Unifying Theories of Molecular, Community and Network Evolution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified graph-based framework to study molecular, community, and network evolution, revealing how genetic and ecological factors differently influence diversification and coexistence.

Contribution

It develops evolutionary graphs that integrate molecular and ecological theories, providing new insights into speciation rates and diversity dynamics across biological levels.

Findings

Neutral evolution leads to the highest speciation speed.

Species richness is significantly higher in neutral models.

Genetic and species diversities vary depending on evolutionary drivers.

Abstract

The origin of diversification and coexistence of genes and species have been traditionally studied in isolated biological levels. Ecological and evolutionary views have focused on the mechanisms that enable or constrain species coexistence, genetic variation and the genetics of speciation, but a unified theory linking those approaches is still missing. Here we introduce evolutionary graphs in the context of neutral theories of molecular evolution and biodiversity to provide a framework that simultaneously addresses speciation rate and joint genetic and species diversities. To illuminate this question we also study two models of evolution on graphs with fitness differences, which provide insights on how genetic and ecological dynamics drive the speed of diversification. Neutral evolution generates the highest speed of speciation, species richness (i.e. five times and twice as many species as compared to genetic and ecological graphs, respectively) and genetic--species diversity (i.e., twice as many as genetic and ecological graphs, respectively). Thus the speed of speciation, the genetic--species diversity and coexistence can differ dramatically depending on whether genetic factors versus ecological factors drive the evolution of the system. By linking molecular, sexual and trophic behavior at ecological and evolutionary scales, interacting graphs can illuminate the origin and evolution of diversity and organismal coexistence.