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Probst RS, Longino JT, Branstetter MG. Evolutionary déjà vu? A case of convergent evolution in an ant-plant association. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20241214. [PMID: 38981524 PMCID: PMC11334994 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Obligatory ant-plant symbioses often appear to be single evolutionary shifts within particular ant lineages; however, convergence can be revealed once natural history observations are complemented with molecular phylogenetics. Here, we describe a remarkable example of convergent evolution in an ant-plant symbiotic system. Exclusively arboreal, Myrmelachista species can be generalized opportunists nesting in several plant species or obligately symbiotic, live-stem nesters of a narrow set of plant species. Instances of specialization within Myrmelachista are known from northern South America and throughout Middle America. In Middle America, a diverse radiation of specialists occupies understory treelets of lowland rainforests. The morphological and behavioural uniformity of specialists suggests that they form a monophyletic assemblage, diversifying after a single origin of specialization. Using ultraconserved element phylogenomics and ancestral state reconstructions, we show that shifts from opportunistic to obligately symbiotic evolved independently in South and Middle America. Furthermore, our analyses support a remarkable case of convergence within the Middle American radiation, with two independently evolved specialist clades, arising nearly simultaneously from putative opportunistic ancestors during the late Pliocene. This repeated evolution of a complex phenotype suggests similar mechanisms behind trait shifts from opportunists to specialists, generating further questions about the selective forces driving specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo S. Probst
- Science Research Initiative (SRI), College of Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112, USA
| | - John T. Longino
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112, USA
| | - Michael G. Branstetter
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322, USA
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Bruneau A, de Queiroz LP, Ringelberg JJ, Borges LM, Bortoluzzi RLDC, Brown GK, Cardoso DBOS, Clark RP, Conceição ADS, Cota MMT, Demeulenaere E, de Stefano RD, Ebinger JE, Ferm J, Fonseca-Cortés A, Gagnon E, Grether R, Guerra E, Haston E, Herendeen PS, Hernández HM, Hopkins HCF, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Hughes CE, Ickert-Bond SM, Iganci J, Koenen EJM, Lewis GP, de Lima HC, de Lima AG, Luckow M, Marazzi B, Maslin BR, Morales M, Morim MP, Murphy DJ, O’Donnell SA, Oliveira FG, Oliveira ACDS, Rando JG, Ribeiro PG, Ribeiro CL, Santos FDS, Seigler DS, da Silva GS, Simon MF, Soares MVB, Terra V. Advances in Legume Systematics 14. Classification of Caesalpinioideae. Part 2: Higher-level classification. PHYTOKEYS 2024; 240:1-552. [PMID: 38912426 PMCID: PMC11188994 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.240.101716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Caesalpinioideae is the second largest subfamily of legumes (Leguminosae) with ca. 4680 species and 163 genera. It is an ecologically and economically important group formed of mostly woody perennials that range from large canopy emergent trees to functionally herbaceous geoxyles, lianas and shrubs, and which has a global distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. Following the recent re-circumscription of 15 Caesalpinioideae genera as presented in Advances in Legume Systematics 14, Part 1, and using as a basis a phylogenomic analysis of 997 nuclear gene sequences for 420 species and all but five of the genera currently recognised in the subfamily, we present a new higher-level classification for the subfamily. The new classification of Caesalpinioideae comprises eleven tribes, all of which are either new, reinstated or re-circumscribed at this rank: Caesalpinieae Rchb. (27 genera / ca. 223 species), Campsiandreae LPWG (2 / 5-22), Cassieae Bronn (7 / 695), Ceratonieae Rchb. (4 / 6), Dimorphandreae Benth. (4 / 35), Erythrophleeae LPWG (2 /13), Gleditsieae Nakai (3 / 20), Mimoseae Bronn (100 / ca. 3510), Pterogyneae LPWG (1 / 1), Schizolobieae Nakai (8 / 42-43), Sclerolobieae Benth. & Hook. f. (5 / ca. 113). Although many of these lineages have been recognised and named in the past, either as tribes or informal generic groups, their circumscriptions have varied widely and changed over the past decades, such that all the tribes described here differ in generic membership from those previously recognised. Importantly, the approximately 3500 species and 100 genera of the former subfamily Mimosoideae are now placed in the reinstated, but newly circumscribed, tribe Mimoseae. Because of the large size and ecological importance of the tribe, we also provide a clade-based classification system for Mimoseae that includes 17 named lower-level clades. Fourteen of the 100 Mimoseae genera remain unplaced in these lower-level clades: eight are resolved in two grades and six are phylogenetically isolated monogeneric lineages. In addition to the new classification, we provide a key to genera, morphological descriptions and notes for all 163 genera, all tribes, and all named clades. The diversity of growth forms, foliage, flowers and fruits are illustrated for all genera, and for each genus we also provide a distribution map, based on quality-controlled herbarium specimen localities. A glossary for specialised terms used in legume morphology is provided. This new phylogenetically based classification of Caesalpinioideae provides a solid system for communication and a framework for downstream analyses of biogeography, trait evolution and diversification, as well as for taxonomic revision of still understudied genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Bruneau
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale and Département de Sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke E., Montreal (QC) H1X 2B2, CanadaUniversité de MontréalMontrealCanada
| | - Luciano Paganucci de Queiroz
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Jens J. Ringelberg
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UKUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Leonardo M. Borges
- Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Botânica, Rodovia Washington Luís, Km 235, 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São CarlosSão CarlosBrazil
| | - Roseli Lopes da Costa Bortoluzzi
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Produção Vegetal, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias, Avenida Luiz de Camões 2090, 88520-000, Lages, Santa Catarina, BrazilUniversidade do Estado de Santa CatarinaSanta CatarinaBrazil
| | - Gillian K. Brown
- Queensland Herbarium and Biodiversity Science, Department of Environment and Science, Toowong, Queensland, 4066, AustraliaQueensland Herbarium and Biodiversity ScienceToowongAustralia
| | - Domingos B. O. S. Cardoso
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Pacheco Leão 915, 22460-030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Evolução (PPGBioEvo), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Bahia (UFBA), Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s.n., Ondina, 40170-115, Salvador, BA, BrazilUniversidade Federal de BahiaSalvadorBrazil
| | - Ruth P. Clark
- Accelerated Taxonomy Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE, UKRoyal Botanic GardensRichmondUnited Kingdom
