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Castillo G, Cruz LL, Tapia-López R, Olmedo-Vicente E, Carmona D, Anaya-Lang AL, Fornoni J, Andraca-Gómez G, Valverde PL, Núñez-Farfán J. Selection mosaic exerted by specialist and generalist herbivores on chemical and physical defense of Datura stramonium. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102478. [PMID: 25051169 PMCID: PMC4106780 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection exerted by herbivores is a major force driving the evolution of plant defensive characters such as leaf trichomes or secondary metabolites. However, plant defense expression is highly variable among populations and identifying the sources of this variation remains a major challenge. Plant populations are often distributed across broad geographic ranges and are exposed to different herbivore communities, ranging from generalists (that feed on diverse plant species) to specialists (that feed on a restricted group of plants). We studied eight populations of the plant Datura stramonium usually eaten by specialist or generalist herbivores, in order to examine whether the pattern of phenotypic selection on secondary compounds (atropine and scopolamine) and a physical defense (trichome density) can explain geographic variation in these traits. Following co-evolutionary theory, we evaluated whether a more derived alkaloid (scopolamine) confers higher fitness benefits than its precursor (atropine), and whether this effect differs between specialist and generalist herbivores. Our results showed consistent directional selection in almost all populations and herbivores to reduce the concentration of atropine. The most derived alkaloid (scopolamine) was favored in only one of the populations, which is dominated by a generalist herbivore. In general, the patterns of selection support the existence of a selection mosaic and accounts for the positive correlation observed between atropine concentration and plant damage by herbivores recorded in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Castillo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Laura L. Cruz
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Rosalinda Tapia-López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Eika Olmedo-Vicente
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Diego Carmona
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Ana Luisa Anaya-Lang
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Juan Fornoni
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Guadalupe Andraca-Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Pedro L. Valverde
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, México City, Distrito Federal, México
| | - Juan Núñez-Farfán
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, México
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Albrecht J, Berens DG, Jaroszewicz B, Selva N, Brandl R, Farwig N. Correlated loss of ecosystem services in coupled mutualistic networks. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3810. [PMID: 24806612 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Networks of species interactions promote biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services. These networks have traditionally been studied in isolation, but species are commonly involved in multiple, diverse types of interaction. Therefore, whether different types of species interaction networks coupled through shared species show idiosyncratic or correlated responses to habitat degradation is unresolved. Here we study the collective response of coupled mutualistic networks of plants and their pollinators and seed dispersers to the degradation of Europe's last relict of old-growth lowland forest (Białowieża, Poland). We show that logging of old-growth forests has correlated effects on the number of partners and interactions of plants in both mutualisms, and that these effects are mediated by shifts in plant densities on logged sites. These results suggest bottom-up-controlled effects of habitat degradation on plant-animal mutualistic networks, and predict that the conversion of primary old-growth forests to secondary habitats may cause a parallel loss of multiple animal-mediated ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Albrecht
- Department of Ecology-Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Street 8, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Dana Gertrud Berens
- Department of Ecology-Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Street 8, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Bogdan Jaroszewicz
- Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Sportowa 19, PL-17-230 Białowieża, Poland
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, PL-31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Roland Brandl
- Department of Ecology-Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Street 8, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Nina Farwig
- Department of Ecology-Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Street 8, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
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53
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Juhász J, Kertész-Farkas A, Szabó D, Pongor S. Emergence of collective territorial defense in bacterial communities: horizontal gene transfer can stabilize microbiomes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95511. [PMID: 24755769 PMCID: PMC3995721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multispecies bacterial communities such as the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract can be remarkably stable and resilient even though they consist of cells and species that compete for resources and also produce a large number of antimicrobial agents. Computational modeling suggests that horizontal transfer of resistance genes may greatly contribute to the formation of stable and diverse communities capable of protecting themselves with a battery of antimicrobial agents while preserving a varied metabolic repertoire of the constituent species. In other words horizontal transfer of resistance genes makes a community compatible in terms of exoproducts and capable to maintain a varied and mature metagenome. The same property may allow microbiota to protect a host organism, or if used as a microbial therapy, to purge pathogens and restore a protective environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- János Juhász
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Kertész-Farkas
- Group of Protein Structure and Bioinformatics, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Dóra Szabó
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sándor Pongor
- Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary; Group of Protein Structure and Bioinformatics, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
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54
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Anderson TK, Sukhdeo MVK. Qualitative community stability determines parasite establishment and richness in estuarine marshes. PeerJ 2013; 1:e92. [PMID: 23802092 PMCID: PMC3691787 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The establishment of parasites with complex life cycles is generally thought to be regulated by free-living species richness and the stability of local ecological interactions. In this study, we test the prediction that stable host communities are prerequisite for the establishment of complex multi-host parasite life cycles. The colonization of naïve killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, by parasites was investigated in 4 salt marsh sites that differed in time since major ecological restoration, and which provided a gradient in free-living species richness. The richness of the parasite community, and the rate at which parasite species accumulated in the killifish, were similar between the low diversity unrestored site and the two high diversity (10- and 20-year) restored marsh sites. The parasite community in the newly restored marsh (0 year) included only directly-transmitted parasite species. To explain the paradox of a low diversity, highly invaded salt marsh (unrestored) having the same parasite community as highly diverse restored marsh sites (10 and 20 yrs) we assessed qualitative community stability. We find a significant correlation between system stability and parasite species richness. These data suggest a role for local stability in parasite community assembly, and support the idea that stable trophic relationships are required for the persistence of complex parasite life cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tavis K Anderson
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University , New Brunswick, NJ , USA ; Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS , Ames, IA , USA
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Phylogenetic evidence for recent diversification of obligate coral-dwelling gobies compared with their host corals. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2013; 69:123-32. [PMID: 23680856 PMCID: PMC4047829 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The coral reef-dwelling genus Gobiodon diversified within the last 10 My. Acroporid hosts of Gobiodon fishes have radiated since the Eocene (49 Mya). Despite a mutualistic association Gobiodon fishes did not co-speciate with corals. Testing dates of diversification is fundamental before assuming co-speciation. Phylogenetics of Gobiodon differ in part with previous morphological analyses.
