Intraspecific niche partition without speciation: individual level web polymorphism within a single island spider population

Abstract

Early in the process of adaptive radiation, allopatric disruption of gene flow followed by ecological specialization is key for speciation; but, do adaptive radiations occur on small islands without internal geographical barriers? Island populations sometimes harbour polymorphism in ecological specializations, but its significance remains unclear. On one hand, morphs may correspond to ‘cryptic’ species. Alternatively, they could result from population, developmental or behavioural plasticity. The spider Wendilgarda galapagensis (Araneae, Theridiosomatidae) is endemic to the small Isla del Coco and unique in spinning three different web types, each corresponding to a different microhabitat. We tested whether this variation is associated with ‘cryptic’ species or intraspecific behavioural plasticity. Despite analysing 36 803 loci across 142 individuals, we found no relationship between web type and population structure, which was only weakly geographically differentiated. The same pattern holds when looking within a sampling site or considering only F st outliers. In line with genetic data, translocation experiments showed that web architecture is plastic within an individual. However, not all transitions between web types are equally probable, indicating the existence of individual preferences. Our data supports the idea that diversification on small islands might occur mainly at the behavioural level producing an intraspecific niche partition without speciation.