Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 283, Issue 1836, Pages -Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0691
Keywords
speciation; divergent evolution; local adaptation; Gasterosteus aculeatus; parasites
Categories
Funding
- UK Natural Environment Research Council [NE/C517525 /1]
- University of Nottingham
- NERC [NBAF010002, NBAF010001] Funding Source: UKRI
- Natural Environment Research Council [NBAF010001, NE/C517525/1, NBAF010002] Funding Source: researchfish
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Spatial variation in parasitic infections is common, and has the potential to drive population divergence and the reproductive isolation of hosts. However, despite support from theory and model laboratory systems, little strong evidence has been forthcoming from the wild. Here, we show that parasites are likely to cause reproductive isolation in the adaptive radiation of three-spined stickleback. Adjacent wild populations on the Scottish island of North Uist differ greatly and consistently in the occurrence of different parasites that have substantial effects on fitness. Laboratory-reared fish are more resistant to experimental infection by parasite species from their own population. Furthermore, hybrid backcrosses between the host populations are more resistant to parasites from the parental population to which they are more closely related. These patterns provide strong evidence that parasites can cause ecological speciation, by contributing to selection against migrants and ecologically dependent postmating isolation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available