| | - Adilva de Souza Conceição
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Diversidade Vegetal, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Herbário HUNEB, Campus VIII, Rua do Gangorra 503, 48608-240, Paulo Afonso, Bahia, BrazilUniversidade do Estado da BahiaBahiaBrazil
| | - Matheus Martins Teixeira Cota
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Else Demeulenaere
- Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, University of Guam, UOG Station, Mangilao, 96923, GuamUniversity of GuamMangilaoGuam
| | - Rodrigo Duno de Stefano
- Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C. (CICY), Calle 43 No. 130 x 32 y 34, Chuburná de Hidalgo; CP 97205, Mérida, Yucatán, MexicoCentro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C.MéridaMexico
| | - John E. Ebinger
- Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920, USAEastern Illinois UniversityCharlestonUnited States of America
| | - Julia Ferm
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, 10691, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Andrés Fonseca-Cortés
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Edeline Gagnon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road, Guelph (ON) N1G 2W1, CanadaRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Chair of Phytopathology, Technical University Munich, 85354 Freising, GermanyUniversity of GuelphGuelphCanada
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UKTechnical University MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Rosaura Grether
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-535, 09340 Ciudad de México, MexicoUniversidad Autónoma Metropolitana-IztapalapaCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - Ethiéne Guerra
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Bloco IV - Prédio 43433, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreBrazil
| | - Elspeth Haston
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UKTechnical University MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Patrick S. Herendeen
- Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022, USAChicago Botanic GardenGlencoeUnited States of America
| | - Héctor M. Hernández
- Departamento de Botánica, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, MexicoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - Helen C. F. Hopkins
- Accelerated Taxonomy Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE, UKRoyal Botanic GardensRichmondUnited Kingdom
| | - Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco
- Herbario Alwyn Gentry (HAG), Universidad Nacional Amazónica de Madre de Dios (UNAMAD), AV. Jorge Chávez N°1160, Madre de Dios, PeruUniversidad Nacional Amazónica de Madre de DiosMadre de DiosPeru
| | - Colin E. Hughes
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, SwitzerlandUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Stefanie M. Ickert-Bond
- Department of Biology & Wildlife & Herbarium (ALA) at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756960, Fairbanks AK 99775-6960, USAUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksUnited States of America
| | - João Iganci
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Bloco IV - Prédio 43433, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreBrazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fisiologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Instituto de Biologia, Campus Universitário Capão do Leão, Passeio André Dreyfus, Departamento de Botânica, Prédio 21, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 96010-900, BrazilUniversidade Federal de PelotasPelotasBrazil
| | - Erik J. M. Koenen
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences, Campus du Solbosch - CP 160/12, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50, 1050 Bruxelles, BelgiumUniversité Libre de BruxellesBruxellesBelgium
| | - Gwilym P. Lewis
- Accelerated Taxonomy Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE, UKRoyal Botanic GardensRichmondUnited Kingdom
| | - Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Pacheco Leão 915, 22460-030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica / INMA-MCTI, Av. José Ruschi, 4, Centro, 29650-000, Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo, BrazilInstituto Nacional da Mata AtlânticaSanta TeresaBrazil
| | - Alexandre Gibau de Lima
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Pacheco Leão 915, 22460-030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenUniversity of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
| | - Melissa Luckow
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, 215 Garden Avenue, Roberts Hall 260, Ithaca, NY 14853, USACornell UniversityIthacaUnited States of America
| | - Brigitte Marazzi
- Natural History Museum of Canton Ticino, Viale C. Cattaneo 4, 6900 Lugano, SwitzerlandNatural History Museum of Canton TicinoLuganoSwitzerland
| | - Bruce R. Maslin
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia, 6983, AustraliaWestern Australian HerbariumBentley Delivery CentreAustralia
- Singapore Herbarium, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore, SingaporeSingapore HerbariumSingaporeSingapore
| | - Matías Morales
- Instituto de Recursos Biológicos, CIRN–CNIA, INTA. N. Repetto & Los Reseros s.n., Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Recursos BiológicosBuenos AiresArgentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290 (C1425FQB), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasCiudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresArgentina
| | - Marli Pires Morim
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Pacheco Leão 915, 22460-030, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInstituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Daniel J. Murphy
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, AustraliaRoyal Botanic Gardens VictoriaVictoriaAustralia
| | - Shawn A. O’Donnell
- Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UKNorthumbria UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Filipe Gomes Oliveira
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Ana Carla da Silva Oliveira
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Juliana Gastaldello Rando
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal do Oeste da Bahia, Rua Professor José Seabra Lemos 316, 47800-021, Barreiras, Bahia, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Oeste da BahiaBarreirasBrazil
| | - Pétala Gomes Ribeiro
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Carolina Lima Ribeiro
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - Felipe da Silva Santos
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Transnordestina s/n, Campus, Novo Horizonte. 44036-900, Feira de Santana, BA, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaFeira de SantanaBrazil
| | - David S. Seigler
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USAUniversity of IllinoisUrbanaUnited States of America
| | - Guilherme Sousa da Silva
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 13083-876, São Paulo/SP, BrazilUniversidade Estadual de CampinasSão PauloBrazil
| | - Marcelo F. Simon
- Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Parque Estação Biológica, Caixa Postal 02372, 70770-917, Brasília/DF, BrazilEmpresa Brasileira de Pesquisa AgropecuáriaBrasíliaBrazil
| | - Marcos Vinícius Batista Soares
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Bloco IV - Prédio 43433, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, BrazilUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreBrazil
