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Hansen AK, Argondona JA, Miao S, Percy DM, Degnan PH. Rapid Loss of Nutritional Symbionts in an Endemic Hawaiian Herbivore Radiation Is Associated with Plant Galling Habit. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae190. [PMID: 39238368 PMCID: PMC11425488 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores frequently cospeciate with symbionts that enable them to survive on nutritionally unbalanced diets. While ancient symbiont gain and loss events have been pivotal for insect diversification and feeding niche specialization, evidence of recent events is scarce. We examine the recent loss of nutritional symbionts (in as little as 1 MY) in sap-feeding Pariaconus, an endemic Hawaiian insect genus that has undergone adaptive radiation, evolving various galling and free-living ecologies on a single host-plant species, Metrosideros polymorpha within the last ∼5 MY. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, we investigated the bacterial microbiomes of 19 Pariaconus species and identified distinct symbiont profiles associated with specific host-plant ecologies. Phylogenetic analyses and metagenomic reconstructions revealed significant differences in microbial diversity and functions among psyllids with different host-plant ecologies. Within a few millions of years, Pariaconus species convergently evolved the closed-gall habit twice. This shift to enclosed galls coincided with the loss of the Morganella-like symbiont that provides the essential amino acid arginine to free-living and open-gall sister species. After the Pariaconus lineage left Kauai and colonized younger islands, both open- and closed-gall species lost the Dickeya-like symbiont. This symbiont is crucial for synthesizing essential amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and lysine) as well as B vitamins in free-living species. The recurrent loss of these symbionts in galling species reinforces evidence that galls are nutrient sinks and, combined with the rapidity of the evolutionary timeline, highlights the dynamic role of insect-symbiont relationships during the diversification of feeding ecologies. We propose new Candidatus names for the novel Morganella-like and Dickeya-like symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jacob A Argondona
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Sen Miao
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Diana M Percy
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Patrick H Degnan
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
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2
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Mizuki M, Kaneko Y, Yukie Y, Suyama Y, Hirota SK, Sawa S, Kubo M, Yamawo A, Sasabe M, Ikeda H. Evolution of secondary metabolites, morphological structures and associated gene expression patterns in galls induced by four closely related aphid species on a host plant species. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17466. [PMID: 39022998 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17466] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Gall-forming insects induce various types of galls on their host plants by altering gene expression in host plant organs, and recent studies have been conducted for gene expression in galls. However, the evolutionary trajectories of gene expression patterns and the resulting phenotypes have not yet been studied using multiple related species. We investigated the speciation and the diversification process of galls induced by four closely related aphid species (Hormaphidini) on a host plant species (Hamamelis japonica) by examining the phylogenetic congruence between the geographical divergences of aphids and the host plant, and by comparing their gene expression patterns and resulting phenotypes. Phylogenetic analysis of aphids and the host plant showed that geographical isolation among host plant populations has interrupted gene flow in aphids and accelerated the speciation process. The concentration of phenolics and the complexity of the internal structure of galls were correlated with the expression levels of genes for the biosynthesis of phenolics and morphogenesis respectively. These results suggest that the expression levels of genes for the biosynthesis of phenolics and morphogenesis have evolutionarily increased in galls accelerated by the speciation process of aphids due to the distribution change of the host plant, leading to the related phenotypic evolution. Our study showed the evolutionary process of phenotypic traits in galls in the wild from both gene expression and actual phenotype levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayu Mizuki
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
- Ina Research Inc., Ina, Nagano, Japan
| | - Yohei Kaneko
- Fukuoka Institute of Health and Environmental Sciences, Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Japan
| | | | - Yoshihisa Suyama
- Field Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Shun K Hirota
- Field Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Osaki, Miyagi, Japan
- Botanical Gardens, Osaka Metropolitan University, Katano City, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinichiro Sawa
- International Research Center for Agricultural and Environmental Biology (IRCAEB), Kumamoto Universrity | International Research Organization for Advanced Science and Technology (IROAST), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Minoru Kubo
- Center for Digital Green-Innovation, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
| | - Akira Yamawo
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Michiko Sasabe
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ikeda
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Luna D, Mohanbabu N, Johnson J, Althoff DM. Host use by 2 sibling species of bogus yucca moths in relation to plant hardness and saponin content. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:659-666. [PMID: 37338184 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Plant defenses allow plants to deter or kill their insect herbivores and are considered to be a major driver of host use for herbivorous insects in both ecological and evolutionary time. Many closely related species of insect herbivores differ in their ability to respond to plant defenses and in some cases are specialized to specific plant species. Here we tested whether both mechanical and chemical plant defenses are a major factor in determining the host range of 2 sibling species of Prodoxid bogus yucca moths, Prodoxus decipiens (Riley) and Prodoxus quinquepunctellus (Chambers) that feed within the inflorescence stalk of Yucca species. These 2 moth species have separate suites of host plant species, yet narrowly overlap geographically and share 1 Yucca species, Y. glauca. We surveyed the lignin and cellulose content, the force required to the puncture the stalk tissue, and saponin concentration across 5 Yucca species used as hosts. Lignin, cellulose concentrations, and stalk hardness differed among Yucca species but did not correlate with host use patterns by the moths. Saponin concentrations in the stalk tissue were relatively low for yuccas (<1%) and did not differ among species. The results suggest that these moth species should be able to use each other's hosts for egg deposition. Additional factors such as larval development or competition among larvae for feeding space may serve to keep moth species from expanding onto plants used by its sibling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Luna