The rich diversity of coral reef organisms is supported, at least in part, by the diversity of coral reef habitat. Some of the most habitat specialised fishes on coral reefs are obligate coral-dwelling gobies of the genus Gobiodon that inhabit a range of coral species, mostly of the genus Acropora. However, the role of this specialised pattern of habitat use in the evolution of coral-dwelling gobies is not well understood. Diversification of coral-dwelling gobies may be driven by the diversification of their host corals (cospeciation), or alternatively, diversification of these fishes may have occurred independently of the diversification of host corals. The cospeciation hypothesis assumes similar timing in evolution of the gobies and their host corals. We used four genes for each group and the available fossil records to reconstruct and date phylogenies for 20 species of Gobiodon from the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, and for 28 species of the coral genus Acropora. Our results indicate that Gobiodon diversified mostly in the last ∼5 My, whereas Acropora corals have consistently diversified since the Eocene, making the hypothesis of cospeciation untenable. The fully resolved molecular phylogeny of the genus Gobiodon is in part at odds with previous analyses incorporating morphological data and indicates that some morphological traits form paraphyletic clades within Gobiodon. Our phylogeny supports a hypothesis in which Gobiodon diversified in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and then radiated recently, with multiple new variants found in the Red Sea.
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Friberg M, Schwind C, Raguso RA, Thompson JN. Extreme divergence in floral scent among woodland star species (Lithophragma spp.) pollinated by floral parasites. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2013; 111:539-550. [PMID: 23365407 PMCID: PMC3605946 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS A current challenge in coevolutionary biology is to understand how suites of traits vary as coevolving lineages diverge. Floral scent is often a complex, variable trait that attracts a suite of generalized pollinators, but may be highly specific in plants specialized on attracting coevolved pollinating floral parasites. In this study, floral scent variation was investigated in four species of woodland stars (Lithophragma spp.) that share the same major pollinator (the moth Greya politella, a floral parasite). Three specific hypotheses were tested: (1) sharing the same specific major pollinator favours conservation of floral scent among close relatives; (2) selection favours 'private channels' of rare compounds particularly aimed at the specialist pollinator; or (3) selection from rare, less-specialized co-pollinators mitigates the conservation of floral scent and occurrence of private channels. METHODS Dynamic headspace sampling and solid-phase microextraction were applied to greenhouse-grown plants from a common garden as well as to field samples from natural populations in a series of experiments aiming to disentangle the genetic and environmental basis of floral scent variation. KEY RESULTS Striking floral scent divergence was discovered among species. Only one of 69 compounds was shared among all four species. Scent variation was largely genetically based, because it was consistent across field and greenhouse treatments, and was not affected by visits from the pollinating floral parasite. CONCLUSIONS The strong divergence in floral scents among Lithophragma species contrasts with the pattern of conserved floral scent composition found in other plant genera involved in mutualisms with pollinating floral parasites. Unlike some of these other obligate pollination mutualisms, Lithophragma plants in some populations are occasionally visited by generalist pollinators from other insect taxa. This additional complexity may contribute to the diversification in floral scent found among the Lithophragma species pollinated by Greya moths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magne Friberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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57
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Yoder JB, Smith CI, Rowley DJ, Flatz R, Godsoe W, Drummond C, Pellmyr O. Effects of gene flow on phenotype matching between two varieties of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia
; Agavaceae) and their pollinators. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:1220-33. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 01/12/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. B. Yoder
- Department of Plant Biology; University of Minnesota; Saint Paul MN USA
| | - C. I. Smith
- Department of Biology; Willamette University; Salem OR USA
| | - D. J. Rowley
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Idaho; Moscow ID USA
| | - R. Flatz
- Department of Biology; Willamette University; Salem OR USA
| | - W. Godsoe
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Christchurch New Zealand
| | - C. Drummond
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Idaho; Moscow ID USA
| | - O. Pellmyr
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Idaho; Moscow ID USA
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Abstract
"It is hard to realize that the living world as we know it is just one among many possibilities" [1]. Evolving digital ecological networks are webs of interacting, self-replicating, and evolving computer programs (i.e., digital organisms) that experience the same major ecological interactions as biological organisms (e.g., competition, predation, parasitism, and mutualism). Despite being computational, these programs evolve quickly in an open-ended way, and starting from only one or two ancestral organisms, the formation of ecological networks can be observed in real-time by tracking interactions between the constantly evolving organism phenotypes. These phenotypes may be defined by combinations of logical computations (hereafter tasks) that digital organisms perform and by expressed behaviors that have evolved. The types and outcomes of interactions between phenotypes are determined by task overlap for logic-defined phenotypes and by responses to encounters in the case of behavioral phenotypes. Biologists use these evolving networks to study active and fundamental topics within evolutionary ecology (e.g., the extent to which the architecture of multispecies networks shape coevolutionary outcomes, and the processes involved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Fortuna
- Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EDB-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain.
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Abstract
Co-evolution is a fundamental component of the theory of evolution and is essential for understanding the relationships between species in complex ecological networks. A wide range of co-evolution-inspired computational methods has been designed to predict molecular interactions, but it is only recently that important advances have been made. Breakthroughs in the handling of phylogenetic information and in disentangling indirect relationships have resulted in an improved capacity to predict interactions between proteins and contacts between different protein residues. Here, we review the main co-evolution-based computational approaches, their theoretical basis, potential applications and foreseeable developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David de Juan
- Structural Biology and Biocomputing Programme, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
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Singer MC, McBride CS. Geographic mosaics of species' association: a definition and an example driven by plant–insect phenological synchrony. Ecology 2012; 93:2658-73. [DOI: 10.1890/11-2078.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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What Can Phages Tell Us about Host-Pathogen Coevolution? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 2012; 2012:396165. [PMID: 23213618 PMCID: PMC3506893 DOI: 10.1155/2012/396165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 10/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The outcomes of host-parasite interactions depend on the coevolutionary forces acting upon them, but because every host-parasite relation is enmeshed in a web of biotic and abiotic interactions across a heterogeneous landscape, host-parasite coevolution has proven difficult to study. Simple laboratory phage-bacteria microcosms can ameliorate this difficulty by allowing controlled, well-replicated experiments with a limited number of interactors. Genetic, population, and life history data obtained from these studies permit a closer examination of the fundamental correlates of host-parasite coevolution. In this paper, I describe the results of phage-bacteria coevolutionary studies and their implications for the study of host-parasite coevolution. Recent experimental studies have confirmed phage-host coevolutionary dynamics in the laboratory and have shown that coevolution can increase parasite virulence, specialization, adaptation, and diversity. Genetically, coevolution frequently proceeds in a manner best described by the Gene for Gene model, typified by arms race dynamics, but certain contexts can result in Red Queen dynamics according to the Matching Alleles model. Although some features appear to apply only to phage-bacteria systems, other results are broadly generalizable and apply to all instances of antagonistic coevolution. With laboratory host-parasite coevolutionary studies, we can better understand the perplexing array of interactions that characterize organismal diversity in the wild.