| | - Vanessa Terra
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria/RS, BrazilUniversidade Federal de Santa MariaSanta MariaBrazil
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Ghosh Dasgupta M, Senthilkumar S, Muthulakshmi E, Balasubramanian A. The draft genome reveals early duplication event in Pterocarpus santalinus: an endemic timber species. PLANTA 2023; 258:27. [PMID: 37358820 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04190-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION A 541 Mb draft genome of Pterocarpus santalinus is presented and evidence of whole-genome duplication in the Eocene period with expansion of drought responsive gene families is documented. Pterocarpus santalinus Linn. f., popularly known as Red Sanders, is a deciduous tree, endemic to southern parts of Eastern Ghats in India. The heartwood is highly valued in the international market due to its deep red colour, fragrant heartwood and wavy grained texture. In the present study, a high-quality draft genome of P. santalinus was assembled using short and long reads generated from Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Sequencing platforms, respectively. The haploid genome size was estimated at 541 Mb and the hybrid assembly showed 99.60% genome completeness. A total of 51,713 consensus gene set were predicted with 31,437 annotated genes. The age of the whole-genome duplication event in the species was dated at 30-39 mya with 95% confidence suggesting early genome duplication event during the Eocene period. Concurrently, phylogenomic assessment of seven Papilionoideae members including P. santalinus grouped the species based on the tribal classification and established divergence of the tribe Dalbergieae from tribe Trifolieae at ~ 54.20 mya. A significant expansion of water deprivation/drought responsive gene families documented in the study probably explains the occurrence of the species in dry rocky patches. Additionally, re-sequencing of six diverse genotypes predicted one variant every 27 bases. This report presents the first draft genome in the genus Pterocarpus and the unprecedented genomic information generated is expected to accelerate population divergence studies in the species in relation to its endemic nature, support trait-based breeding programme and aid in development of diagnostic tools for timber forensics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Modhumita Ghosh Dasgupta
- Division of Plant Biotechnology and Cytogenetics, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore, 641002, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Shanmugavel Senthilkumar
- Division of Plant Biotechnology and Cytogenetics, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore, 641002, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Eswaran Muthulakshmi
- Division of Plant Biotechnology and Cytogenetics, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore, 641002, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Aiyar Balasubramanian
- Division of Plant Biotechnology and Cytogenetics, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, R.S. Puram, Coimbatore, 641002, Tamil Nadu, India
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Choi IS, Cardoso D, de Queiroz LP, de Lima HC, Lee C, Ruhlman TA, Jansen RK, Wojciechowski MF. Highly Resolved Papilionoid Legume Phylogeny Based on Plastid Phylogenomics. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:823190. [PMID: 35283880 PMCID: PMC8905342 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.823190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Comprising 501 genera and around 14,000 species, Papilionoideae is not only the largest subfamily of Fabaceae (Leguminosae; legumes), but also one of the most extraordinarily diverse clades among angiosperms. Papilionoids are a major source of food and forage, are ecologically successful in all major biomes, and display dramatic variation in both floral architecture and plastid genome (plastome) structure. Plastid DNA-based phylogenetic analyses have greatly improved our understanding of relationships among the major groups of Papilionoideae, yet the backbone of the subfamily phylogeny remains unresolved. In this study, we sequenced and assembled 39 new plastomes that are covering key genera representing the morphological diversity in the subfamily. From 244 total taxa, we produced eight datasets for maximum likelihood (ML) analyses based on entire plastomes and/or concatenated sequences of 77 protein-coding sequences (CDS) and two datasets for multispecies coalescent (MSC) analyses based on individual gene trees. We additionally produced a combined nucleotide dataset comprising CDS plus matK gene sequences only, in which most papilionoid genera were sampled. A ML tree based on the entire plastome maximally supported all of the deep and most recent divergences of papilionoids (223 out of 236 nodes). The Swartzieae, ADA (Angylocalyceae, Dipterygeae, and Amburaneae), Cladrastis, Andira, and Exostyleae clades formed a grade to the remainder of the Papilionoideae, concordant with nine ML and two MSC trees. Phylogenetic relationships among the remaining five papilionoid lineages (Vataireoid, Dermatophyllum, Genistoid s.l., Dalbergioid s.l., and Baphieae + Non-Protein Amino Acid Accumulating or NPAAA clade) remained uncertain, because of insufficient support and/or conflicting relationships among trees. Our study fully resolved most of the deep nodes of Papilionoideae, however, some relationships require further exploration. More genome-scale data and rigorous analyses are needed to disentangle phylogenetic relationships among the five remaining lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- In-Su Choi
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Domingos Cardoso
- National Institute of Science and Technology in Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution (INCT IN-TREE), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Luciano P. de Queiroz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Brazil
| | - Haroldo C. de Lima
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Chaehee Lee
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Tracey A. Ruhlman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Robert K. Jansen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Center of Excellence for Bionanoscience Research, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Fonseca-Cortés A, Sanabria-Baquero E. FIRST RECORD OF Crematogaster carinata (FORMICIDAE) NESTING IN THE FRUITS OF Macropsychanthus (LEGUMINOSAE: PAPILIONOIDEAE). ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2021. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v27n2.90924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the ants that are associated with plants usually nests in vegetative organs such as stems, leaves o petioles. Aiming to contribute to the plant-insect interactions, we report the first record of Crematogaster carinata nesting inside the fruits of Macropsychanthus comosus. We did fieldwork in two localities of department of Antioquia and one of the Bolivar department, we opened 32 pods and determined the insects inside them. We found Crematogaster carinata and a beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) inside. 15 of the 32 pods had ants (47 %), but only seven of them had queens (22 %). The ants left the falling pods. The beetle larvae drilled 15 seeds (14 %). This report points the importance of the research in legume-insect interactions, ant-behavior, trophic webs, and trade-off relationships research.
