Background: Many species are shifting their ranges in response to global climate change. Range expansions are
known to have profound effects on the genetic composition of populations. The evolution of dispersal during range
expansion increases invasion speed, provided that a species can adapt sufficiently fast to novel local conditions.
Genetic diversity at the expanding range border is however depleted due to iterated founder effects. The surprising
ability of colonizing species to adapt to novel conditions while being subjected to genetic bottlenecks is termed ‘the
genetic paradox of invasive species’. Mutational processes have been argued to provide an explanation for this
paradox. Mutation rates can evolve, under conditions that favor an increased rate of adaptation, by hitchhiking on
beneficial mutations through induced linkage disequilibrium. Here we argue that spatial sorting, iterated founder
events, and population structure benefit the build-up and maintenance of such linkage disequilibrium. We investigate
if the evolution of mutation rates could play a role in explaining the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’ for a sexually
reproducing species colonizing a landscape of gradually changing conditions.
Results: We use an individual-based model to show the evolutionary increase of mutation rates in sexual populations
during range expansion, in coevolution with the dispersal probability. The observed evolution of mutation rate is
adaptive and clearly advances invasion speed both through its effect on the evolution of dispersal probability, and the
evolution of local adaptation. This also occurs under a variable temperature gradient, and under the assumption of
90% lethal mutations.
Conclusions: In this study we show novel consequences of the particular genetic properties of populations under
spatial disequilibrium, i.e. the coevolution of dispersal probability and mutation rate, even in a sexual species and under
realistic spatial gradients, resulting in faster invasions. The evolution of mutation rates can therefore be added to the list
of possible explanations for the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’. We conclude that range expansions and the
evolution of mutation rates are in a positive feedback loop, with possibly far-reaching ecological consequences
concerning invasiveness and the adaptability of species to novel environmental conditions.
%0 Journal Article
%1 cobben2017evolving
%A Cobben, Marleen M. P.
%A Mitesser, Oliver
%A Kubisch, Alexander
%D 2017
%J BMC Evolutionary Biology
%K invasion mutation olivervinzenzmitesser teegroup
%N 150
%P 1-10
%R 10.1186/s12862-017-0998-8
%T Evolving mutation rate advances the invasion speed of a sexual species
%V 17
%X Background: Many species are shifting their ranges in response to global climate change. Range expansions are
known to have profound effects on the genetic composition of populations. The evolution of dispersal during range
expansion increases invasion speed, provided that a species can adapt sufficiently fast to novel local conditions.
Genetic diversity at the expanding range border is however depleted due to iterated founder effects. The surprising
ability of colonizing species to adapt to novel conditions while being subjected to genetic bottlenecks is termed ‘the
genetic paradox of invasive species’. Mutational processes have been argued to provide an explanation for this
paradox. Mutation rates can evolve, under conditions that favor an increased rate of adaptation, by hitchhiking on
beneficial mutations through induced linkage disequilibrium. Here we argue that spatial sorting, iterated founder
events, and population structure benefit the build-up and maintenance of such linkage disequilibrium. We investigate
if the evolution of mutation rates could play a role in explaining the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’ for a sexually
reproducing species colonizing a landscape of gradually changing conditions.
Results: We use an individual-based model to show the evolutionary increase of mutation rates in sexual populations
during range expansion, in coevolution with the dispersal probability. The observed evolution of mutation rate is
adaptive and clearly advances invasion speed both through its effect on the evolution of dispersal probability, and the
evolution of local adaptation. This also occurs under a variable temperature gradient, and under the assumption of
90% lethal mutations.
Conclusions: In this study we show novel consequences of the particular genetic properties of populations under
spatial disequilibrium, i.e. the coevolution of dispersal probability and mutation rate, even in a sexual species and under
realistic spatial gradients, resulting in faster invasions. The evolution of mutation rates can therefore be added to the list
of possible explanations for the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’. We conclude that range expansions and the
evolution of mutation rates are in a positive feedback loop, with possibly far-reaching ecological consequences
concerning invasiveness and the adaptability of species to novel environmental conditions.
@article{cobben2017evolving,
abstract = {Background: Many species are shifting their ranges in response to global climate change. Range expansions are
known to have profound effects on the genetic composition of populations. The evolution of dispersal during range
expansion increases invasion speed, provided that a species can adapt sufficiently fast to novel local conditions.
Genetic diversity at the expanding range border is however depleted due to iterated founder effects. The surprising
ability of colonizing species to adapt to novel conditions while being subjected to genetic bottlenecks is termed ‘the
genetic paradox of invasive species’. Mutational processes have been argued to provide an explanation for this
paradox. Mutation rates can evolve, under conditions that favor an increased rate of adaptation, by hitchhiking on
beneficial mutations through induced linkage disequilibrium. Here we argue that spatial sorting, iterated founder
events, and population structure benefit the build-up and maintenance of such linkage disequilibrium. We investigate
if the evolution of mutation rates could play a role in explaining the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’ for a sexually
reproducing species colonizing a landscape of gradually changing conditions.
Results: We use an individual-based model to show the evolutionary increase of mutation rates in sexual populations
during range expansion, in coevolution with the dispersal probability. The observed evolution of mutation rate is
adaptive and clearly advances invasion speed both through its effect on the evolution of dispersal probability, and the
evolution of local adaptation. This also occurs under a variable temperature gradient, and under the assumption of
90% lethal mutations.
Conclusions: In this study we show novel consequences of the particular genetic properties of populations under
spatial disequilibrium, i.e. the coevolution of dispersal probability and mutation rate, even in a sexual species and under
realistic spatial gradients, resulting in faster invasions. The evolution of mutation rates can therefore be added to the list
of possible explanations for the ‘genetic paradox of invasive species’. We conclude that range expansions and the
evolution of mutation rates are in a positive feedback loop, with possibly far-reaching ecological consequences
concerning invasiveness and the adaptability of species to novel environmental conditions.},
added-at = {2017-06-28T21:49:40.000+0200},
author = {Cobben, Marleen M. P. and Mitesser, Oliver and Kubisch, Alexander},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/265aa955e4a2e6a94b9cab0bdd89b5380/teegroup},
doi = {10.1186/s12862-017-0998-8},
interhash = {bb0e7553671cd0ac0c73f4725b3a7f42},
intrahash = {65aa955e4a2e6a94b9cab0bdd89b5380},
journal = {BMC Evolutionary Biology},
keywords = {invasion mutation olivervinzenzmitesser teegroup},
month = jun,
number = 150,
pages = {1-10},
timestamp = {2021-01-05T11:11:22.000+0100},
title = {Evolving mutation rate advances the invasion speed of a sexual species},
volume = 17,
year = 2017
}