title: Evolution on the move: specialization on widespread resources associated with rapid range expansion in response to climate change.
abstract: Generalist species and phenotypes are expected to perform best under rapid environmental change. In contrast to this view that generalists will inherit the Earth, we find that increased use of a single host plant is associated with the recent climate-driven range expansion of the UK brown argus butterfly. Field assays of female host plant preference across the UK reveal a diversity of adaptations to host plants in long-established parts of the range, whereas butterflies in recently colonized areas are more specialized, consistently preferring to lay eggs on one host plant species that is geographically widespread throughout the region of expansion, despite being locally rare. By common-garden rearing of females' offspring, we also show an increase in dispersal propensity associated with the colonization of new sites. Range expansion is therefore associated with an increase in the spatial scale of adaptation as dispersive specialists selectively spread into new regions. Major restructuring of patterns of local adaptation is likely to occur across many taxa with climate change, as lineages suited to regional colonization rather than local success emerge and expand.
authors: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, , Bristol BS8 1UD, UK, Department of Biology, University of York, , York YO10 5DD, UK, Windrush Ecology Ltd, , Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxford OX10 8BA, UK.
authors: Jon R
authors: JR
authors: Bridle
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Buckley
authors: Edward J
authors: EJ
authors: Bodsworth
authors: Chris D
authors: CD
authors: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D063147:Animal Distribution / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002080:Butterflies / Q000502:physiology*; D057231:Climate Change; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013045:Species Specificity; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: butterfly; climate change; environmental change; host plant preference; local adaptation; range expansion