Walk,swim or fly? Locomotor mode predicts genetic differentiation in vertebrates |
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| Authors: | Iliana Medina Georgina M Cooke Terry J Ord |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Ecology and Evolution, Australian National University, Australia;2. School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia;3. Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia;4. Australian Museum Research Institute, Ichthyology, Sydney, NSW, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Limited dispersal is commonly used to explain differences in diversification rates. An obvious but unexplored factor affecting dispersal is the mode of locomotion used by animals. Whether individuals walk, swim or fly can dictate the type and severity of geographical barriers to dispersal, and determine the general range over which genetic differentiation might occur. We collated information on locomotion mode and genetic differentiation (FST) among vertebrate populations from over 400 published articles. Our results showed that vertebrate species that walk tend to have higher genetic differentiation among populations than species that swim or fly. Within species that swim, vertebrates in freshwater systems have higher genetic differentiation than those in marine systems, which is consistent with the higher number of species in freshwater environments. These results show that locomotion mode can impact gene flow among populations, supporting at a broad‐scale what has previously been proposed at smaller taxonomical scales. |
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| Keywords: | Dispersal
F
ST
locomotion reproductive isolation speciation vicariance |
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