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Friman VP, Buckling A. Effects of predation on real-time host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics. Ecol Lett 2012; 16:39-46. [PMID: 23013242 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2012] [Revised: 07/26/2012] [Accepted: 08/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The impact of community complexity on pairwise coevolutionary dynamics is theoretically dependent on the extent to which species evolve generalised or specialised adaptations to the multiple species they interact with. Here, we show that the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens diversifies into defence specialists, when coevolved simultaneously with a virus and a predatory protist, as a result of fitness trade-offs between defences against the two enemies. Strong bacteria-virus pairwise coevolution persisted, despite strong protist-imposed selection. However, the arms race dynamic (escalation of host resistance and parasite infectivity ranges) associated with bacteria-virus coevolution broke down to a greater extent in the presence of the protist, presumably through the elevated genetic and demographic costs of increased bacteria resistance ranges. These findings suggest that strong pairwise coevolution can persist even in complex communities, when conflicting selection leads to evolutionary diversification of different defence strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ville-Petri Friman
- Department of Zoology, The Tinbergen Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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63
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Caldera EJ, Currie CR. The population structure of antibiotic-producing bacterial symbionts of Apterostigma dentigerum ants: impacts of coevolution and multipartite symbiosis. Am Nat 2012; 180:604-17. [PMID: 23070321 DOI: 10.1086/667886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Fungus-growing ants (Attini) are part of a complex symbiosis with Basidiomycetous fungi, which the ants cultivate for food, Ascomycetous fungal pathogens (Escovopsis), which parasitize cultivars, and Actinobacteria, which produce antibiotic compounds that suppress pathogen growth. Earlier studies that have characterized the association between attine ants and their bacterial symbionts have employed broad phylogenetic approaches, with conclusions ranging from a diffuse coevolved mutualism to no specificity being reported. However, the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution proposes that coevolved interactions likely occur at a level above local populations but within species. Moreover, the scale of population subdivision is likely to impact coevolutionary dynamics. Here, we describe the population structure of bacteria associated with the attine Apterostigma dentigerum across Central America using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of six housekeeping genes. The majority (90%) of bacteria that were isolated grouped into a single clade within the genus Pseudonocardia. In contrast to studies that have suggested that Pseudonocardia dispersal is high and therefore unconstrained by ant associations, we found highly structured ([Formula: see text]) and dispersal-limited (i.e., significant isolation by distance; [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) populations over even a relatively small scale (e.g., within the Panama Canal Zone). Estimates of recombination versus mutation were uncharacteristically low compared with estimates for free-living Actinobacteria (e.g., [Formula: see text] in La Selva, Costa Rica), which suggests that recombination is constrained by association with ant hosts. Furthermore, Pseudonocardia population structure was correlated with that of Escovopsis species ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]), supporting the bacteria's role in disease suppression. Overall, the population dynamics of symbiotic Pseudonocardia are more consistent with a specialized mutualistic association than with recently proposed models of low specificity and frequent horizontal acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Caldera
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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Lankau RA. Coevolution between invasive and native plants driven by chemical competition and soil biota. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:11240-5. [PMID: 22733785 PMCID: PMC3396473 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1201343109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although reciprocal evolutionary responses between interacting species are a driving force behind the diversity of life, pairwise coevolution between plant competitors has received less attention than other species interactions and has been considered relatively less important in explaining ecological patterns. However, the success of species transported across biogeographic boundaries suggests a stronger role for evolutionary relationships in shaping plant interactions. Alliaria petiolata is a Eurasian species that has invaded North American forest understories, where it competes with native understory species in part by producing compounds that directly and indirectly slow the growth of competing species. Here I show that populations of A. petiolata from areas with a greater density of interspecific competitors invest more in a toxic allelochemical under common conditions. Furthermore, populations of a native competitor from areas with highly toxic invaders are more tolerant to competition from the invader, suggesting coevolutionary dynamics between the species. Field reciprocal transplants confirmed that native populations more tolerant to the invader had higher fitness when the invader was common, but these traits came at a cost when the invader was rare. Exotic species are often detrimentally dominant in their new range due to their evolutionary novelty; however, the development of new coevolutionary relationships may act to integrate exotic species into native communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Lankau
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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65
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Laukkanen L, Leimu R, Muola A, Lilley M, Salminen JP, Mutikainen P. Plant chemistry and local adaptation of a specialized folivore. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38225. [PMID: 22666493 PMCID: PMC3364215 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 05/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Local adaptation is central for creating and maintaining spatial variation in plant-herbivore interactions. Short-lived insect herbivores feeding on long-lived plants are likely to adapt to their local host plants, because of their short generation time, poor dispersal, and geographically varying selection due to variation in plant defences. In a reciprocal feeding trial, we investigated the impact of geographic variation in plant secondary chemistry of a long-lived plant, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, on among-population variation in local adaptation of a specialist leaf-feeding herbivore, Abrostola asclepiadis. The occurrence and degree of local adaptation varied among populations. This variation correlated with qualitative and quantitative differences in plant chemistry among the plant populations. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms driving variation in local adaptation in this specialized plant-herbivore interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Laukkanen
- Department of Biology, Section of Ecology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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66
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Fish assemblages in floodplain lakes in a Neotropical river during the wet season (Magdalena River, Colombia). JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467412000181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:A number of studies have pointed out that abiotic factors and recolonization dynamics appear to be more important than biotic interactions in structuring river–fish assemblages. In this paper, we studied the fish assemblages in 27 floodplain lakes, with perennial connection to the river, in the middle section of the Magdalena River (Colombia), to examine spatial pattern in freshwater fish diversity in relation to some environmental parameters. Our objective was to examine relationships between floodplain-lake fish communities and environmental variables associated with lake morphology, water chemistry and river–floodplain connectivity in a large river–floodplain ecosystem. During the study, a total of 18 237 fish were caught from 50 species (regional richness; 17 were migrants and 33 residents). In the present study, the most diverse order was Characiformes with 20 species, followed by Siluriformes, with 19 species. Characidae and Loricaridae were the richest families. The range of species richness (local richness) varied between five and 39 species. Similarity of local assemblages (using the presence–absence data) depends on the distance between lakes. A positive relationship was observed between the Ln of the total abundance of each species and the number of lakes where they were found. Out of all the environmental parameters taken in the lakes, only the size (Log Area) and relative perimeter length are significantly related to local assemblage species richness. It has not been possible to demonstrate that the connectivity (distance) from lakes to the main river can be considered a predictor of the local richness.
