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Wedmann S, Hörnschemeyer T, Engel MS, Zetter R, Grímsson F. The last meal of an Eocene pollen-feeding fly. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2020-2026.e4. [PMID: 33705719 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
One of the most important trophic interactions today is that between insects and their floral hosts. This biotic association is believed to have been critical to the radiation of flowering plants and many pollinating insect lineages over the last 120 million years (Ma). Trophic interactions among fossil organisms are challenging to study, and most inferences are based on indirect evidence. Fossil records providing direct evidence for pollen feeding, i.e., fossil stomach and gut contents, are exceptionally rare.1,2 Such records have the potential to provide information on aspects of animal behavior and ecology as well as plant-animal interactions that are sometimes not yet recognized for their extant relatives. The dietary preferences of short-proboscid nemestrinids are unknown, and pollinivory has not been recorded for extant Nemestrinidae.3 We analyzed the contents of the conspicuously swollen abdomen of an ca. 47.5 Ma old nemestrinid fly of the genus Hirmoneura from Messel, Germany, with photogrammetry and state-of-the-art palynological methods. The fly fed on pollen from at least four plant families-Lythraceae, Vitaceae, Sapotaceae, and Oleaceae-and presumably pollinated flowers of two extant genera, Decodon and Parthenocissus. We interpret the feeding and foraging behavior of the fly, reconstruct its preferred habitat, and conclude about its pollination role and importance in paratropical environments. This represents the first evidence that short-proboscid nemestrinid flies fed, and possibly feed to this day, on pollen, demonstrating how fossils can provide vital information on the behavior of insects and their ecological relationships with plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Wedmann
- Senckenberg Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/M., 64409 Messel, Germany.
| | - Thomas Hörnschemeyer
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie & Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Paleontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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Grímsson F, Bouchal JM, Xafis A, Zetter R. Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: Part V. Magnoliophyta 3 - Myrtales to Ericales. GRANA 2020; 59:127-193. [PMID: 32406427 DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2011.585804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The continued investigation of the middle Miocene palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin reveals numerous additional angiosperm taxa. The Myrtales to Ericales pollen record documented here comprises 46 different taxa belonging to Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Ericaceae (Craigia, Reevesia, Tilia), Anacardiaceae (Pistacia), Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum), Sapindaceae (Acer), Santalaceae (Arceuthobium), Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Polygonaceae (Persicaria, Rumex), Cornaceae (Alangium, Cornus, Nyssa), Ebenaceae (Diospyros), Ericaceae (Andromeda, Arbutus, Empetrum, Erica), Sapotaceae (Pouteria, Sideroxylon), Styracaceae (Rehderodendron) and Symplocaceae (Symplocos). Köppen signatures of potential modern analogues of the additional fossil woody elements confirm the hypothesis of a subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) climate at lower elevations and subsequent transition into a temperate climate with altitudinal succession (Cfa → Cfb/Dfa → Dfb; Cwa → Cwb → Dwb-climate). The fossil plants represent different vegetation units, from wetland lowlands to well-drained montane forests. Many of the fossil taxa have potential modern analogues that can be classified as nemoral and/or meridio-nemoral and/or semihumid-meridional vegetation elements. New is the recognition of oreotropical elements, which are direct indicators for a substantial altitudinal gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friđgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes M Bouchal
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexandros Xafis
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Grímsson F, Bouchal JM, Xafis A, Zetter R. Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: Part V. Magnoliophyta 3 - Myrtales to Ericales. GRANA 2020; 59:127-193. [PMID: 32406427 PMCID: PMC7195176 DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2019.1696400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The continued investigation of the middle Miocene palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin reveals numerous additional angiosperm taxa. The Myrtales to Ericales pollen record documented here comprises 46 different taxa belonging to Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Ericaceae (Craigia, Reevesia, Tilia), Anacardiaceae (Pistacia), Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum), Sapindaceae (Acer), Santalaceae (Arceuthobium), Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Polygonaceae (Persicaria, Rumex), Cornaceae (Alangium, Cornus, Nyssa), Ebenaceae (Diospyros), Ericaceae (Andromeda, Arbutus, Empetrum, Erica), Sapotaceae (Pouteria, Sideroxylon), Styracaceae (Rehderodendron) and Symplocaceae (Symplocos). Köppen signatures of potential modern analogues of the additional fossil woody elements confirm the hypothesis of a subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) climate at lower elevations and subsequent transition into a temperate climate with altitudinal succession (Cfa → Cfb/Dfa → Dfb; Cwa → Cwb → Dwb-climate). The fossil plants represent different vegetation units, from wetland lowlands to well-drained montane forests. Many of the fossil taxa have potential modern analogues that can be classified as nemoral and/or meridio-nemoral and/or semihumid-meridional vegetation elements. New is the recognition of oreotropical elements, which are direct indicators for a substantial altitudinal gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friđgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes M. Bouchal
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexandros Xafis
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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4