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Chomicki G, Kiers ET, Renner SS. The Evolution of Mutualistic Dependence. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-024629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
While the importance of mutualisms across the tree of life is recognized, it is not understood why some organisms evolve high levels of dependence on mutualistic partnerships, while other species remain autonomous or retain or regain minimal dependence on partners. We identify four main pathways leading to the evolution of mutualistic dependence. Then, we evaluate current evidence for three predictions: ( a) Mutualisms with different levels of dependence have distinct stabilizing mechanisms against exploitation and cheating, ( b) less dependent mutualists will return to autonomy more often than those that are highly dependent, and ( c) obligate mutualisms should be less context dependent than facultative ones. Although we find evidence supporting all three predictions, we stress that mutualistic partners follow diverse paths toward—and away from—dependence. We also highlight the need to better examine asymmetry in partner dependence. Recognizing how variation in dependence influences the stability, breakdown, and context dependence of mutualisms generates new hypotheses regarding how and why the benefits of mutualistic partnerships differ over time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Department of Bioscience, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - E. Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne S. Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology, University of Munich (LMU), 80638 Munich, Germany
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Hembry DH, Weber MG. Ecological Interactions and Macroevolution: A New Field with Old Roots. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-121505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Linking interspecific interactions (e.g., mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism) to macroevolution (evolutionary change on deep timescales) is a key goal in biology. The role of species interactions in shaping macroevolutionary trajectories has been studied for centuries and remains a cutting-edge topic of current research. However, despite its deep historical roots, classic and current approaches to this topic are highly diverse. Here, we combine historical and contemporary perspectives on the study of ecological interactions in macroevolution, synthesizing ideas across eras to build a zoomed-out picture of the big questions at the nexus of ecology and macroevolution. We discuss the trajectory of this important and challenging field, dividing research into work done before the 1970s, research between 1970 and 2005, and work done since 2005. We argue that in response to long-standing questions in paleobiology, evidence accumulated to date has demonstrated that biotic interactions (including mutualism) can influence lineage diversification and trait evolution over macroevolutionary timescales, and we outline major open questions for future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H. Hembry
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Marjorie G. Weber
- Department of Plant Biology; Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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8
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Does fertilization with dehydrated sewage sludge affect Terminalia argentea (Combretaceae) and associated arthropods community in a degraded area? Sci Rep 2020; 10:11811. [PMID: 32678241 PMCID: PMC7367274 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68747-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrients from dehydrated sewage sludge play an essential role in the development of many plants such as Terminalia argentea, in the recovery of degraded areas. The aims were to assess the abundance, diversity and species richness of phytophagous, pollinators and predators arthropods, as well as the percentage of defoliation of T. argentea trees, fertilized (or not) with dehydrated sewage sludge in a degraded area. The abundance, diversity and species richness of phytophagous Coleoptera and total predators (predator insects + protocooperating ants + spiders); abundance and species richness of Diptera, pollinator insects, spiders, and predators (predator insects + spiders) were higher on trees fertilized with dehydrated sewage sludge. The abundance of phytophagous Coleoptera declined with the presence of phytophagous Hemiptera and protocooperating ants; population of phytophagous Orthoptera declined in response to phytophagous Coleoptera and total predators; the numbers of the leafminer Lyriomyza sp. directly increased with the numbers of spiders. The ecological indices of phytophagous, pollinators, and predator arthopods increased on Terminalia argentea trees fertilized with dehydrated sewage sludge; such a better ecological indices in fertilized than in unfertilized trees, show it more suitable for the recovery of degraded areas. We discuss the competition between phytophagous insects groups as well as herbivory reduction by predators.
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Pearse IS, LoPresti E, Schaeffer RN, Wetzel WC, Mooney KA, Ali JG, Ode PJ, Eubanks MD, Bronstein JL, Weber MG. Generalising indirect defence and resistance of plants. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1137-1152. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian S. Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center 2150 Centre Ave #C Ft Collins CO 80526 USA
| | - Eric LoPresti
- Department of Plant Biology Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Program Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | | | - William C. Wetzel
- Department of Entomology and Ecology Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Program Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - Kailen A. Mooney
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Irvine, CA USA
| | - Jared G. Ali
- Department of Entomology Penn State University State College PA USA
| | - Paul J. Ode
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Department of Bioagricultural Science and Pest Management Colorado State University Fort Collins CO 80523 USA
| | - Micky D. Eubanks
- Department of Entomology Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
| | - Judith L. Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721 USA
| | - Marjorie G. Weber
- Department of Plant Biology Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Program Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
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10
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Pringle EG. Convergence, constraint and the potential for mutualism between ants and gut microbes. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:699-702. [PMID: 30811772 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ants are a hugely diverse family of eusocial insects that dominate terrestrial ecosystems all over the planet. Did mutualistic gut microbes help ants to achieve their diversity and ecological dominance? Initial studies suggested the potential for widespread convergence in ant gut bacterial communities based on dietary niche, but it now seems possible that dedicated bacterial symbionts are restricted to a minority of ant lineages (Russell et al., ). Nevertheless, as most ants are omnivores, the evidence so far has suggested a broad, positive correlation between the evolution of dietary specialization and ant investment in nutrient-provisioning gut bacteria. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Sapountzis et al. () and Rubin et al. () examine the evolution of gut bacterial communities in two iconic ant taxa-the attine fungus farmers and the Pseudomyrmex plant bodyguards, respectively-in a comparative context. By comparing gut bacteria between ant species of differing dietary specialization within each taxon, these studies demonstrate a hint of convergence in the midst of widespread apparent constraints. These results raise numerous interesting questions about the nature of these apparent constraints and whether they are causes or consequences of varying investment by ants to mutualism with their gut microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Pringle
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
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11
