Data from: Hierarchical structure of ecological and non-ecological processes of differentiation shaped ongoing gastropod radiation in the Malawi Basin

Ecological processes, non-ecological processes or a combination of both may cause reproductive isolation and speciation, but their specific roles and potentially complex interactions in evolutionary radiations remain poorly understood, which defines a central knowledge gap at the interface of microevolution and macroevolution. Here I examine genome scans in combination with phenotypic and environmental data to disentangle how ecological and non-ecological processes contributed to population differentiation and speciation in an ongoing radiation of Lanistes gastropods from the Malawi Basin. I found a remarkable hierarchical structure of differentiation mechanisms in space and time: neutral and mutation-order processes are older and occur mainly between regions, whereas more recent adaptive processes are the main driver of genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation within regions. The strongest differentiation occurs between habitats and between regions, i.e. when ecological and non-ecological processes act synergistically. The structured occurrence of these processes based on the specific geographic setting and ecological opportunities strongly influenced the potential for evolutionary radiation. The results highlight the importance of interactions between various mechanisms of differentiation in evolutionary radiations, and suggest that non-ecological processes are important in adaptive radiations, including those of cichlids. Insight into such interactions is critical to understanding large-scale patterns of organismal diversity.生态过程、非生态过程，或二者的共同作用，均可导致生殖隔离（reproductive isolation）与物种形成（speciation），但二者在进化辐射（evolutionary radiation）中的具体作用及潜在的复杂相互作用仍未得到充分阐释，这构成了微观进化（microevolution）与宏观进化（macroevolution）交叉领域的核心知识空白。本研究整合基因组扫描（genome scans）、表型数据（phenotypic data）与环境数据，旨在厘清马拉维盆地（Malawi Basin）中处于持续辐射演化中的瓶螺属（Lanistes）腹足类，其种群分化与物种形成过程中生态与非生态过程的具体作用机制。本研究发现了分化机制在时空维度上的显著层级结构：中性过程与突变-顺序过程更为古老，主要发生于区域之间；而较晚出现的适应性过程则是区域内遗传分化与生殖隔离的主要驱动因素。最显著的分化发生于生境之间与区域之间，即当生态过程与非生态过程协同发挥作用时。基于特定地理背景与生态机遇的这些过程的结构化分布，极大地影响了进化辐射的潜能。本研究结果凸显了进化辐射中多种分化机制间相互作用的重要性，并表明非生态过程在适应性辐射（adaptive radiation）中具有关键作用，包括慈鲷（cichlids）的适应性辐射。深入解析此类相互作用，对于理解生物多样性的宏观分布格局至关重要。