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67
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Loker ES. Macroevolutionary Immunology: A Role for Immunity in the Diversification of Animal life. Front Immunol 2012; 3:25. [PMID: 22566909 PMCID: PMC3342036 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An emerging picture of the nature of immune systems across animal phyla reveals both conservatism of some features and the appearance among and within phyla of novel, lineage-specific defense solutions. The latter collectively represent a major and underappreciated form of animal diversity. Factors influencing this macroevolutionary (above the species level) pattern of novelty are considered and include adoption of different life styles, life histories, and body plans; a general advantage of being distinctive with respect to immune defenses; and the responses required to cope with parasites, many of which afflict hosts in a lineage-specific manner. This large-scale pattern of novelty implies that immunological phenomena can affect microevolutionary processes (at the population level within species) that can eventually lead to macroevolutionary events such as speciation, radiations, or extinctions. Immunologically based phenomena play a role in favoring intraspecific diversification, specialization and host specificity of parasites, and mechanisms are discussed whereby this could lead to parasite speciation. Host switching - the acquisition of new host species by parasites - is a major mechanism that drives parasite diversity and is frequently involved in disease emergence. It is also one that can be favored by reductions in immune competence of new hosts. Mechanisms involving immune phenomena favoring intraspecific diversification and speciation of host species are also discussed. A macroevolutionary perspective on immunology is invaluable in today's world, including the need to study a broader range of species with distinctive immune systems. Many of these species are faced with extinction, another macroevolutionary process influenced by immune phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Loker
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, Department of Biology, Division of Parasitology, Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM, USA
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68
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Espíndola A, Buerki S, Alvarez N. Ecological and historical drivers of diversification in the fly genus Chiastocheta Pokorny. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2012; 63:466-74. [PMID: 22342934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2011] [Revised: 01/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Coevolution is among the main forces shaping the biodiversity on Earth. In Eurasia, one of the best-known plant-insect interactions showing highly coevolved features involves the fly genus Chiastocheta and its host-plant Trollius. Although this system has been widely studied from an ecological point of view, the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the flies have remained little investigated. In this integrative study, we aim to test the monophyly of the five Chiastocheta eco-morphological groups, defined by Pellmyr in 1992, by inferring a mitochondrial phylogeny. We further apply a new approach to assess the effect of (i) different molecular substitution rates and (ii) phylogenetic uncertainty on the inference of the spatio-temporal evolution of the group. From a taxonomic point of view, we demonstrate that only two of Pellmyr's groups (rotundiventris and dentifera) are phylogenetically supported, the other species appearing para- or polyphyletic. We also identify the position of C. lophota, which was not included in previous surveys. From a spatio-temporal perspective, we show that the genus arose during the Pliocene in Europe. Our results also indicate that at least four large-scale dispersal events are required to explain the current distribution of Chiastocheta. Moreover, each dispersal to or from Asia is associated with a host-shift and seems to correspond to an increase in speciation rates. Finally, we highlight the correlation between diversification and climatic fluctuations, which indicate that the cycles of global cooling over the last million years had an influence on the radiation of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anahí Espíndola
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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69
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Abstract
The ecological forces shaping adaptive radiations are of great interest to evolutionary ecologists. Here, we experimentally test the hypothesis that the diversification of a lineage should be limited in the presence of competition from another taxon. We do this by studying a model microbial adaptive radiation (the generation of phenotypic diversity in asexual lineages of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens) in the presence or absence of a competitor (Pseudomonas putida). In a spatially heterogeneous environment, the competitor P. putida reduced P. fluorescens population size only slightly and had no effect on diversification. In a spatially homogeneous environment, the competitor reduced P. fuoresecens population size to a much greater extent. Again the final extent of diversification in P. fluorescens was not affected by the competitor, but early diversification was accelerated. In this environment, P. putida suppressed the growth of a common variant of P. fluorescens and directly or indirectly facilitated the growth of a rare morph. Our results suggest that competition experienced by diversifying lineages may have complex effects on adaptive radiations not fully captured by current theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan-Guo Zhang
- NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, United Kingdom.
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70
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Buckling A, Brockhurst M. Bacteria-virus coevolution. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2012; 751:347-70. [PMID: 22821466 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3567-9_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Phages, viruses of bacteria, are ubiquitous. Many phages require host cell death to successfully complete their life cycle, resulting in reciprocal evolution of bacterial resistance and phage infectivity (antagonistic coevolution). Such coevolution can have profound consequences at all levels of biological organisation. Here, we review genetic and ecological factors that contribute to determining coevolutionary dynamics between bacteria and phages. We also consider some of the consequences of bacteria-phage coevolution, such as determining rates of molecular evolution and structuring communities, and how these in turn feedback into driving coevolutionary dynamics.