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Chomicki G, Weber M, Antonelli A, Bascompte J, Kiers ET. The Impact of Mutualisms on Species Richness. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:698-711. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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Hartke J, Sprenger PP, Sahm J, Winterberg H, Orivel J, Baur H, Beuerle T, Schmitt T, Feldmeyer B, Menzel F. Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:9160-9176. [PMID: 31463013 PMCID: PMC6706187 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon advances in sequencing techniques, more and more morphologically identical organisms are identified as cryptic species. Often, mutualistic interactions are proposed as drivers of diversification. Species of the neotropical parabiotic ant association between Crematogaster levior and Camponotus femoratus are known for highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles, which in insects serve as desiccation barrier but also as communication cues. In the present study, we investigated the association of the ants' CHC profiles with genotypes and morphological traits, and discovered cryptic species pairs in both genera. To assess putative niche differentiation between the cryptic species, we conducted an environmental association study that included various climate variables, canopy cover, and mutualistic plant species. Although mostly sympatric, the two Camponotus species seem to prefer different climate niches. However in the two Crematogaster species, we could not detect any differences in niche preference. The strong differentiation in the CHC profiles may thus suggest a possible role during speciation itself either by inducing assortative mating or by reinforcing sexual selection after the speciation event. We did not detect any further niche differences in the environmental parameters tested. Thus, it remains open how the cryptic species avoid competitive exclusion, with scope for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Hartke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
| | - Philipp P. Sprenger
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Jacqueline Sahm
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
- Present address:
Department of Evolutionary Animal EcologyUniversity of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | - Helena Winterberg
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane)Kourou CedexFrance
| | - Hannes Baur
- Department of InvertebratesNatural History Museum BernBernSwitzerland
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Till Beuerle
- Institute of Pharmaceutical BiologyUniversity of Technology BraunschweigBraunschweigGermany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical BiologyUniversity of WürzburgWürzburgGermany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular EvolutionJohannes‐Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
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Vieira GA, Prosdocimi F. Accessible molecular phylogenomics at no cost: obtaining 14 new mitogenomes for the ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae from public data. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6271. [PMID: 30697483 PMCID: PMC6348091 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The advent of Next Generation Sequencing has reduced sequencing costs and increased genomic projects from a huge amount of organismal taxa, generating an unprecedented amount of genomic datasets publicly available. Often, only a tiny fraction of outstanding relevance of the genomic data produced by researchers is used in their works. This fact allows the data generated to be recycled in further projects worldwide. The assembly of complete mitogenomes is frequently overlooked though it is useful to understand evolutionary relationships among taxa, especially those presenting poor mtDNA sampling at the level of genera and families. This is exactly the case for ants (Hymenoptera:Formicidae) and more specifically for the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae, a group of arboreal ants with several cases of convergent coevolution without any complete mitochondrial sequence available. In this work, we assembled, annotated and performed comparative genomics analyses of 14 new complete mitochondria from Pseudomyrmecinae species relying solely on public datasets available from the Sequence Read Archive (SRA). We used all complete mitogenomes available for ants to study the gene order conservation and also to generate two phylogenetic trees using both (i) concatenated set of 13 mitochondrial genes and (ii) the whole mitochondrial sequences. Even though the tree topologies diverged subtly from each other (and from previous studies), our results confirm several known relationships and generate new evidences for sister clade classification inside Pseudomyrmecinae clade. We also performed a synteny analysis for Formicidae and identified possible sites in which nucleotidic insertions happened in mitogenomes of pseudomyrmecine ants. Using a data mining/bioinformatics approach, the current work increased the number of complete mitochondrial genomes available for ants from 15 to 29, demonstrating the unique potential of public databases for mitogenomics studies. The wide applications of mitogenomes in research and presence of mitochondrial data in different public dataset types makes the "no budget mitogenomics" approach ideal for comprehensive molecular studies, especially for subsampled taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel A. Vieira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Francisco Prosdocimi
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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14
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Antonelli A, Ariza M, Albert J, Andermann T, Azevedo J, Bacon C, Faurby S, Guedes T, Hoorn C, Lohmann LG, Matos-Maraví P, Ritter CD, Sanmartín I, Silvestro D, Tejedor M, ter Steege H, Tuomisto H, Werneck FP, Zizka A, Edwards SV. Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5644. [PMID: 30310740 PMCID: PMC6174874 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The unparalleled biodiversity found in the American tropics (the Neotropics) has attracted the attention of naturalists for centuries. Despite major advances in recent years in our understanding of the origin and diversification of many Neotropical taxa and biotic regions, many questions remain to be answered. Additional biological and geological data are still needed, as well as methodological advances that are capable of bridging these research fields. In this review, aimed primarily at advanced students and early-career scientists, we introduce the concept of "trans-disciplinary biogeography," which refers to the integration of data from multiple areas of research in biology (e.g., community ecology, phylogeography, systematics, historical biogeography) and Earth and the physical sciences (e.g., geology, climatology, palaeontology), as a means to reconstruct the giant puzzle of Neotropical biodiversity and evolution in space and time. We caution against extrapolating results derived from the study of one or a few taxa to convey general scenarios of Neotropical evolution and landscape formation. We urge more coordination and integration of data and ideas among disciplines, transcending their traditional boundaries, as a basis for advancing tomorrow's ground-breaking research. Our review highlights the great opportunities for studying the Neotropical biota to understand the evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Antonelli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Organismic Biology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - María Ariza
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Laboratory Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Team “Ecologie, Evolution, Symbiose”, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - James Albert
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA
| | - Tobias Andermann
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Josué Azevedo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christine Bacon
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Søren Faurby
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Thais Guedes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Federal University of São Paulo, Diadema, Brazil
- Museum of Zoology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carina Hoorn
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Universidad Regional Amazonica IKIAM, Napo, Ecuador
| | - Lúcia G. Lohmann
- Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Pável Matos-Maraví
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Camila D. Ritter
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marcelo Tejedor
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología, Puerto Madryn, Guatemala
| | - Hans ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Systems Ecology, Free University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hanna Tuomisto
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Alexander Zizka
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Scott V. Edwards
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Organismic Biology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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15
