RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Kin competition accelerates experimental range expansion in an arthropod herbivore
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 150011
DO 10.1101/150011
A1 Katrien Van Petegem
A1 Felix Moerman
A1 Maxime Dahirel
A1 Emanuel A. Fronhofer
A1 Martijn L. Vandegehuchte
A1 Thomas Van Leeuwen
A1 Nicky Wybouw
A1 Robby Stoks
A1 Dries Bonte
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/10/27/150011.abstract
AB With ongoing global change, life is continuously forced to move to novel areas, which leads to dynamically changing species ranges. As dispersal is central to range dynamics, factors promoting fast and distant dispersal are key to understanding and predicting species ranges. During range expansions, genetic variation is depleted at the expanding front. Such conditions should reduce evolutionary potential, while increasing kin competition. Organisms able to recognise relatives may be able to assess increased levels of relatedness at expanding range margins and to increase their dispersal in a plastic manner. Using individual-based simulations and experimental range expansions of a spider mite, we demonstrate that plastic responses to kin structure can be at least as important as evolution in driving range expansion speed. Because recognition of kin or kind is increasingly documented across the tree of life, we anticipate it to be a highly important but neglected driver of range expansions.