title: Natural selection and parallel speciation in sympatric sticklebacks.
abstract: Natural selection plays a fundamental role in most theories of speciation, but empirical evidence from the wild has been lacking. Here the post-Pleistocene radiation of threespine sticklebacks was used to infer natural selection in the origin of species. Populations of sticklebacks that evolved under different ecological conditions show strong reproductive isolation, whereas populations that evolved independently under similar ecological conditions lack isolation. Speciation has proceeded in this adaptive radiation in a repeatable fashion, ultimately as a consequence of adaptation to alternative environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4 Canada. rundle@zoology.ubc.ca
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Rundle
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenrick Boughman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schluter
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001955:British Columbia; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D011336:Probability; D012098:Reproduction; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial