How the switch to hummingbird pollination has greatly contributed to our understanding of evolutionary processes

Abstract

The evolutionary switch to hummingbird pollination exemplifies complex adaptation, requiring evolutionary change in multiple component traits. Despite this complexity, diverse lineages have converged on hummingbird-adapted flowers on a relatively short evolutionary timescale. Here, I review how features of the genetic basis of adaptation contribute to this remarkable evolutionary lability. Large-effect substitutions, large mutational targets for adaptation, adaptive introgression, and concentrated architecture all contribute to the origin and maintenance of hummingbird-adapted flowers. The genetic features of adaptation are likely shaped by the ecological and geographic context of the switch to hummingbird pollination, with implications for future evolutionary trajectories.