Evolving entities: towards a unified framework for understanding diversity at the species and higher levels

被引:47
作者
Barraclough, Timothy G. [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Imperial Coll London, Div Biol, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks, England
[2] Imperial Coll London, NERC, Ctr Populat Biol, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks, England
关键词
species; speciation; higher taxa; diversity; adaptation; ANCESTRAL CHARACTER STATES; ADAPTIVE RADIATION; DIVERSIFICATION RATES; EVOLUTIONARY RESPONSES; REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION; GENE GENEALOGIES; PLANT DIVERSITY; NEUTRAL THEORY; LARGE-SCALE; SELECTION;
D O I
10.1098/rstb.2009.0276
中图分类号
Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Current approaches to studying the evolution of biodiversity differ in their treatment of species and higher level diversity patterns. Species are regarded as the fundamental evolutionarily significant units of biodiversity, both in theory and in practice, and extensive theory explains how they originate and evolve. However, most species are still delimited using qualitative methods that only relate indirectly to the underlying theory. In contrast, higher level patterns of diversity have been subjected to rigorous quantitative study (using phylogenetics), but theory that adequately explains the observed patterns has been lacking. Most evolutionary analyses of higher level diversity patterns have considered non-equilibrium explanations based on rates of diversification (i.e. exponentially growing clades), rather than equilibrium explanations normally used at the species level and below (i.e. constant population sizes). This paper argues that species level and higher level patterns of diversity can be considered within a common framework, based on equilibrium explanations. It shows how forces normally considered in the context of speciation, namely divergent selection and geographical isolation, can generate evolutionarily significant units of diversity above the level of reproductively isolated species. Prospects for the framework to answer some unresolved questions about higher level diversity patterns are discussed.
引用
收藏
页码:1801 / 1813
页数:13
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