Evolvability predicts macroevolution under fluctuating selection
Holstad, Agnes; Voje, Kjetil L.; Opedal, Øystein Hjorthol; Bolstad, Geir Hysing; Bourg, Salome Cassandra Sarah; Hansen, Thomas Fredrik; Pelabon, Christophe
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Accepted version
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Date
2024Metadata
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- Institutt for biologi [2526]
- Publikasjoner fra CRIStin - NTNU [37703]
Abstract
Heritable variation is a prerequisite for evolutionary change, but the relevance of genetic constraints on macroevolutionary timescales is debated. By using two datasets on fossil and contemporary taxa, we show that evolutionary divergence among populations, and to a lesser extent among species, increases with microevolutionary evolvability. We evaluate and reject several hypotheses to explain this relationship and propose that an effect of evolvability on population and species divergence can be explained by the influence of genetic constraints on the ability of populations to track rapid, stationary environmental fluctuations.