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71
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Cogni R, Trigo JR, Futuyma DJ. Varying herbivore population structure correlates with lack of local adaptation in a geographic variable plant-herbivore interaction. PLoS One 2011; 6:e29220. [PMID: 22220208 PMCID: PMC3248420 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2011] [Accepted: 11/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Local adaptation of parasites to their hosts due to coevolution is a central prediction of many theories in evolutionary biology. However, empirical studies looking for parasite local adaptation show great variation in outcomes, and the reasons for such variation are largely unknown. In a previous study, we showed adaptive differentiation in the arctiid moth Utetheisa ornatrix to its host plant, the pyrrolizidine alkaloid-bearing legume Crotalaria pallida, at the continental scale, but found no differentiation at the regional scale. In the present study, we sampled the same sites to investigate factors that may contribute to the lack of differentiation at the regional scale. We performed field observations that show that specialist and non-specialist polyphagous herbivore incidence varies among populations at both scales. With a series of common-garden experiments we show that some plant traits that may affect herbivory (pyrrolizidine alkaloids and extrafloral nectaries) vary at the regional scale, while other traits (trichomes and nitrogen content) just vary at the continental scale. These results, combined with our previous evidence for plant population differentiation based on larval performance on fresh fruits, suggest that U. ornatrix is subjected to divergent selection even at the regional scale. Finally, with a microsatellite study we investigated population structure of U. ornatrix. We found that population structure is not stable over time: we found population differentiation at the regional scale in the first year of sampling, but not in the second year. Unstable population structure of the herbivore is the most likely cause of the lack of regional adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cogni
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America.
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72
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Janz N. Ehrlich and Raven Revisited: Mechanisms Underlying Codiversification of Plants and Enemies. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2011. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102710-145024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Janz
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
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73
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74
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Dalsgaard B, Magård E, Fjeldså J, Martín González AM, Rahbek C, Olesen JM, Ollerton J, Alarcón R, Cardoso Araujo A, Cotton PA, Lara C, Machado CG, Sazima I, Sazima M, Timmermann A, Watts S, Sandel B, Sutherland WJ, Svenning JC. Specialization in plant-hummingbird networks is associated with species richness, contemporary precipitation and quaternary climate-change velocity. PLoS One 2011; 6:e25891. [PMID: 21998716 PMCID: PMC3187835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2011] [Accepted: 09/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale geographical patterns of biotic specialization and the underlying drivers are poorly understood, but it is widely believed that climate plays an important role in determining specialization. As climate-driven range dynamics should diminish local adaptations and favor generalization, one hypothesis is that contemporary biotic specialization is determined by the degree of past climatic instability, primarily Quaternary climate-change velocity. Other prominent hypotheses predict that either contemporary climate or species richness affect biotic specialization. To gain insight into geographical patterns of contemporary biotic specialization and its drivers, we use network analysis to determine the degree of specialization in plant-hummingbird mutualistic networks sampled at 31 localities, spanning a wide range of climate regimes across the Americas. We found greater biotic specialization at lower latitudes, with latitude explaining 20-22% of the spatial variation in plant-hummingbird specialization. Potential drivers of specialization--contemporary climate, Quaternary climate-change velocity, and species richness--had superior explanatory power, together explaining 53-64% of the variation in specialization. Notably, our data provides empirical evidence for the hypothesized roles of species richness, contemporary precipitation and Quaternary climate-change velocity as key predictors of biotic specialization, whereas contemporary temperature and seasonality seem unimportant in determining specialization. These results suggest that both ecological and evolutionary processes at Quaternary time scales can be important in driving large-scale geographical patterns of contemporary biotic specialization, at least for co-evolved systems such as plant-hummingbird networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Dalsgaard
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Else Magård
- Center for Massive Data Algorithmics, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jon Fjeldså
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ana M. Martín González
- Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens M. Olesen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group, School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Northampton, United Kingdom
| | - Ruben Alarcón
- Biology Program, California State University, Channel Islands, Camarillo, California, United States of America
| | - Andrea Cardoso Araujo
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Peter A. Cotton
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Lara
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | - Caio Graco Machado
- Laboratório de Ornitologia, Departamento de Ciências Biólogicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Ivan Sazima
- Museu de Zoologia, IB, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Marlies Sazima
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, IB, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinias, Brazil
| | | | - Stella Watts
- Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group, School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Northampton, United Kingdom
- Laboratory of Pollination Ecology, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Brody Sandel
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Massive Data Algorithmics, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - William J. Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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75
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Lorenzi MC, Thompson JN. The geographic structure of selection on a coevolving interaction between social parasitic wasps and their hosts hampers social evolution. Evolution 2011; 65:3527-42. [PMID: 22133223 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01403.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Social parasites exploit societies, rather than organisms, and rear their brood in social insect colonies at the expense of their hosts, triggering a coevolutionary process that may affect host social structure. The resulting coevolutionary trajectories may be further altered by selection imposed by predators, which exploit the abundant resources concentrated in these nests. Here, we show that geographic differences in selection imposed by predators affects the structure of selection on coevolving hosts and their social parasites. In a multiyear study, we monitored the fate of the annual breeding attempts of the solitary nesting foundresses of Polistes biglumis wasps in four geographically distinct populations that varied in levels of attack by the congeneric social parasite, P. atrimandibularis. Foundress fitness depended mostly on whether, during the long founding phase, a colony was invaded by social parasites or attacked by predators. Foundresses from each population differed in morphological traits and reproductive tactics that were consistent with selection imposed by their natural enemies and in ways that may affect host sociality. In turn, parasite traits were consistent with selection imposed locally by hosts, implying a geographic mosaic of coevolution in this brood parasitic interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Cristina Lorenzi
- Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Turin, Italy.
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76
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Toju H, Abe H, Ueno S, Miyazawa Y, Taniguchi F, Sota T, Yahara T. Climatic gradients of arms race coevolution. Am Nat 2011; 177:562-73. [PMID: 21508604 DOI: 10.1086/659624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
In nature, spatiotemporally dynamic coevolutionary processes play major roles in the foundation and maintenance of biodiversity. Here, we examined the arms race coevolution involving a seed-eating weevil with a long snout and its camellia plant host with a thick fruit coat (pericarp) throughout the marked climatic gradient observed across the Japanese islands. Results demonstrated that female weevils, which bored holes through camellia pericarps to lay eggs into seeds, had evolved much longer snouts than males, especially in areas in which Japanese camellia pericarps were very thick. The thickness of the plant pericarp was heritable, and the camellia plant evolved a significantly thicker pericarp on islands with the weevil than on islands without it. Across populations with weevils, resource allocation to plant defense increased with increasing annual mean temperature or annual precipitation, thereby geographically differentiating the evolutionary and ecological interactions between the two species. Given that the coevolutionary relationship exhibited appreciable variation across a relatively small range of annual mean temperatures, ongoing global climatic change can dramatically alter the coevolutionary process, thereby changing the ecological interaction between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Toju
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Japan.