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Neha Mohanbabu
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Josiah Johnson
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aikens, SC, USA
| | - David M Althoff
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
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Guiguet A, McCartney NB, Gilbert KJ, Tooker JF, Deans AR, Ali JG, Hines HM. Extreme acidity in a cynipid gall: a potential new defensive strategy against natural enemies. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20220513. [PMID: 36855854 PMCID: PMC9975648 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0513] [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: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The morphology of insect-induced galls contributes to defences of the gall-inducing insect species against its natural enemies. In terms of gall chemistry, the only defensive compounds thus far identified in galls are tannins that accumulate in many galls, preventing damage by herbivores. Intrigued by the fruit-like appearance of the translucent oak gall (TOG; Amphibolips nubilipennis, Cynipidae, Hymenoptera) induced on red oak (Quercus rubra), we hypothesized that its chemical composition may deviate from other galls. We found that the pH of the gall is between 2 and 3, making it among the lowest pH levels found in plant tissues. We examined the organic acid content of TOG and compared it to fruits and other galls using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Malic acid, an acid with particularly high abundance in apples, represents 66% of the organic acid detected in TOGs. The concentration of malic acid was two times higher than in other galls and in apples. Gall histology showed that the acid-containing cells were enlarged and vacuolized just like fruits mesocarp cells. Accumulation of organic acid in gall tissues is convergent with fruit morphology and may constitute a new defensive strategy against predators and parasitoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Guiguet
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Nathaniel B. McCartney
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
- Center for Chemical Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Kadeem J. Gilbert
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - John F. Tooker
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Andrew R. Deans
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Jared G. Ali
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
- Center for Chemical Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Heather M. Hines
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
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Michell CT, Wagner N, Mutanen M, Lee KM, Nyman T. Genomic evidence for contrasting patterns of host-associated genetic differentiation across shared host-plant species in leaf- and bud-galling sawflies. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:1791-1809. [PMID: 36626108 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Resource specialization and ecological speciation arising through host-associated genetic differentiation (HAD) are frequently invoked as an explanation for the high diversity of plant-feeding insects and other organisms with a parasitic lifestyle. While genetic studies have demonstrated numerous examples of HAD in insect herbivores, the rarity of comparative studies means that we still lack an understanding of how deterministic HAD is, and whether patterns of host shifts can be predicted over evolutionary timescales. We applied genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism and mitochondrial DNA sequence data obtained through genome resequencing to define species limits and to compare host-plant use in population samples of leaf- and bud-galling sawflies (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae: Nematinae) collected from seven shared willow (Salicaceae: Salix) host species. To infer the repeatability of long-term cophylogenetic patterns, we also contrasted the phylogenies of the two galler groups with each other as well as with the phylogeny of their Salix hosts estimated based on RADseq data. We found clear evidence for host specialization and HAD in both of the focal galler groups, but also that leaf gallers are more specialized to single host species compared with most bud gallers. In contrast to bud gallers, leaf gallers also exhibited statistically significant cophylogenetic signal with their Salix hosts. The observed discordant patterns of resource specialization and host shifts in two related galler groups that have radiated in parallel across a shared resource base indicate a lack of evolutionary repeatability in the focal system, and suggest that short- and long-term host use and ecological diversification in plant-feeding insects are dominated by stochasticity and/or lineage-specific effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig T Michell
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Natascha Wagner
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants (with Herbarium), University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marko Mutanen
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Kyung Min Lee
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tommi Nyman
- Department of Ecosystems in the Barents Region, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Svanvik, Norway
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The Arthropod Associates of 155 North American Cynipid Oak Galls. Zool Stud 2022; 61:e57. [PMID: 36644628 PMCID: PMC9810845 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2022.61-57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The identities of most arthropod associates of cynipid-induced oak galls in the western Palearctic are generally known. However, a comprehensive accounting of associates has been performed for only a small number of the galls induced by the estimated 700 species of cynipid gall wasps in the Nearctic. This gap in knowledge stymies many potential studies of diversity, coevolution, and community ecology, for which oak gall systems are otherwise ideal models. We report rearing records of insects and other arthropods from more than 527,306 individual galls representing 201 different oak gall types collected from 32 oak tree species in North America. Of the 201 gall types collected, 155 produced one or more arthropods. A total of 151,075 arthropods were found in association with these 155 gall types, and of these 61,044 (40.4%) were gall wasps while 90,031 (59.6%) were other arthropods. We identified all arthropods to superfamily, family, or, where possible, to genus. We provide raw numbers and summaries of collections, alongside notes on natural history, ecology, and previously published associations for each taxon. For eight common gall-associated genera (Synergus, Ceroptres, Euceroptres, Ormyrus, Torymus, Eurytoma, Sycophila, and Euderus), we also connect rearing records to gall wasp phylogeny, geography, and ecology -including host tree and gall location (host organ), and their co-occurrence with other insect genera. Though the diversity of gall wasps and the large size of these communities is such that many Nearctic oak gall-associated insects still remain undescribed, this large collection and identification effort should facilitate the testing of new and varied ecological and evolutionary hypotheses in Nearctic oak galls.
