Premium
Local selection modifies phenotypic divergence among Rana temporaria populations in the presence of gene flow
Author(s) -
RICHTERBOIX ALEX,
TEPLITSKY CÉLINE,
ROGELL BJÖRN,
LAURILA ANSSI
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04502.x
Subject(s) - biology , local adaptation , adaptation (eye) , gene flow , natural selection , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , phenotypic plasticity , genetic drift , selection (genetic algorithm) , ectotherm , ecology , genetics , gene , population , demography , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
In ectotherms, variation in life history traits among populations is common and suggests local adaptation. However, geographic variation itself is not a proof for local adaptation, as genetic drift and gene flow may also shape patterns of quantitative variation. We studied local and regional variation in means and phenotypic plasticity of larval life history traits in the common frog Rana temporaria using six populations from central Sweden, breeding in either open‐canopy or partially closed‐canopy ponds. To separate local adaptation from genetic drift, we compared differentiation in quantitative genetic traits ( Q ST ) obtained from a common garden experiment with differentiation in presumably neutral microsatellite markers ( F ST ). We found that R. temporaria populations differ in means and plasticities of life history traits in different temperatures at local, and in F ST at regional scale. Comparisons of differentiation in quantitative traits and in molecular markers suggested that natural selection was responsible for the divergence in growth and development rates as well as in temperature‐induced plasticity, indicating local adaptation. However, at low temperature, the role of genetic drift could not be separated from selection. Phenotypes were correlated with forest canopy closure, but not with geographical or genetic distance. These results indicate that local adaptation can evolve in the presence of ongoing gene flow among the populations, and that natural selection is strong in this system.