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77
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A speciation gene for left-right reversal in snails results in anti-predator adaptation. Nat Commun 2011; 1:133. [PMID: 21139578 PMCID: PMC3105295 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
How speciation genes can spread in a population is poorly understood. In land snails, a single gene for left-right reversal could be responsible for instant speciation, because dextral and sinistral snails have difficulty in mating. However, the traditional two-locus speciation model predicts that a mating disadvantage for the reversal should counteract this speciation. In this study, we show that specialized snake predation of the dextral majority drives prey speciation by reversal. Our experiments demonstrate that sinistral Satsuma snails (Stylommatophora: Camaenidae) survive predation by Pareas iwasakii (Colubroidea: Pareatidae). Worldwide biogeography reveals that stylommatophoran snail speciation by reversal has been accelerated in the range of pareatid snakes, especially in snails that gain stronger anti-snake defense and reproductive isolation from dextrals by sinistrality. Molecular phylogeny of Satsuma snails further provides intriguing evidence of repetitive speciation under snake predation. Our study demonstrates that a speciation gene can be fixed in populations by positive pleiotropic effects on survival.
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78
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Liow LH, Van Valen L, Stenseth NC. Red Queen: from populations to taxa and communities. Trends Ecol Evol 2011; 26:349-58. [PMID: 21511358 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2011] [Revised: 03/18/2011] [Accepted: 03/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Biotic interactions via the struggle for control of energy and the interactive effects of biota with their physical environment characterize Van Valen's Red Queen (VRQ). Here, we review new evidence for and against a VRQ view of the world from studies of increasing temporal and spatial scales. Interactions among biota and with the physical environment are important for generating and maintaining diversity on diverse timescales, but detailed mechanisms remain poorly understood. We recommend directly estimating the effect of biota and the physical environment on ecological and evolutionary processes. Promising approaches for elucidating VRQ include using mathematical modelling, controlled experimental systems, sampling and processes-oriented approaches for analysing data from natural systems, while paying extra attention to biotic interactions discernable from the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Hsiang Liow
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway.
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79
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Momeni B, Chen CC, Hillesland KL, Waite A, Shou W. Using artificial systems to explore the ecology and evolution of symbioses. Cell Mol Life Sci 2011; 68:1353-68. [PMID: 21424911 PMCID: PMC11114700 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-011-0649-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Revised: 02/15/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The web of life is weaved from diverse symbiotic interactions between species. Symbioses vary from antagonistic interactions such as competition and predation to beneficial interactions such as mutualism. What are the bases for the origin and persistence of symbiosis? What affects the ecology and evolution of symbioses? How do symbiotic interactions generate ecological patterns? How do symbiotic partners evolve and coevolve? Many of these questions are difficult to address in natural systems. Artificial systems, from abstract to living, have been constructed to capture essential features of natural symbioses and to address these key questions. With reduced complexity and increased controllability, artificial systems can serve as useful models for natural systems. We review how artificial systems have contributed to our understanding of symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Momeni
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Chi-Chun Chen
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
- Research Center for Biodiversity, Academia Sinica, Nankang, 115 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kristina L. Hillesland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98185 USA
| | - Adam Waite
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98185 USA
| | - Wenying Shou
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
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80
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Toju H, Ueno S, Taniguchi F, Sota T. Metapopulation structure of a seed-predator weevil and its host plant in arms race coevolution. Evolution 2011; 65:1707-22. [PMID: 21644958 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01243.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Although the importance of gene flow in the geographic structuring of host-parasite interactions has been well discussed, little is known about how dispersal drives the spatial dynamics of other types of coevolutionary interactions in nature. We evaluated the roles of gene flow in the geographically structured processes of a predator-prey arms race involving a seed-predatory weevil with a long mouthpart and its host camellia plant with a thick fruit coat. Molecular genetic analyses showed that both weevil and camellia populations were structured at a spatial scale of several kilometers. Importantly, the spatial pattern of the migration of weevils, but not that of camellias, imposed significant effects on the geographic configuration of the levels of coevolutionary escalation. This result suggests that even if migration is limited in one species (camellia), local coevolution with the other species that migrates between neighboring localities (weevil) can reduce the interpopulation difference in the local adaptive optima of the former species. Thus, gene flow of a species potentially homogenizes the local biological environments provided by the species and thereby promotes the evolutionary convergence of its coevolving counterparts. Consequently, by focusing on coevolutionary interactions in natural communities, "indirect" effects of gene flow on the adaptive divergence of organisms could be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Toju
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
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81
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Toju H. Weevils and camellias in a Darwin’s race: model system for the study of eco-evolutionary interactions between species. Ecol Res 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-011-0807-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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82
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Campbell C, Yang S, Albert R, Shea K. A network model for plant-pollinator community assembly. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:197-202. [PMID: 21173234 PMCID: PMC3017189 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008204108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Community assembly models, usually constructed for food webs, are an important component of our understanding of how ecological communities are formed. However, models for mutualistic community assembly are still needed, especially because these communities are experiencing significant anthropogenic disturbances that affect their biodiversity. Here, we present a unique network model that simulates the colonization and extinction process of mutualistic community assembly. We generate regional source pools of species interaction networks on the basis of statistical properties reported in the literature. We develop a dynamic synchronous Boolean framework to simulate, with few free parameters, the dynamics of new mutualistic community formation from the regional source pool. This approach allows us to deterministically map out every possible trajectory of community formation. This level of detail is rarely observed in other analytic approaches and allows for thorough analysis of the dynamical properties of community formation. As for food web assembly, we find that the number of stable communities is quite low, and the composition of the source pool influences the abundance and nature of community outcomes. However, in contrast to food web assembly, stable mutualistic communities form rapidly. Small communities with minor fluctuations in species presence/absence (self-similar limit cycles) are the most common community outcome. The unique application of this Boolean network approach to the study of mutualistic community assembly offers a great opportunity to improve our understanding of these critical communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Campbell
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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83
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TOJU HIROKAZU, FUKATSU TAKEMA. Diversity and infection prevalence of endosymbionts in natural populations of the chestnut weevil: relevance of local climate and host plants. Mol Ecol 2010; 20:853-68. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04980.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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84
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Vermeer KMCA, Dicke M, de Jong PW. The potential of a population genomics approach to analyse geographic mosaics of plant--insect coevolution. Evol Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-010-9452-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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85
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Fossøy F, Antonov A, Moksnes A, Røskaft E, Vikan JR, Møller AP, Shykoff JA, Stokke BG. Genetic differentiation among sympatric cuckoo host races: males matter. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:1639-45. [PMID: 21068043 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalist parasites regularly evolve host-specific races that each specialize on one particular host species. Many host-specific races originate from geographically structured populations where local adaptations to different host species drive the differentiation of distinct races. However, in sympatric populations where several host races coexist, gene flow could potentially disrupt such host-specific adaptations. Here, we analyse genetic differentiation among three sympatrically breeding host races of the brood-parasitic common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus. In this species, host-specific adaptations are assumed to be controlled by females only, possibly via the female-specific W-chromosome, thereby avoiding that gene flow via males disrupts local adaptations. Although males were more likely to have offspring in two different host species (43% versus 7%), they did not have significantly more descendants being raised outside their putative foster species than females (9% versus 2%). We found significant genetic differentiation for both biparentally inherited microsatellite DNA markers and maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA markers. To our knowledge, this is the first study that finds significant genetic differentiation in biparentally inherited markers among cuckoo host-specific races. Our results imply that males also may contribute to the evolution and maintenance of the different races, and hence that the genes responsible for egg phenotype may be found on autosomal chromosomes rather than the female-specific W-chromosome as previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frode Fossøy
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Realfagbygget, Trondheim, Norway.