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Jones DG, Kobelt J, Ross JM, Powell THQ, Prior KM. Latitudinal gradient in species diversity provides high niche opportunities for a range-expanding phytophagous insect. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2037-2049. [PMID: 35945806 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When species undergo poleward range expansions in response to anthropogenic change, they likely encounter less diverse communities in new locations. If low diversity communities provide weak biotic interactions, such as reduced competition or predation, range-expanding species may experience high niche opportunities. Here, we investigated if oak gall wasp communities follow a latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) and if lower diversity communities provide weaker interactions at the poles for a range-expanding community member, Neuroterus saltatorius. We performed systematic surveys of gall wasps on a dominant oak, Quercus garryana, throughout most of its range, from northern California to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. On 540 trees at 18 sites, we identified 23 oak gall wasp morphotypes in three guilds (leaf detachable, leaf integral, and stem galls). We performed regressions between oak gall wasp diversity, latitude, and other abiotic (e.g. temperature) and habitat (e.g. oak patch size) factors to reveal if gall wasp communities followed an LDG. To uncover patterns in local interactions, we first performed partial correlations of gall wasp morphotype occurrences on trees within regions). We then performed regressions between abundances of co-occurring gall wasps on trees to reveal if interactions are putatively competitive or antagonistic. Q. garryana-gall wasp communities followed an LDG, with lower diversity at higher latitudes, particularly with a loss of detachable leaf gall morphotypes. Detachable leaf gall wasps, including the range-expanding species, co-occurred most on trees, with weak co-occurrences on trees in the northern expanded region. Abundances of N. saltatorius and detachable and integral leaf galls co-occurring on trees were negatively related, suggesting antagonistic interactions. Overall, we found that LDGs create communities with weaker associations at the poles that might facilitate ecological release in a range-expanding community member. Given the ubiquity of LDGs in nature, poleward range-expanding species are likely moving into low diversity communities. Yet, understanding if latitudinal diversity pattern provides weak biotic interactions for range-expanding species is not well explored. Our large-scale study documenting diversity in a related community of phytophagous insects that co-occur on a host plant reveals that LDGs create high niche opportunities for a range-expanding community member. Biogeographical patterns in diversity and species interactions are likely important mechanisms contributing to altered biotic interactions under range-expansions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Jones
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Julia Kobelt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Jenna M Ross
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Thomas H Q Powell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Kirsten M Prior
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
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Zhang YM, Sheikh SI, Ward AKG, Forbes AA, Prior KM, Stone GN, Gates MW, Egan SP, Zhang L, Davis C, Weinersmith KL, Melika G, Lucky A. Delimiting the cryptic diversity and host preferences of Sycophila parasitoid wasps associated with oak galls using phylogenomic data. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4417-4433. [PMID: 35762844 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cryptic species diversity is a major challenge for the species-rich community of parasitoids attacking oak gall wasps due to a high degree of sexual dimorphism, morphological plasticity, small size, and poorly known biology. As such, we know very little about the number of species present, nor the evolutionary forces responsible for generating this diversity. One hypothesis is that trait diversity in the gall wasps, including the morphology of the galls they induce, has evolved in response to selection imposed by the parasitoid community, with reciprocal selection driving diversification of the parasitoids. Using a rare, continental-scale data set of Sycophila parasitoid wasps reared from 44 species of cynipid galls from 18 species of oak across the US, we combined mitochondrial DNA barcodes, Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs), morphological, and natural history data to delimit putative species. Using these results, we generate the first large-scale assessment of ecological specialization and host association in this species-rich group, with implications for evolutionary ecology and biocontrol. We find most Sycophila target specific subsets of available cynipid host galls with similar morphologies, and generally attack larger galls. Our results suggest that parasitoid wasps such as Sycophila have adaptations allowing them to exploit particular host trait combinations, while hosts with contrasting traits are resistant to attack. These findings support the tritrophic niche concept for the structuring of plant-herbivore-parasitoid communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Miles Zhang
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.,Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sofia I Sheikh
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Anna K G Ward
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Andrew A Forbes
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Kirsten M Prior
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Graham N Stone
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Michael W Gates
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Scott P Egan
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Linyi Zhang
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Charles Davis
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - George Melika
- Plant Health and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Directorate of Plant Protection, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrea Lucky
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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