What specific role does environmental turnover play in rapid speciation events for water beetle lineages?
Answer
It acts as a strong selective filter driving trait fixation.
When researchers observe a sharp increase in the rate at which new species appear (speciation) coinciding precisely with a known ancient geological boundary or climatic shift, this strongly indicates an environmental forcing mechanism. Environmental turnover, which includes shifts in water chemistry, temperature stability, or habitat availability, imposes immediate selective pressures. Lineages capable of rapidly adapting or fixing advantageous traits in response to these changes will see a spike in speciation, meaning the environment actively filtered which traits were successful under the new conditions.
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