Divergent selection along elevational gradients promotes genetic and phenotypic disparities among small mammal populations.

ABSTRACT: Species distributed along mountain slopes, facing contrasting habitats in short geographic scale, are of particular interest to test how ecologically based divergent selection promotes phenotypic and genetic disparities as well as to assess isolation-by-environment mechanisms. Here, we conduct the first broad comparative study of phenotypic variation along elevational gradients, integrating a large array of ecological predictors and disentangling population genetic driver processes. The skull form of nine ecologically distinct species distributed over a large altitudinal range (100-4200 m) was compared to assess whether phenotypic divergence is a common phenomenon in small mammals and whether it shows parallel patterns. We also investigated the relative contribution of biotic (competition

SUBMITTER: Feijo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6662404 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature