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Abstract
BackgroundTheory predicts that speciation can be quite rapid. Previous examples comprise a wide range of organisms such as sockeye salmon, polyploid hybrid plants, fruit flies and cichlid fishes. However, few studies have shown natural examples of rapid evolution giving rise to new species in marine environments.ResultsUsing microsatellite markers, we show the evolution of a new species of brown macroalga (Fucus radicans) in the Baltic Sea in the last 400 years, well after the formation of this brackish water body ~8–10 thousand years ago. Sympatric individuals of F. radicans and F. vesiculosus (bladder wrack) show significant reproductive isolation. Fucus radicans, which is endemic to the Baltic, is most closely related to Baltic Sea F. vesiculosus among north Atlantic populations, supporting the hypothesis of a recent divergence. Fucus radicans exhibits considerable clonal reproduction, probably induced by the extreme conditions of the Baltic. This reproductive mode is likely to have facilitated the rapid foundation of the new taxon.ConclusionThis study represents an unparalleled example of rapid speciation in a species-poor open marine ecosystem and highlights the importance of increasing our understanding on the role of these habitats in species formation. This observation also challenges presumptions that rapid speciation takes place only in hybrid plants or in relatively confined geographical places such as postglacial or crater lakes, oceanic islands or rivers.
Highlights
Theory predicts that speciation can be quite rapid
Evidence is provided from fruit flies under laboratory conditions [9], from homoploid and polyploid hybrid plants [10,11] and from anadromous sockeye salmon in which some degree of reproductive isolation evolved after 13 generations [12]
Support for rapid speciation derives from the "white" sticklebacks and the evidence is consistent with a rapid species origin, the estimates of divergence time do not correspond with the glacial history of these systems [13]
Summary
Theory predicts that speciation can be quite rapid. Previous examples comprise a wide range of organisms such as sockeye salmon, polyploid hybrid plants, fruit flies and cichlid fishes. Theory predicts that speciation can happen more quickly -often called "contemporary" or "rapid evolution"-, in new or extreme environmental conditions where selection for adaptation is strong [2,4,5]. Despite these theoretical expectations, the evidence of rapid speciation is primarily limited to classical evolutionary models such as cichlid fishes in discrete geographical (page number not for citation purposes). Evidence is provided from fruit flies under laboratory conditions [9], from homoploid and polyploid hybrid plants [10,11] and from anadromous sockeye salmon in which some degree of reproductive isolation evolved after 13 generations [12]. The rapid foundation of new species in the marine environment remains to be proven
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