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Rubin BER, Kautz S, Wray BD, Moreau CS. Dietary specialization in mutualistic acacia-ants affects relative abundance but not identity of host-associated bacteria. Mol Ecol 2018; 28:900-916. [PMID: 30106217 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Acacia-ant mutualists in the genus Pseudomyrmex nest obligately in acacia plants and, as we show through stable isotope analysis, feed at a remarkably low trophic level. Insects with diets such as these sometimes depend on bacterial symbionts for nutritional enrichment. We, therefore, examine the bacterial communities associated with acacia-ants in order to determine whether they host bacterial partners likely to contribute to their nutrition. Despite large differences in trophic position, acacia-ants and related species with generalized diets do not host distinct bacterial taxa. However, we find that a small number of previously undescribed bacterial taxa do differ in relative abundance between acacia-ants and generalists, including several Acetobacteraceae and Nocardiaceae lineages related to common insect associates. Comparisons with an herbivorous generalist, a parasite that feeds on acacias and a mutualistic species with a generalized diet show that trophic level is likely responsible for these small differences in bacterial community structure. While we did not experimentally test for a nutritional benefit to hosts of these bacterial lineages, metagenomic analysis reveals a Bartonella relative with an intact nitrogen-recycling pathway widespread across Pseudomyrmex mutualists and generalists. This taxon may be contributing to nitrogen enrichment of its ant hosts through urease activity and, concordant with an obligately host-associated lifestyle, appears to be experiencing genomewide relaxed selection. The lack of distinctiveness in bacterial communities across trophic level in this group of ants shows a remarkable ability to adjust to varied diets, possibly with assistance from these diverse ant-specific bacterial lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin E R Rubin
- Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Stefanie Kautz
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Brian D Wray
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Corrie S Moreau
- Department of Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois
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16
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Wood CW, Pilkington BL, Vaidya P, Biel C, Stinchcombe JR. Genetic conflict with a parasitic nematode disrupts the legume-rhizobia mutualism. Evol Lett 2018; 2:233-245. [PMID: 30283679 PMCID: PMC6121810 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation for partner quality in mutualisms is an evolutionary paradox. One possible resolution to this puzzle is that there is a tradeoff between partner quality and other fitness‐related traits. Here, we tested whether susceptibility to parasitism is one such tradeoff in the mutualism between legumes and nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (rhizobia). We performed two greenhouse experiments with the legume Medicago truncatula. In the first, we inoculated each plant with the rhizobia Ensifer meliloti and with one of 40 genotypes of the parasitic root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla. In the second experiment, we inoculated all plants with rhizobia and half of the plants with a genetically variable population of nematodes. Using the number of nematode galls as a proxy for infection severity, we found that plant genotypes differed in susceptibility to nematode infection, and nematode genotypes differed in infectivity. Second, we showed that there was a genetic correlation between the number of mutualistic structures formed by rhizobia (nodules) and the number of parasitic structures formed by nematodes (galls). Finally, we found that nematodes disrupt the rhizobia mutualism: nematode‐infected plants formed fewer nodules and had less nodule biomass than uninfected plants. Our results demonstrate that there is genetic conflict between attracting rhizobia and repelling nematodes in Medicago. If genetic conflict with parasitism is a general feature of mutualism, it could account for the maintenance of genetic variation in partner quality and influence the evolutionary dynamics of positive species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corlett W Wood
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Bonnie L Pilkington
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Priya Vaidya
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - Caroline Biel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada.,Koffler Scientific Reserve University of Toronto Toronto Ontario M5S3B2 Canada
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17
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Baker CCM, Martins DJ, Pelaez JN, Billen JPJ, Pringle A, Frederickson ME, Pierce NE. Distinctive fungal communities in an obligate African ant-plant mutualism. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2501. [PMID: 28298347 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Three ant species nest obligately in the swollen-thorn domatia of the African ant-plant Vachellia (Acacia) drepanolobium, a model system for the study of ant-defence mutualisms and species coexistence. Here we report on the characteristic fungal communities generated by these ant species in their domatia. First, we describe behavioural differences between the ant species when presented with a cultured fungal isolate in the laboratory. Second, we use DNA metabarcoding to show that each ant species has a distinctive fungal community in its domatia, and that these communities remain characteristic of the ant species over two Kenyan sampling locations separated by 190 km. Third, we find that DNA extracted from female alates of Tetraponera penzigi and Crematogaster nigriceps contained matches for most of the fungal metabarcodes from those ant species' domatia, respectively. Fungal hyphae and other debris are also visible in sections of these alates' infrabuccal pockets. Collectively, our results indicate that domatium fungal communities are associated with the ant species occupying the tree. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of such ant-specific fungal community-level differences on the same myrmecophytic host species. These differences may be shaped by ant behaviour in the domatia, and by ants vectoring fungi when they disperse to establish new colonies. The roles of the fungi with respect to the ants and their host plant remain to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C M Baker
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Dino J Martins
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki 10400, Kenya.,Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, N 507 Social and Behavioural Sciences, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Julianne N Pelaez
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Johan P J Billen
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59 - Box 2466, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anne Pringle
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.,Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Megan E Frederickson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
| | - Naomi E Pierce
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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18
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Chomicki G, Renner SS. The interactions of ants with their biotic environment. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0013. [PMID: 28298352 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This special feature results from the symposium 'Ants 2016: ant interactions with their biotic environments' held in Munich in May 2016 and deals with the interactions between ants and other insects, plants, microbes and fungi, studied at micro- and macroevolutionary levels with a wide range of approaches, from field ecology to next-generation sequencing, chemical ecology and molecular genetics. In this paper, we review key aspects of these biotic interactions to provide background information for the papers of this special feature After listing the major types of biotic interactions that ants engage in, we present a brief overview of ant/ant communication, ant/plant interactions, ant/fungus symbioses, and recent insights about ants and their endosymbionts. Using a large molecular clock-dated Formicidae phylogeny, we map the evolutionary origins of different ant clades' interactions with plants, fungi and hemiptera. Ants' biotic interactions provide ideal systems to address fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions about mutualism, coevolution, adaptation and animal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Strasse 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Strasse 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
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19
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Chomicki G, Janda M, Renner SS. The assembly of ant-farmed gardens: mutualism specialization following host broadening. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.1759. [PMID: 28298344 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ant-gardens (AGs) are ant/plant mutualisms in which ants farm epiphytes in return for nest space and food rewards. They occur in the Neotropics and Australasia, but not in Africa, and their evolutionary assembly remains unclear. We here use phylogenetic frameworks for important AG lineages in Australasia, namely the ant genus Philidris and domatium-bearing ferns (Lecanopteris) and flowering plants in the Apocynaceae (Hoya and Dischidia) and Rubiaceae (Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Anthorrhiza, Myrmephytum and Squamellaria). Our analyses revealed that in these clades, diaspore dispersal by ants evolved at least 13 times, five times in the Late Miocene and Pliocene in Australasia and seven times during the Pliocene in Southeast Asia, after Philidris ants had arrived there, with subsequent dispersal between these two areas. A uniquely specialized AG system evolved in Fiji at the onset of the Quaternary. The farming in the same AG of epiphytes that do not offer nest spaces suggests that a broadening of the ants' plant host spectrum drove the evolution of additional domatium-bearing AG-epiphytes by selecting on pre-adapted morphological traits. Consistent with this, we found a statistical correlation between the evolution of diaspore dispersal by ants and domatia in all three lineages. Our study highlights how host broadening by a symbiont has led to new farming mutualisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
