A study about the detection of ecological speciation by NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellow Xavier Thibert-Plante and McGill University Associate Professor Andrew Hendry has been selected by Faculty of 1000 Biology, a prestigious online research service that highlights the most interesting papers published in the biological sciences as recommended by distinguished faculty members.
The study, When can ecological speciation be detected with neutral loci?, published in Molecular Ecology in June 2010 and selected by Faculty of 1000 in August, addresses the inconsistencies in measuring ecological speciation.
Thibert-Plante and Hendry used individual-based numerical simulations that focused on how population divergence at neutral loci varies in relation to recombination rate to a selected locus, strength of divergent selection at that selected locus, migration rate and population size.
Their findings have supplied insight into the value of using neutral markers to infer ecological speciation in natural systems, and will aid future interpretation of empirical studies.
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