Insights into biodiversity dynamics at the nexus of ecology and evolution are now achievable by integrating new tools, in particular (i) ecological metrics (interaction networks, maximum entropy inference) across the chronosequence to uncover community dynamics and (ii) genomic tools to understand contemporaneous microevolutionary change. Within this framework, I highlight recent insights from the island chronosequence, in particular the importance of (i) selection and genetic drift in generating diversity (ii) fusion and fission in fostering diversification and (iii) variability upon which selection can act. Here, I focus on the Hawaiian archipelago and summarize the development of ecological and evolutionary research I emphasize spiders because they have attributes allowing analysis of ecological affinities in concert with diversification.

Archipelagoes with a known geological chronology provide an opportunity to study ecological interactions over evolutionary time. Integration of these approaches has remained elusive. Research on the dynamics of biodiversity has progressed tremendously over recent years, although in two separate directions - ecological, to determine change over space at a given time, and evolutionary, to understand change over time. Gillespie, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA. Island time and the interplay between ecology and evolution in species diversificationĭepartment of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USAĪdaptive radiation, biodiversity, chronosequence, ecomorph, Hawaiian Islands, Pacific, spiders.

Adaptive radiation island chains