| | - Milan Janda
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branisovska 31, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica, ENES, UNAM, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Morelia, Mexico
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
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20
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Vasse M, Voglmayr H, Mayer V, Gueidan C, Nepel M, Moreno L, de Hoog S, Selosse MA, McKey D, Blatrix R. A phylogenetic perspective on the association between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and black yeasts (Ascomycota: Chaetothyriales). Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2519. [PMID: 28298348 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The frequency and the geographical extent of symbiotic associations between ants and fungi of the order Chaetothyriales have been highlighted only recently. Using a phylogenetic approach based on seven molecular markers, we showed that ant-associated Chaetothyriales are scattered through the phylogeny of this order. There was no clustering according to geographical origin or to the taxonomy of the ant host. However, strains tended to be clustered according to the type of association with ants: strains from ant-made carton and strains from plant cavities occupied by ants ('domatia') rarely clustered together. Defining molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) with an internal transcribed spacer sequence similarity cut-off of 99% revealed that a single MOTU could be composed of strains collected from various ant species and from several continents. Some ant-associated MOTUs also contained strains isolated from habitats other than ant-associated structures. Altogether, our results suggest that the degree of specialization of the interactions between ants and their fungal partners is highly variable. A better knowledge of the ecology of these interactions and a more comprehensive sampling of the fungal order are needed to elucidate the evolutionary history of mutualistic symbioses between ants and Chaetothyriales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Vasse
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Hermann Voglmayr
- Division of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Veronika Mayer
- Division of Structural and Functional Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Cécile Gueidan
- National Facilities and Collections, National Research Collections Australia, Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, PO Box 1700, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Maximilian Nepel
- Division of Structural and Functional Botany, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Wien, Austria.,Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leandro Moreno
- CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sybren de Hoog
- CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, PO Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc-André Selosse
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 Rue Cuvier (CP50), 75005 Paris, France.,Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdansk, ul. Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Doyle McKey
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Rumsaïs Blatrix
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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21
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Hutchinson MC, Cagua EF, Stouffer DB. Cophylogenetic signal is detectable in pollination interactions across ecological scales. Ecology 2017; 98:2640-2652. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C. Hutchinson
- Center for Integrative Ecology; School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800 Christchurch New Zealand
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; 106A Guyot Hall Princeton New Jersey 08540 USA
| | - Edgar Fernando Cagua
- Center for Integrative Ecology; School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800 Christchurch New Zealand
| | - Daniel B. Stouffer
- Center for Integrative Ecology; School of Biological Sciences; University of Canterbury; Private Bag 4800 Christchurch New Zealand
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22
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Mutualisms Are Not on the Verge of Breakdown. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:727-734. [PMID: 28739078 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Mutualisms teeter on a knife-edge between conflict and cooperation, or so the conventional wisdom goes. The costs and benefits of mutualism often depend on the abiotic or biotic context in which an interaction occurs, and experimental manipulations can induce shifts in interaction outcomes from mutualism all the way to parasitism. Yet, research suggests that mutualisms rarely turn parasitic in nature. Similarly, despite the potential for 'cheating' to undermine mutualism evolution, empirical evidence for fitness conflicts between partners and, thus, selection for cheating in mutualisms is scant. Furthermore, mutualism seldom leads to parasitism at macroevolutionary timescales. Thus, I argue here that mutualisms do not deserve their reputation for ecological and evolutionary instability, and are not on the verge of breakdown.
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Gutiérrez-Valencia J, Chomicki G, Renner SS. Recurrent breakdowns of mutualisms with ants in the neotropical ant-plant genus Cecropia (Urticaceae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 111:196-205. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Eiserhardt WL, Couvreur TLP, Baker WJ. Plant phylogeny as a window on the evolution of hyperdiversity in the tropical rainforest biome. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:1408-1422. [PMID: 28277624 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. References SUMMARY: Tropical rainforest (TRF) is the most species-rich terrestrial biome on Earth, harbouring just under half of the world's plant species in c. 7% of the land surface. Phylogenetic trees provide important insights into mechanisms underpinning TRF hyperdiversity that are complementary to those obtained from the fossil record. Phylogenetic studies of TRF plant diversity have mainly focused on whether this biome is an evolutionary 'cradle' or 'museum', emphasizing speciation and extinction rates. However, other explanations, such as biome age, immigration and ecological limits, must also be considered. We present a conceptual framework for addressing the drivers of TRF diversity, and review plant studies that have tested them with phylogenetic data. Although surprisingly few in number, these studies point to old age of TRF, low extinction and high speciation rates as credible drivers of TRF hyperdiversity. There is less evidence for immigration and ecological limits, but these cannot be dismissed owing to the limited number of studies. Rapid methodological developments in DNA sequencing, macroevolutionary analysis and the integration of phylogenetics with other disciplines may improve our grasp of TRF hyperdiversity in the future. However, such advances are critically dependent on fundamental systematic research, yielding numerous, additional, well-sampled phylogenies of TRF lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas L P Couvreur
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR DIADE, F-34394, Montpellier, France
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25
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Luo SX, Yao G, Wang Z, Zhang D, Hembry DH. A Novel, Enigmatic Basal Leafflower Moth Lineage Pollinating a Derived Leafflower Host Illustrates the Dynamics of Host Shifts, Partner Replacement, and Apparent Coadaptation in Intimate Mutualisms. Am Nat 2017; 189:422-435. [PMID: 28350503 DOI: 10.1086/690623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Leafflower plant/leafflower moth brood pollination mutualisms are widespread in the Paleotropics. Leafflower moths pollinate leafflower plants, but their larvae consume a subset of the hosts' seeds. These interactions are highly phylogenetically constrained: six clades of leafflower plants are each associated with a unique clade of leafflower moths (Epicephala). Here, we report a previously unrecognized basal seventh pollinating Epicephala lineage-associated with the highly derived leafflower clade Glochidion-in Asia. Epicephala lanceolaria is a pollinator and seed predator of Glochidion lanceolarium. Phylogenetic inference indicates that the ancestor of E. lanceolaria most likely shifted onto the ancestor of G. lanceolarium and displaced the ancestral allospecific Epicephala pollinator in at least some host populations. The unusual and apparently coadapted aspects of the G. lanceolarium/E. lanceolaria reproductive cycles suggest that plant-pollinator coevolution may have played a role in this displacement and provide insights into the dynamics of host shifts and trait coevolution in this specialized mutualism.