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86
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Abstract
Coevolutionary interactions between species are thought to be an important cause of evolutionary diversification. Despite this general belief, little theoretical basis exists for distinguishing between the types of interactions that promote diversification and those types that have no effect or that even restrict it. Using analytical models and simulations of phenotypic evolution across a metapopulation, we show that coevolutionary interactions promote diversification when they impose a cost of phenotype matching, as is the case for competition or host-parasite antagonism. In contrast, classical coevolutionary arms races have no tendency to promote or inhibit diversification, and mutualistic interactions actually restrict diversification. Together with the results of recent phylogenetic and ecological studies, these results suggest that the causes of diversification in many coevolutionary systems may require reassessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy B Yoder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
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HEATH KD, STOCK AJ, STINCHCOMBE JR. Mutualism variation in the nodulation response to nitrate. J Evol Biol 2010; 23:2494-500. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02092.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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88
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SHEFFERSON RICHARDP, COWDEN CHARLESC, MCCORMICK MELISSAK, YUKAWA TOMOHISA, OGURA-TSUJITA YUKI, HASHIMOTO TOSHIMASA. Evolution of host breadth in broad interactions: mycorrhizal specificity in East Asian and North American rattlesnake plantains (Goodyera spp.) and their fungal hosts. Mol Ecol 2010; 19:3008-17. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2010.04693.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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89
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Matthews B, Harmon LJ, M'Gonigle L, Marchinko KB, Schaschl H. Sympatric and allopatric divergence of MHC genes in threespine stickleback. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10948. [PMID: 20585386 PMCID: PMC2886830 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Accepted: 04/30/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites can strongly affect the evolution of their hosts, but their effects on host diversification are less clear. In theory, contrasting parasite communities in different foraging habitats could generate divergent selection on hosts and promote ecological speciation. Immune systems are costly to maintain, adaptable, and an important component of individual fitness. As a result, immune system genes, such as those of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), can change rapidly in response to parasite-mediated selection. In threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), as well as in other vertebrates, MHC genes have been linked with female mating preference, suggesting that divergent selection acting on MHC genes might influence speciation. Here, we examined genetic variation at MHC Class II loci of sticklebacks from two lakes with a limnetic and benthic species pair, and two lakes with a single species. In both lakes with species pairs, limnetics and benthics differed in their composition of MHC alleles, and limnetics had fewer MHC alleles per individual than benthics. Similar to the limnetics, the allopatric population with a pelagic phenotype had few MHC alleles per individual, suggesting a correlation between MHC genotype and foraging habitat. Using a simulation model we show that the diversity and composition of MHC alleles in a sympatric species pair depends on the amount of assortative mating and on the strength of parasite-mediated selection in adjacent foraging habitats. Our results indicate parallel divergence in the number of MHC alleles between sympatric stickleback species, possibly resulting from the contrasting parasite communities in littoral and pelagic habitats of lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake Matthews
- Aquatic Ecology Department, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
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90
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Díaz-Castelazo C, Guimarāes PR, Jordano P, Thompson JN, Marquis RJ, Rico-Gray V. Changes of a mutualistic network over time: reanalysis over a 10-year period. Ecology 2010; 91:793-801. [PMID: 20426337 DOI: 10.1890/08-1883.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We analyzed the structure of a multispecific network of interacting ants and plants bearing extrafloral nectaries recorded in 1990 and again in 2000 in La Mancha, Veracruz, Mexico. We assessed the replicability of the number of interactions found among species and also whether there had been changes in the network structure associated with appearance of new ant and plant species during that 10-year period. Our results show that the nested topology of the network was similar between sampling dates, group dissimilarity increased, mean number of interactions for ant species increased, the frequency distribution of standardized degrees reached higher values for plant species, more ant species and fewer plant species constituted the core of the more recent network, and the presence of new ant and plant species increased while their contribution to nestedness remained the same. Generalist species (i.e., those with the most links or interactions) appeared to maintain the stability of the network because the new species incorporated into the communities were linked to this core of generalists. Camponotus planatus was the most extreme generalist ant species (the one with the most links) in both networks, followed by four other ant species; but other species changed either their position along the continuum of generalists relative to specialists or their presence or absence within the network. Even though new species moved into the area during the decade between the surveys, the overall network structure remained unmodified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Díaz-Castelazo
- Departamento de Ecología Aplicada, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Apdo. 63, Xalapa, Veracruz 91070, México
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91
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Krishnan A, Muralidharan S, Sharma L, Borges RM. A hitchhiker’s guide to a crowded syconium: how do fig nematodes find the right ride? Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01696.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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92
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Arvanitis L, Wiklund C, Münzbergova Z, Dahlgren JP, Ehrlén J. Novel antagonistic interactions associated with plant polyploidization influence trait selection and habitat preference. Ecol Lett 2010; 13:330-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01429.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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93