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Grímsson F, Bouchal JM, Xafis A, Zetter R. Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: Part V. Magnoliophyta 3 - Myrtales to Ericales. GRANA 2020; 59:127-193. [PMID: 32406427 DOI: 10.1080/00173134.2011.641450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The continued investigation of the middle Miocene palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin reveals numerous additional angiosperm taxa. The Myrtales to Ericales pollen record documented here comprises 46 different taxa belonging to Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Ericaceae (Craigia, Reevesia, Tilia), Anacardiaceae (Pistacia), Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum), Sapindaceae (Acer), Santalaceae (Arceuthobium), Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Polygonaceae (Persicaria, Rumex), Cornaceae (Alangium, Cornus, Nyssa), Ebenaceae (Diospyros), Ericaceae (Andromeda, Arbutus, Empetrum, Erica), Sapotaceae (Pouteria, Sideroxylon), Styracaceae (Rehderodendron) and Symplocaceae (Symplocos). Köppen signatures of potential modern analogues of the additional fossil woody elements confirm the hypothesis of a subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) climate at lower elevations and subsequent transition into a temperate climate with altitudinal succession (Cfa → Cfb/Dfa → Dfb; Cwa → Cwb → Dwb-climate). The fossil plants represent different vegetation units, from wetland lowlands to well-drained montane forests. Many of the fossil taxa have potential modern analogues that can be classified as nemoral and/or meridio-nemoral and/or semihumid-meridional vegetation elements. New is the recognition of oreotropical elements, which are direct indicators for a substantial altitudinal gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friđgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johannes M Bouchal
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexandros Xafis
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Engel MS, Wang B, Alqarni AS, Jia LB, Su T, Zhou ZK, Wappler T. A primitive honey bee from the Middle Miocene deposits of southeastern Yunnan, China (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zookeys 2018; 775:117-129. [PMID: 30057475 PMCID: PMC6062569 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.775.24909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While fossils of honey bees (Apini: Apis Linnaeus) are comparatively abundant in European Oligocene and Miocene deposits, the available material from Asia is scant and represented by only a handful of localities. It is therefore significant to report a new deposit with a fossil honey bee from southern China. Apis (Synapis) dalica Engel & Wappler, sp. n., is described and figured from Middle Miocene sediments of Maguan County, southeastern Yunnan Province, China. This is the first fossil bee from the Cenozoic of southern China, and is distinguished from its close congeners present at the slightly older locality of Shanwang, Shandong in northeastern China. The species can be distinguished on the basis of wing venation differences from other Miocene Apis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192, USA
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Abdulaziz S. Alqarni
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lin-Bo Jia
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, China
| | - Tao Su
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
| | - Zhe-kun Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
| | - Torsten Wappler
- Natural History Department, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Friedensplatz 1, D-64283 Darmstadt, Germany
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Russo L, Miller AD, Tooker J, Bjornstad ON, Shea K. Quantitative evolutionary patterns in bipartite networks: Vicariance, phylogenetic tracking or diffuse co‐evolution? Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Russo
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
- Department of Botany Trinity College Dublin Dublin 2 Ireland
| | - Adam D. Miller
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | - John Tooker
- Department of Entomology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | - Ottar N. Bjornstad
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
- Department of Entomology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University University Park PA USA
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Prokop J, Dehon M, Michez D, Engel MS. An Early Miocene bumble bee from northern Bohemia (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zookeys 2017; 710:43-63. [PMID: 29118643 PMCID: PMC5674177 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.710.14714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A new species of fossil bumble bee (Apinae: Bombini) is described and figured from Early Miocene (Burdigalian) deposits of the Most Basin at the Bílina Mine, Czech Republic. Bombus trophoniussp. n., is placed within the subgenus Cullumanobombus Vogt and distinguished from the several species groups therein. The species is apparently most similar to the Nearctic B. (Cullumanobombus) rufocinctus Cresson, the earliest-diverging species within the clade and the two may be related only by symplesiomorphies. The age of the fossil is in rough accordance with divergence estimations for Cullumanobombus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Prokop
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Manuel Dehon
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Hainaut, Belgium
| | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of Zoology, Research Institute of Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Hainaut, Belgium
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192, USA
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8
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Wappler T, Labandeira CC, Engel MS, Zetter R, Grímsson F. Specialized and Generalized Pollen-Collection Strategies in an Ancient Bee Lineage. Curr Biol 2015; 25:3092-8. [PMID: 26585282 PMCID: PMC6485464 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Iconic examples of insect pollination have emphasized narrowly specialized pollinator mutualisms such as figs and fig wasps and yuccas and yucca moths. However, recent attention by pollination ecologists has focused on the broad spectra of pollinated plants by generalist pollinators such as bees. Bees have great impact for formulating hypotheses regarding specialization versus generalization in pollination mutualisms. We report the pollination biology of six northern European species of an extinct tribe of pollen-basket-bearing apine bees, Electrapini, of early-middle Eocene age, examined from two deposits of 48 and 44 million years in age. These bees exhibit a pattern of generalized, incidental pollen occurring randomly on their heads, thoraces, and abdomens, obtained from diverse, nectar-bearing plants. By contrast, a more restricted suite of pollen was acquired for metatibial pollen baskets (corbiculae) of the same bee taxa from a taxonomically much narrower suite of arborescent, evergreen hosts with uniform flower structure. The stereotyped plant sources of the specialist strategy of pollen collection consisted of pentamerous, radially symmetrical flowers with a conspicuous gynoecium surrounded by prominent nectar reward, organized in structurally similar compound inflorescences. Pollen specialization in bees occurs not for efficient pollination but rather in the corbiculate Electrapini as food for bee larvae (brood) and involves packing corbiculae with moistened pollen that rapidly loses viability with age. This specialist strategy was a well-developed preference by the early Eocene, providing a geochronologic midpoint assessment of bee pollen-collection strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Wappler
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Conrad C Labandeira
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA; Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China.
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14 (UZAII), 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14 (UZAII), 1090 Vienna, Austria
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