Data from: Evolution on the move: specialization on widespread resources associated with rapid range expansion in response to climate change
Data files
Nov 13, 2014 version files 100.82 KB
-
BA_hostpref_host.tetrads.txt
47.11 KB
-
Individual data_females.morphology.txt
8.48 KB
-
Individual data_males.morphology.txt
8.13 KB
-
README_for_BA_hostpref_host.tetrads.txt
987 B
-
README_for_Individual data_females.morphology.txt
1.63 KB
-
README_for_Individual data_males.morphology.txt
1.63 KB
-
README_for_Survival.txt
922 B
-
Survival.txt
31.92 KB
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 specialisation on 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 specialised, 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.