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Interspecific Competition and Speciation in Endoparasitoids

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Abstract

Ecological speciation occurs when inherent reproductive barriers to gene flow evolve between populations as a result of divergent natural selection. Frequency dependent effects associated with intraspecific resource competition are thought to be one important source of divergent selection facilitating ecological speciation. Interspecific competition may also play an important role in promoting population divergence. Although evidence for interspecific competition in nature is ubiquitous, there is currently little empirical data supporting its role in the speciation process. Here, we discuss two general models in which interspecific competition among species can promote ecological speciation among populations within a species. In both models, interspecific competition is the source of divergent selection driving adaption to different portions of the resource distribution, generating ecological reproductive isolation from other conspecific populations. We propose that the biology of endoparasitoids that attack phytophagous insects make model systems for studying the role of interspecific competition in ecological speciation. We describe details for one such system, the community of endoparasitic braconid wasps attacking Rhagoletis fruit flies, as a potential model for investigating competitive speciation. We conclude by hypothesizing that a model in which interspecific competition forces an inferior competitor to alternative fly hosts may be a common theme contributing to parasitoid diversification in the Rhagoletis-parasitoid system.

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Acknowledgments

GRH would like to thank P. Morton for continuous support and SPE would like to thank J. L. Greene for permanent support. JLF and GRH would like to thank Mazatlan in Pendleton, OR. Funding was provided by NSF and USDA grants awarded to JLF and The Entomological Society of America, Sigma Xi and The Indiana Academy of Science grants awarded to GRH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA

    Glen R. Hood, Scott P. Egan & Jeffrey L. Feder

  2. Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA

    Scott P. Egan

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  1. Glen R. Hood
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  2. Scott P. Egan
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  3. Jeffrey L. Feder
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Correspondence to Glen R. Hood.

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Hood, G.R., Egan, S.P. & Feder, J.L. Interspecific Competition and Speciation in Endoparasitoids. Evol Biol 39, 219–230 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-012-9182-7

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