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26
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Partner abundance controls mutualism stability and the pace of morphological change over geologic time. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3951-3956. [PMID: 28341706 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1616837114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutualisms that involve symbioses among specialized partners may be more stable than mutualisms among generalists, and theoretical models predict that in many mutualisms, partners exert reciprocal stabilizing selection on traits directly involved in the interaction. A corollary is that mutualism breakdown should increase morphological rates of evolution. We here use the largest ant-plant clade (Hydnophytinae), with different levels of specialization for mutualistic ant symbionts, to study the ecological context of mutualism breakdown and the response of a key symbiosis-related trait, domatium entrance hole size, which filters symbionts by size. Our analyses support three predictions from mutualism theory. First, all 12 losses apparently only occur from a generalist symbiotic state. Second, mutualism losses occurred where symbionts are scarce, in our system at high altitudes. Third, domatium entrance hole size barely changes in specialized symbiotic species, but evolves rapidly once symbiosis with ants has broken down, with a "morphorate map" revealing that hotspots of entrance hole evolution are clustered in high-altitude areas. Our study reveals that mutualistic strategy profoundly affects the pace of morphological change in traits involved in the interaction and suggests that shifts in partners' relative abundances may frequently drive reversions of generalist mutualisms to autonomy.
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27
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Ward PS, Branstetter MG. The acacia ants revisited: convergent evolution and biogeographic context in an iconic ant/plant mutualism. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20162569. [PMID: 28298350 PMCID: PMC5360922 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses can enhance our understanding of multispecies interactions by placing the origin and evolution of such interactions in a temporal and geographical context. We use a phylogenomic approach-ultraconserved element sequence capture-to investigate the evolutionary history of an iconic multispecies mutualism: Neotropical acacia ants (Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus group) and their associated Vachellia hostplants. In this system, the ants receive shelter and food from the host plant, and they aggressively defend the plant against herbivores and competing plants. We confirm the existence of two separate lineages of obligate acacia ants that convergently occupied Vachellia and evolved plant-protecting behaviour, from timid ancestors inhabiting dead twigs in rainforest. The more diverse of the two clades is inferred to have arisen in the Late Miocene in northern Mesoamerica, and subsequently expanded its range throughout much of Central America. The other lineage is estimated to have originated in southern Mesoamerica about 3 Myr later, apparently piggy-backing on the pre-existing mutualism. Initiation of the Pseudomyrmex/Vachellia interaction involved a shift in the ants from closed to open habitats, into an environment with more intense plant herbivory. Comparative studies of the two lineages of mutualists should provide insight into the essential features binding this mutualism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip S Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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28
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Branstetter MG, Longino JT, Ward PS, Faircloth BC. Enriching the ant tree of life: enhanced UCE bait set for genome‐scale phylogenetics of ants and other Hymenoptera. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael G. Branstetter
- Department of Biology University of Utah 257 South 1400 East Salt Lake City UT 84112 USA
- Department of Entomology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution PO Box 37012, 10th & Constitution Aves. NW Washington D.C. 20560 USA
| | - John T. Longino
- Department of Biology University of Utah 257 South 1400 East Salt Lake City UT 84112 USA
| | - Philip S. Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology University of California, Davis One Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616 USA
| | - Brant C. Faircloth
- Department of Biological Sciences and Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA 70803 USA
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29
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Ability to reorient is weakly correlated with central-place versus non-central-place foraging in acacia ants. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2262-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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30
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Chomicki G, Staedler YM, Schönenberger J, Renner SS. Partner choice through concealed floral sugar rewards evolved with the specialization of ant-plant mutualisms. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 211:1358-1370. [PMID: 27159681 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Obligate mutualisms require filtering mechanisms to prevent their exploitation by opportunists, but ecological contexts and traits facilitating the evolution of such mechanisms are largely unknown. We investigated the evolution of filtering mechanisms in an epiphytic ant-plant symbiotic system in Fiji involving Rubiaceae and dolichoderine ants, using field experiments, metabolomics, X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning and phylogenetics. We discovered a novel plant reward consisting of sugary sap concealed in post-anthetic flowers only accessible to Philidris nagasau workers that bite through the thick epidermis. In five of the six species of Rubiaceae obligately inhabited by this ant, the nectar glands functioned for 10 d after a flower's sexual function was over. Sugar metabolomics and field experiments showed that ant foraging tracks sucrose levels, which only drop at the onset of fruit development. Ontogenetic analyses of our focal species and their relatives revealed a 25-fold increase in nectary size and delayed fruit development in the ant-rewarding species, and Bayesian analyses of several traits showed the correlated evolution of sugar rewards and symbiosis specialization. Concealed floral nectar forestalls exploitation by opportunists (generalist ants) and stabilizes these obligate mutualisms. Our study pinpoints the importance of partner choice mechanisms in transitions from facultative to obligate mutualisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology, University of Munich, 67 Menzinger Str., 80638, Munich, Germany
| | - Yannick M Staedler
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jürg Schönenberger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology, University of Munich, 67 Menzinger Str., 80638, Munich, Germany
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Chomicki G, Renner SS. Evolutionary Relationships and Biogeography of the Ant-Epiphytic Genus Squamellaria (Rubiaceae: Psychotrieae) and Their Taxonomic Implications. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151317. [PMID: 27028599 PMCID: PMC4814088 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological research on ant/plant symbioses in Fiji, combined with molecular phylogenetics, has brought to light four new species of Squamellaria in the subtribe Hydnophytinae of the Rubiaceae tribe Psychotrieae and revealed that four other species, previously in Hydnophytum, need to be transferred to Squamellaria. The diagnoses of the new species are based on morphological and DNA traits, with further insights from microCT scanning of flowers and leaf δ13C ratios (associated with Crassulacean acid metabolism). Our field and phylogenetic work results in a new circumscription of the genus Squamellaria, which now contains 12 species (to which we also provide a taxonomic key), not 3 as in the last revision. A clock-dated phylogeny and a model-testing biogeographic framework were used to infer the broader geographic history of rubiaceous ant plants in the Pacific, specifically the successive expansion of Squamellaria to Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. The colonization of Vanuatu may have occurred from Fiji, when these islands were still in the same insular arc, while the colonization of the Solomon islands may have occurred after the separation of this island from the Fiji/Vanuatu arc. Some of these ant-housing epiphytes must have dispersed with their specialized ants, for instance attached to floating timber. Others acquired new ant symbionts on different islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Chomicki
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Susanne S. Renner
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, University of Munich (LMU), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, Munich, Germany
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