Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-2-2012
Abstract
Background: Disruptive selection has been documented in a growing number of natural populations. Yet, its prevalence within individual systems remains unclear. Furthermore, few studies have sought to identify the ecological factors that promote disruptive selection in the wild. To address these issues, we surveyed 15 populations of Mexican spadefoot toad tadpoles, Spea multiplicata, and measured the prevalence of disruptive selection acting on resource-use phenotypes. We also evaluated the relationship between the strength of disruptive selection and the intensity of intraspecific competitionan ecological agent hypothesized to be an important driver of disruptive selection. Results: Disruptive selection was the predominant mode of quadratic selection across all populations. However, a directional component of selection favoring an extreme ecomorpha distinctive carnivore morphwas also common. Disruptive selection was strongest in populations experiencing the most intense intraspecific competition, whereas stabilizing selection was only found in populations experiencing relatively weak intraspecific competition. Conclusions: Disruptive selection can be common in natural populations. Intraspecific competition for resources may be a key driver of such selection. © 2012 Martin and Pfennig; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Keywords
competition, disruptive selection, quadratic selection, resource polymorphism, selection differential, spadefoot toad
Language
English
Publication Title
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Rights
© 2012 Martin and Pfennig; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Recommended Citation
Martin, R.A., Pfennig, D.W. Widespread disruptive selection in the wild is associated with intense resource competition. BMC Evol Biol 12, 136 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-12-136