Data from: Species radiation by niche shifts in New Zealand’s rockcresses (Pachycladon, Brassicaceae)
Simon Joly, Peter B. Hennan & Peter J. Lockhart
Adaptive radiations such as the Darwin finches in the Galapagos or the cichlid fishes from the Eastern African Great Lakes have been a constant source of inspiration for biologists and a stimulus for evolutionary thinking. A central concept behind adaptive radiation is that of evolution by niche shifts, or ecological speciation. Evidence for adaptive radiations generally requires a strong correlation between phenotypic traits and the environment. But adaptive traits are often cryptic, hence making this...