Limits to species’ range: the tension between local and global adaptation

2024/04/29 by Nicholas Barton · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Genetic diversity and population structure

paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/jeb/voae052

openalex publication_date 2024/04/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

We know that heritable variation is abundant, and that selection causes all but the smallest populations to rapidly shift beyond their original trait distribution. So then, what limits the range of a species? There are physical constraints and also population genetic limits to the effectiveness of selection, ultimately set by population size. Global adaptation, where the same genotype is favoured over the whole range, is most efficient when based on a multitude of weakly selected alleles and is effective even when local demes are small, provided that there is some gene flow. In contrast, local adaptation is sensitive to gene flow and may require alleles with substantial effect. How can populations combine the advantages of large effective size with the ability to specialise into local niches? To what extent does reproductive isolation help resolve this tension? I address these questions using eco-evolutionary models of polygenic adaptation, contrasting discrete demes with continuousspace.

Citations

• Genetics in conservation management: Revised recommendations for the 50/500 rules, Red List criteria and population viability analyses
• The Nature of Limits to Natural Selection
• Mutational collapse of fitness in marginal habitats and the evolution of ecological specialisation
• Evolution of digital organisms at high mutation rates leads to survival of the flattest

Discussions

• The above paper is a classic, well worth a read. Recently, Nick Barton (2024) wrote a detailed overview of the theory of limits to adaptation, focusing on feedback between evolutionary (population gen [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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