Abstract
Speciation is the most fundamental process in generating new biodiversity but the mechanisms of speciation remains unclear. Today, speciation seems possible in the absence of physical barriers and driven by largely ecological factors at a rate that is much shorter than earlier believed (<1000 years). Hence speciation is a process that can be affected by human activities. We have described a recent and very rapid speciation event inside the Baltic Sea that offers an outstanding occasion to study speciation mechanisms and the fate of a new key-ecosystem species. The new macroalgae, Fucus radicans was formed some 400 years ago from Baltic populations of F. vesiculosus. and is already established as the dominant biotope-forming marine algae in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. We now apply for funding two PhD students (one in ecology and one in genetics) to combine genetic analyses with ecological experiments to investigate the ecological mechanisms behind speciation, and how the new species is separated from its ancestor. One important finding is that the new species has a high rate of asexual reproduction (forming clones). We will investigate if this is a consequence of the extreme environment of the Baltic Sea, and how this affect the potential for the new species to maintain genetic variation and evolvability under the forecast of a changing Baltic Sea environment. Our results will be critical for management of the Baltic Sea.
Sweden