Complex trait divergence contributes to environmental niche differentiation in ecological speciation of Boechera stricta.

ABSTRACT: Ecological factors may contribute to reproductive isolation if differential local adaptation causes immigrant or hybrid fitness reduction. Because local adaptation results from the interaction between natural selection and adaptive traits, it is crucial to investigate both to understand ecological speciation. Previously, we used niche modelling to identify local water availability as an environmental correlate of incipient ecological speciation between two subspecies in Boechera stricta, a close relative of Arabidopsis. Here, we performed several large-scale glasshouse experiments to investigate the divergence of various physiological, phenological and morphological traits. Although we found no significant difference in physiological traits, the Western subspecies has significantly faster

SUBMITTER: Lee CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3618598 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature