40 Years of Evolution: Darwin's Finches on Daphne Major Island
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Overview
Renowned evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have produced landmark studies of the Galápagos finches first made famous by Charles Darwin. In How and Why Species Multiply, they offered a complete evolutionary history of Darwin's finches since their origin almost three million years ago. Now, in their richly illustrated new book, 40 Years of Evolution, the authors turn their attention to events taking place on a contemporary scale. By continuously tracking finch populations over a period of four decades, they uncover the causes and consequences of significant events leading to evolutionary changes in species.
The authors used a vast and unparalleled range of ecological, behavioral, and genetic data—including song recordings, DNA analyses, and feeding and breeding behavior—to measure changes in finch populations on the small island of Daphne Major in the Galápagos archipelago. They find that natural selection happens repeatedly, that finches hybridize and exchange genes rarely, and that they compete for scarce food in times of drought, with the remarkable result that the finch populations today differ significantly in average beak size and shape from those of forty years ago. The authors' most spectacular discovery is the initiation and establishment of a new lineage that now behaves as a new species, differing from others in size, song, and other characteristics. The authors emphasize the immeasurable value of continuous long-term studies of natural populations and of critical opportunities for detecting and understanding rare but significant events.
By following the fates of finches for several generations, 40 Years of Evolution offers unparalleled insights into ecological and evolutionary changes in natural environments.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691160467 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Publication date: | 04/06/2014 |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations xvii
List of Tables xxiii
List of Boxes xxv
Preface xxvii
Part 1 Early Problems, Early Solutions 1
1 Speciation, Adaptive Radiation, and Evolution 3
Introduction 3
Adaptive Radiation of Darwin's Finches 4
Species and Speciation 9
Daphne 10
Evolution Observed 12
Chapters of the Book 15
Summary 16
2 Daphne Finches: A Question of Size 17
Introduction 17
Testing the Hypothesis 21
Availability Of Food 22
Diets of G. Fortis and G. Fuliginosa 22
Differences in Seed Supply 27
G. Fuliginosa On Los Hermanos 28
Association between Beak Size and Diet 30
Adaptive Landscapes 30
Can G. scandens Be Ignored? 35
Why Is G. fuliginosa Absent? 37
Discussion 39
Summary 39
3 Heritable Variation 41
Introduction 41
Estimating Heritable Variation 43
Heritable Variation 44
Potential Biases 46
Extra-Pair Paternity 46
Misidentified Paternity 47
Maternal Effects 47
Genotype X Environment Correlation 48
Conclusions on Bias 49
Heritabilities: A Comparison of Species 49
Summary 53
4 Natural Selection and Evolution 55
Introduction 55
Expectations 56
Natural Selection 57
Causes of Selective Mortality 59
The Targets of Selection 61
Evolution in Response to Selection 62
Selection Occurs Repeatedly 63
Selection Oscillates in Direction 67
Evolutionary Response 73
Selection in Opposite Directions 74
Conclusions 75
Summary 75
5 Breeding Ecology and Fitness 77
Introduction 77
Basic Breeding Biology 78
Annual Variation in Reproduction in 81 Relation to Rain 81
Predicting Reproductive Success 87
The Cohorts of 1975 87
Four Later Cohorts 89
The Contribution of Morphology to Fitness 90
The Contribution of Offspring to Parental Fitness 93
Longevity 93
Inbreeding 96
Variation in Fitness 97
Discussion 99
Summary 100
Part 2 Developing a Long-Term Perspective 101
6 A Potential Competitor Arrives on Daphne 103
Introduction 103
Founder Event 105
Causes 105
First Few Generations 106
Inbreeding 107
Fitness Costs of Inbreeding 107
Immigration 108
Selection 109
Genetic Diversity 111
Losses and Gains of Alleles 112
The Source of Immigrants 112
Nonrandom Colonization 115
Song 115
Colonization Success 117
Summary 119
7 Competition and Character Displacement 122
Introduction 122
Competition and Diet Overlap 123
Effects of Competition on Survival 123
Character Displacement 125
Strength of Selection 128
The Causal Role of G. Magnirostris 129
High impact on food supply 130
Superior feeding efficiency on shared component of the diet 130
Parallel decline due to starvation 130
Key difference between 1977 and 2004 132
Evolution of a Displaced Character 132
G. Fortis and Scandens Compared 133
Some Implications 134
Summary 136
8 Hybridization 138
Introduction 138
Background 139
Frequency of Hybridization 141
Causes of Hybridization 141
A Scarcity of Conspecific Mates 141
Imprinting 143
Song Inheritance 143
Perturbation of Imprinting 149
G. Magnirostris 153
Fitness Consequences of Hybridization 156
Viability 156
Fertility 160
Overall Fitness 160
The Mating Pattern of Hybrids 163
Conclusions 164
Summary 165
9 Variation and Introgression 166
Introduction 166
Morphology of Hybrids 169
Effects of Hybridization on Variation 169
Comparison of G. Fortis and G. Scandens 171
Conspecific Gene Flow 174
Hybridization versus Mutation 174
Correlations 176
Evolutionary Potential 177
Discussion 178
Summary 179
