Rates of molecular evolution in tree ferns are associated with body size, environmental temperature, and biological productivity

Barrera-Redondo, Josue; Ramirez-Barahona, Santiago; Eguiarte, Luis E.

Abstract

Variation in rates of molecular evolution (heterotachy) is a common phenomenon among plants. Although multiple theoretical models have been proposed, fundamental questions remain regarding the combined effects of ecological and morphological traits on rate heterogeneity. Here, we used tree ferns to explore the correlation between rates of molecular evolution in chloroplast DNA sequences and several morphological and environmental factors within a Bayesian framework. We revealed direct and indirect effects of body size, biological productivity, and temperature on substitution rates, where smaller tree ferns living in warmer and less productive environments tend to have faster rates of molecular evolution. In addition, we found that variation in the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) in the chloroplast rbcL gene was significantly correlated with ecological and morphological variables. Heterotachy in tree ferns may be influenced by effective population size associated with variation in body size and productivity. Macroevolutionary hypotheses should go beyond explaining heterotachy in terms of mutation rates and instead, should integrate population-level factors to better understand the processes affecting the tempo of evolution at the molecular level.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000431989400003 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: EVOLUTION
Volumen: 72
Número: 5
Editorial: Wiley
Fecha de publicación: 2018
Página de inicio: 1050
Página final: 1062
DOI:

10.1111/evo.13475

Notas: ISI