Habitat choice meets thermal specialization: Competition with specialists may drive suboptimal habitat preferences in generalists.

ABSTRACT: Limited dispersal is classically considered as a prerequisite for ecological specialization to evolve, such that generalists are expected to show greater dispersal propensity compared with specialists. However, when individuals choose habitats that maximize their performance instead of dispersing randomly, theory predicts dispersal with habitat choice to evolve in specialists, while generalists should disperse more randomly. We tested whether habitat choice is associated with thermal niche specialization using microcosms of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, a species that performs active dispersal. We found that thermal specialists preferred optimal habitats as predicted by theory, a link that should make specialists more likely to track suitable conditions under environmental ch

SUBMITTER: Jacob S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6255147 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature