Rapid adaptation to invasive predators overwhelms natural gradients of intraspecific variation
Abstract
Invasive predators can exert strong selection on native populations. If selection is strong enough, populations could lose the phenotypic variation caused by adaptation to heterogeneous environments. We compare frog tadpoles prior to and 14 years following invasion by crayfish. Prior to the invasion, populations differed in their intrinsic developmental rate, with tadpoles from cold areas reaching metamorphosis sooner than those from warm areas. Following the invasion, tadpoles from invaded populations develop faster than those from non-invaded populations. This ontogenetic shift overwhelmed the intraspecific variation between populations in a few generations, to the point where invaded populations develop at a similar rate regardless of climate. Rapid development can have costs, as fast-developing froglets have a smaller body size and poorer jumping performance, but compensatory growth counteracts some costs of development acceleration. Strong selection by invasive species can disrupt local adaptations by dampening intraspecific phenotypic variation, with complex consequences on lifetime fitness.
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BibTeX
@article{melotto2026rapid,
title = {{Rapid adaptation to invasive predators overwhelms natural gradients of intraspecific variation}},
author = {Andrea Melotto and Raoul Manenti and Gentile Francesco Ficetola},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-17406-y},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-04893057v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rapid adaptation to invasive predators overwhelms natural gradients of intraspecific variation
AU - Andrea Melotto
AU - Raoul Manenti
AU - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-020-17406-y
UR - https://hal.science/hal-04893057v1
AB - Invasive predators can exert strong selection on native populations. If selection is strong enough, populations could lose the phenotypic variation caused by adaptation to heterogeneous environments. We compare frog tadpoles prior to and 14 years following invasion by crayfish. Prior to the invasion, populations differed in their intrinsic developmental rate, with tadpoles from cold areas reaching metamorphosis sooner than those from warm areas. Following the invasion, tadpoles from invaded populations develop faster than those from non-invaded populations. This ontogenetic shift overwhelmed the intraspecific variation between populations in a few generations, to the point where invaded populations develop at a similar rate regardless of climate. Rapid development can have costs, as fast-developing froglets have a smaller body size and poorer jumping performance, but compensatory growth counteracts some costs of development acceleration. Strong selection by invasive species can disrupt local adaptations by dampening intraspecific phenotypic variation, with complex consequences on lifetime fitness.
SN - 2041-1723
SN - 2041-1723
ER -