title: Large-scale diversification without genetic isolation in nematode symbionts of figs.
abstract: Diversification is commonly understood to be the divergence of phenotypes accompanying that of lineages. In contrast, alternative phenotypes arising from a single genotype are almost exclusively limited to dimorphism in nature. We report a remarkable case of macroevolutionary-scale diversification without genetic divergence. Upon colonizing the island-like microecosystem of individual figs, symbiotic nematodes of the genus Pristionchus accumulated a polyphenism with up to five discrete adult morphotypes per species. By integrating laboratory and field experiments with extensive genotyping of individuals, including the analysis of 49 genomes from a single species, we show that rapid filling of potential ecological niches is possible without diversifying selection on genotypes. This uncoupling of morphological diversification and speciation in fig-associated nematodes has resulted from a remarkable expansion of discontinuous developmental plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Vladislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Susoy
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4801-2524
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Forest Pathology Laboratory, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanzaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Chau N
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8187-1227
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rödelsperger
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Waltraud
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Röseler
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weiler
authors.affiliation: Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida-IFAS, 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8861-8678
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Giblin-Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University, 915 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Erik J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ragsdale
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004463:Ecology; D030681:Ficus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000469:parasitology*; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D009348:Nematoda / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D060047:Reproductive Isolation; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Developmental plasticity; Pristionchus; adaptive radiation; diversification; figs; genetic isolation; nematodes; predation
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