Sky island species divergence shaped by the intersects of ecology and climate change

Background/Question/Methods

Most species we study today have been subject to periods of rapid climate change of differing severity at some point in their past. The impact of rapid climate change, and specifically, its genetic consequences have been studied at large geographic scales (e.g., comparisons between low and high latitudes).  In contrast, we have a limited understanding of the genetic consequences of rapid climate change for taxa within local communities beyond simply describing patterns of genetic variation within and between populations. Yet, such information about how climate change impacts species divergence is essential for understanding whypatterns of genetic variation differs across a landscape and varies among species.

Results/Conclusions

Such insights into the processes structuring genetic variation are especially important in topographically complex and historically dynamic regions that experienced repeated bouts of rapid climate change – like the Rocky Mountain sky islands. With the application of recent developments at the molecular level, as well as computational advances, what is emerging is a story of how patterns of genetic variation are shaped by an intersection of species ecology and climate change. I will review the methodologies that are propelling this promising area of research through the testing of hypotheses that accommodate differences in species-specific ecologies. By reference to two examples – results from an analysis of montane sedges from the Southern Rocky Mountains and montane grasshoppers from the Northern Rocky Mountains – I discuss how these insights are useful for understanding not only how the divergence process may differ among geographic regions, but also why members of sky island communities may respond differently to climate change.