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Is geographic variation within species related to macroevolutionary patterns between species?
Author(s) -
FisherReid M. C.,
Wiens J. J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/jeb.12670
Subject(s) - biology , variation (astronomy) , evolutionary biology , geographic variation , macroevolution , genetic algorithm , phylogenetics , genetics , gene , demography , population , physics , sociology , astrophysics
The relationship between microevolution and macroevolution is a central topic in evolutionary biology. An aspect of this relationship that remains very poorly studied in modern evolutionary biology is the relationship between within‐species geographic variation and among‐species patterns of trait variation. Here, we tested the relationship between climate and morphology among and within species in the salamander genus Plethodon . We focus on a discrete colour polymorphism (presence and absence of a red dorsal stripe) that appears to be related to climatic distributions in a common, wide‐ranging species ( Plethodon cinereus ). We find that this trait has been variable among (and possibly within) species for >40 million years. Furthermore, we find a strong relationship among species between climatic variation and within‐species morph frequencies. These between‐species patterns are similar (but not identical) to those in the broadly distributed Plethodon cinereus . Surprisingly, there are no significant climate–morphology relationships within most other polymorphic species, despite the strong between‐species patterns. Overall, our study provides an initial exploration of how within‐species geographic variation and large‐scale macroevolutionary patterns of trait variation may be related.