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Händeler K, Grzymbowski YP, Krug PJ, Wägele H. Functional chloroplasts in metazoan cells - a unique evolutionary strategy in animal life. Front Zool 2009; 6:28. [PMID: 19951407 PMCID: PMC2790442 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-6-28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 12/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among metazoans, retention of functional diet-derived chloroplasts (kleptoplasty) is known only from the sea slug taxon Sacoglossa (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Intracellular maintenance of plastids in the slug's digestive epithelium has long attracted interest given its implications for understanding the evolution of endosymbiosis. However, photosynthetic ability varies widely among sacoglossans; some species have no plastid retention while others survive for months solely on photosynthesis. We present a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the Sacoglossa and a survey of kleptoplasty from representatives of all major clades. We sought to quantify variation in photosynthetic ability among lineages, identify phylogenetic origins of plastid retention, and assess whether kleptoplasty was a key character in the radiation of the Sacoglossa. RESULTS Three levels of photosynthetic activity were detected: (1) no functional retention; (2) short-term retention lasting about one week; and (3) long-term retention for over a month. Phylogenetic analysis of one nuclear and two mitochondrial loci revealed reciprocal monophyly of the shelled Oxynoacea and shell-less Plakobranchacea, the latter comprising a monophyletic Plakobranchoidea and paraphyletic Limapontioidea. Only species in the Plakobranchoidea expressed short- or long-term kleptoplasty, most belonging to a speciose clade of slugs bearing parapodia (lateral flaps covering the dorsum). Bayesian ancestral character state reconstructions indicated that functional short-term retention arose once in the last common ancestor of Plakobranchoidea, and independently evolved into long-term retention in four derived species. CONCLUSION We propose a sequential progression from short- to long-term kleptoplasty, with different adaptations involved in each step. Short-term kleptoplasty likely arose as a deficiency in plastid digestion, yielding additional energy via the release of fixed carbon. Functional short-term retention was an apomorphy of the Plakobranchoidea, but the subsequent evolution of parapodia enabled slugs to protect kleptoplasts against high irradiance and further prolong plastid survival. We conclude that functional short-term retention was necessary but not sufficient for an adaptive radiation in the Plakobranchoidea, especially in the genus Elysia which comprises a third of all sacoglossan species. The adaptations necessary for long-term chloroplast survival arose independently in species feeding on different algal hosts, providing a valuable study system for examining the parallel evolution of this unique trophic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Händeler
- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
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94
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Toju H. Natural selection drives the fine-scale divergence of a coevolutionary arms race involving a long-mouthed weevil and its obligate host plant. BMC Evol Biol 2009; 9:273. [PMID: 19941669 PMCID: PMC2789073 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-9-273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2009] [Accepted: 11/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background One of the major recent advances in evolutionary biology is the recognition that evolutionary interactions between species are substantially differentiated among geographic populations. To date, several authors have revealed natural selection pressures mediating the geographically-divergent processes of coevolution. How local, then, is the geographic structuring of natural selection in coevolutionary systems? Results I examined the spatial scale of a "geographic selection mosaic," focusing on a system involving a seed-predatory insect, the camellia weevil (Curculio camelliae), and its host plant, the Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica). In this system, female weevils excavate camellia fruits with their extremely-long mouthparts to lay eggs into seeds, while camellia seeds are protected by thick pericarps. Quantitative evaluation of natural selection demonstrated that thicker camellia pericarps are significantly favored in some, but not all, populations within a small island (Yakushima Island, Japan; diameter ca. 30 km). At the extreme, camellia populations separated by only several kilometers were subject to different selection pressures. Interestingly, in a population with the thickest pericarps, camellia individuals with intermediate pericarp thickness had relatively high fitness when the potential costs of producing thick pericarps were considered. Also importantly, some parameters of the weevil - camellia interaction such as the severity of seed infestation showed clines along temperature, suggesting the effects of climate on the fine-scale geographic differentiation of the coevolutionary processes. Conclusion These results show that natural selection can drive the geographic differentiation of interspecific interactions at surprisingly small spatial scales. Future studies should reveal the evolutionary/ecological outcomes of the "fine scale geographic mosaics" in biological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Toju
- Research Institute of Genome-based Biofactory, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.
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Helgason T, Fitter AH. Natural selection and the evolutionary ecology of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Phylum Glomeromycota). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2009; 60:2465-80. [PMID: 19429838 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erp144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Darwin's model of evolution by natural selection was based on his observations of change in discrete organisms in which individuals are easy to define. Many of the most abundant functional groups in ecosystems, such as fungi and bacteria, do not fit this paradigm. In this review, we seek to understand how the elegant logic of Darwinian natural selection can be applied to distributed clonal organisms. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are one such group. Globally, they are ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems, are locally distributed among many host plant species, and are significant drivers of nutrient cycling in ecosystems. The AM fungi are intractable to study, as the few taxa that can be cultured cannot be grown in the absence of plant roots. Research has focused on the plant-fungus interface, and thus on the symbiotic phenotype. A model is discussed for the interchange of materials at the interface that throws the emphasis of research onto the behaviour of the individual organisms and removes the need to test for phenomena such as selectivity, co-evolution, and cheating. The AM fungi are distributed organisms with an extensive external mycelium that is likely to be under strong environmental selection. AM fungi show sufficient phenotypic variation and fitness differentials for selection to occur, and developments in genetic analyses suggest that a better understanding of heritability in these organisms is not far away. It is argued that direct selection on fungal traits related to their survival and performance in the soil independent of the host is likely to be the major driver of differentiation in the AM fungi, and the evidence for direct fungal responses to soil conditions such as pH, hypoxia, and temperature is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorunn Helgason
- Biology Department, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK.
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Chapter 11 Local, Geographic and Phylogenetic Scales of Coevolution in Drosophila–Parasitoid Interactions. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2009; 70:281-95. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-308x(09)70011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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