Carlos Melian
Fish Ecology and Evolution, Eawag, Switzerland
Eco-evolutionary diversification dynamics
[When and where]
Most theoretical and empirical studies show speciation is a complex process involving several biological levels and spatial scales. However, building theory requires simple and testable models of speciation to infer the main mechanisms driving biodiversity patterns from the empirical observations. In this talk, I will discuss the challenges to connect simple and testable models of speciation and biodiversity dynamics with more complex and realistic ones. In the second part of the talk, as an example to join simple and testable with complex and realistic models of speciation, I will introduce a landscape genetic model based on demographic stochasticity with a speciation model that takes into account the evolution of premating incompatibility or assortative mating to map diversification rates in a spatial context. Using this model I will show that landscape structure and the intensity and directionality of gene flow strongly influence the formation of hot and cold spots of diversification and its connection to biodiversity patterns. Finally I will discuss these results in the context of the biogeography of hot and cold spots of diversification both in biological and human systems.
Invited talk Mini-symposium 4
Updated May 13, 2015, by Minus