Transient local adaptation and source-sink dynamics in experimental populations experiencing spatially heterogeneous environments.

ABSTRACT: Local adaptation is determined by the strength of selection and the level of gene flow within heterogeneous landscapes. The presence of benign habitat can act as an evolutionary stepping stone for local adaptation to challenging environments by providing the necessary genetic variation. At the same time, migration load from benign habitats will hinder adaptation. In a community context, interspecific competition is expected to select against maladapted migrants, hence reducing migration load and facilitating adaptation. As the interplay between competition and spatial heterogeneity on the joint ecological and evolutionary dynamics of populations is poorly understood, we performed an evolutionary experiment using the herbivore spider mite Tetranychus urticae as a model. We studied the speci

SUBMITTER: Bisschop K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6599998 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature