algorithm , correlation , population , biology , population size , ecology , evolutionary biology , medicine , mathematics , environmental health , geometry
The effect of microevolutionary processes on macroevolutionary patterns, and vice versa , is an important but under-investigated question. Here we present an integrative population genetic and phylogenetic study using molecular sequence data from three lichen-forming fungal lineages to empirically test the potential correlation between effective population size – approximated by the parameter θ – and estimated speciation rates using a phylogenetic tree ( λ ). A negative association between θ and λ was supported in one lineage of lichen-forming fungi, Melanelixia (Parmeliaceae), while no significant relationships was found for two other genera within the same family, Melanohalea and Xanthoparmelia . We discuss the significance of our results and the importance of considering microevolutionary processes when studying macroevolutionary patterns.