The evolution of thermal performance can constrain dispersal during range shifting

Authored by J Hillaert, J Boeye, R Stoks, D Bonte

Date Published: 2015

DOI: 10.1080/17513758.2015.1078503

Sponsors: Flanders Research Foundation

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Organisms can cope with changing temperature under climate change by either adapting to the temperature at which they perform best and/or by dispersing to more benign locations. The evolution of a new thermal niche during range shifting is, however, expected to be strongly constrained by genetic load because spatial sorting is known to induce fast evolution of dispersal. To broaden our understanding of this interaction, we studied the joint evolution of dispersal and thermal performance curves (TPCs) of a population during range shifting by applying an individual-based spatially explicit model. Always, TPCs adapted to the local thermal conditions. Remarkably, this adaptation coincided with an evolution of dispersal at the shifting range front being equally high or lower than at the trailing edge. This optimal strategy reduces genetic load and highlights that evolutionary dynamics during range shifting change when crucial traits such as dispersal and thermal performance jointly evolve.

Tags

phenotypic plasticity population Climate-change Temperature Responses Local adaptation Species ranges Changing environment Reaction norms Ectotherms