Part 3 Hybridization and Speciation 181
10 Long-Term Trends in Hybridization 183
Introduction 183
A Question of Identity 184
Blurring of Genetic Distinctions 185
Blurring of Morphological Distinctions 188
Morphological Convergence 190
Frequencies of Hybrids 191
Morphological Variation 192
Allometry 194
Genetic Convergence 196
Two Species or One? 199
Plumage and Behavior 201
Discussion 201
Summary 204
11 Long-Term Trends in Natural Selection 205
Introduction 205
Selection 207
G. Fortis 207
G. Scandbns 207
Ecological Causes 207
Stabilizing Selection 211
Morphological Trends 211
G. Fortis 211
G. Scandens 213
G. Magnirostris 216
The Possible Role of Selection on G. Magnirostris 219
Immigration 223
The Cause of the Beak-Size Trend 224
Allometry of Means 224
Natural and Artificial Selection 226
Conclusion 226
Summary 228
12 Speciation 229
Introduction 229
Morphological Transformation in Speciation 230
Species that Differ in Size 231
Species that Differ in Shape 232
Genetic Transformation in Speciation 234
Growth after Hatching 236
Rapid Tempo of Speciation 238
Interactions in Sympatry 239
A Mechanism Producing Song Divergence 241
Summary 243
13 Speciation by Introgressive Hybridization 245
Introduction 245
A Hybrid Arrives on Daphne 247
Descendants 248
Phase 1 The Start of a New Lineage 248
The phenotypic uniqueness of 5110 250
Phase II Generations 1-3 251
Phase III Endogamy and Reproductive Isolation 253
Origin of Reproductive Isolation 260
Fate of the A Line of Descent 260
Success of the Lineage So Far 263
Intrinsic Factors 263
Extrinsic Factors 265
Future Prospects 265
Summary 267
Part 4 Syntheses 269
14 The Future of Finches on Daphne 271
Introduction 271
The Past as Context of the Present 272
Merge-and-Diverge Dynamics 275
The Present as a Guide to the Future 275
Global Warming and Galapagos 276
Finch Futures 279
Means and Extremes 279
G. Fortis, Scandens, and Fuliginosa 280
G. Magnirostris 280
Hybrid Lineage 281
Invasive Plant Species and Disease 283
Genomes for the Future 284
Summary 286
15 Themes and Issues 287
Introduction 287
Speciation, Selection, and Hybridization 289
Evolution 289
Ecological Importance of Food: The Daphne Perspective 290
Behavioral Barrier to Interbreeding 291
Size and Hybridization 293
Phylogenetic Implications of Hybridization 294
Ephemerality of Species 294
Predictability and Evolvability 296
Overview 298
Summary 299
16 Generalization 300
Generalizing When N = 1 300
The Small Population Syndrome 301
The Medium Population Syndrome 302
Large Islands 303
Beyond Galapagos 304
The Specter of Extinction, the Big Unknown 306
Summary 308
17 Epilogue 310
Reflections on the Value of Long-Term Studies 310
Long-Term Dynamics of a Color Polymorphism 311
Rare Events and their Consequences 315
Changes in Perspective 316
Coda 319
Appendixes 321
Appendix 1.1 Daphne Plants 321
Appendix 1.2 Measurements of Finches 323
Appendix 1.3 Other Species of Darwin's Finches 324
Appendix 3.1 Mapping Breeding Locations 324
Appendix 3.2 Annual Changes in Measurements 324
Appendix 5.1 Extra-pair Mating 326
Appendix 5.2 Visitors and Predation 327'
Appendix 9.1 Variation and Mortality 328
Appendix 10.1 On the Dangers of Extrapolation 331
Appendix 10.2 Plumage 331
Appendix 11.1 Samples of Measurements for Selection Analyses 332
Appendix 13.1 Identification of Breeders 335
Appendix 17.1 Nestling Beak Color Polymorphism 335
Abbreviations 341
Glossary 343
References 353
Subject Index 389
What People are Saying About This
"Reading this book is like having an engaging conversation with two of the most prominent and charming field biologists of our time. Come listen to their singular adventure, unprecedented insight, and eyewitness account of evolution in action. A terrific must-read for all students of biology, from enthusiasts to experts."—Hopi E. Hoekstra, Harvard University"This masterful work summarizes four decades of research on Darwin's finches by the Grants and their many students and collaborators. The book provides an eloquent illustration of how our general understanding of evolution is advanced by a rigorous, sustained focus on a handful of species on a single island."—Joel G. Kingsolver, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill"A captivating synthesis of arguably the most important research program in evolutionary biology in the last half century. From classic work on Darwin's finches decades ago to groundbreaking new discoveries, it's all here. A must-read for any student of evolution."—Jonathan Losos, Harvard University"In this delightful and informative book, Peter and Rosemary Grant bring readers along on their four-decade voyage of discovery into the lives of Darwin's finches in the Galápagos archipelago. This is a book about evolutionary change and the origin of new species. The Grants' story—about themselves, natural history and scientific inquiry, and birds and speciation—will inspire anyone with an interest in the natural world."—Robert E. Ricklefs, University of Missouri, St. Louis"This magnificent book is about the most successful field study on evolution ever conducted—the Darwin finch project on the island of Daphne Major. There is no other book or team of researchers that tells similar stories with such fine detail and such a clear eye over an equivalent span of time. Defying comparison, 40 Years of Evolution is one for the ages."—Dolph Schluter, University of British Columbia