Journal article
May the (selective) force be with you: Spatial sorting and natural selection exert opposing forces on limb length in an invasive amphibian
Gregory S Clarke, Richard Shine, Benjamin L Phillips
Journal of Evolutionary Biology | WILEY | Published : 2019
DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13504
Abstract
Spatial sorting on invasion fronts drives the evolution of dispersive phenotypes, and in doing so can push phenotypes in the opposite direction to natural selection. The invasion of cane toads (Rhinella marina) through tropical Australia has accelerated over recent decades because of the accumulation of dispersal-enhancing traits at the invasion front, driven by spatial sorting. One such trait is the length of the forelimbs: invasion-front toads have longer arms (relative to body length) in comparison with populations 10-20 years after invasion. Such a shift likely has fitness consequences: an increase of forearm length would decrease the strength with which a male could cling to a female du..
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Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
Australian Research Council, Grant/Award Number: FT120100074 and FT160100198