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Jermy T, Szentesi Á. Why are there not more herbivorous insect species? ACTA ZOOL ACAD SCI H 2021. [DOI: 10.17109/azh.67.2.119.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect species richness is estimated to exceed three million species, of which roughly half is herbivorous. Despite the vast number of species and varied life histories, the proportion of herbivorous species among plant-consuming organisms is lower than it could be due to constraints that impose limits to their diversification. These include ecological factors, such as vague interspecific competition; anatomical and physiological limits, such as neural limits and inability of handling a wide range of plant allelochemicals; phylogenetic constraints, like niche conservatism; and most importantly, a low level of concerted genetic variation necessary to a phyletic conversion. It is suggested that diversification ultimately depends on what we call the intrinsic trend of diversification of the insect genome. In support of the above, we survey the major types of host-specificity, the mechanisms and constraints of host specialization, possible pathways of speciation, and hypotheses concerning insect diversification.
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Hippee AC, Beer MA, Bagley RK, Condon MA, Kitchen A, Lisowski EA, Norrbom AL, Forbes AA. Host shifting and host sharing in a genus of specialist flies diversifying alongside their sunflower hosts. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:364-379. [PMID: 33190382 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Congeneric parasites are unlikely to specialize on the same tissues of the same host species, likely because of strong multifarious selection against niche overlap. Exceptions where >1 congeneric species use the same tissues reveal important insights into ecological factors underlying the origins and maintenance of diversity. Larvae of sunflower maggot flies in the genus Strauzia feed on plants in the family Asteraceae. Although Strauzia tend to be host specialists, some species specialize on the same hosts. To resolve the origins of host sharing among these specialist flies, we used reduced representation genomic sequencing to infer the first multilocus phylogeny of genus Strauzia. Our results show that Helianthus tuberosus and Helianthus grosseserratus each host three different Strauzia species and that the flies co-occurring on a host are not one another's closest relatives. Though this pattern implies that host sharing is most likely the result of host shifts, these may not all be host shifts in the conventional sense of an insect moving onto an entirely new plant. Many hosts of Strauzia belong to a clade of perennial sunflowers that arose 1-2 MYA and are noted for frequent introgression and hybrid speciation events. Our divergence time estimates for all of the Helianthus-associated Strauzia are within this same time window (<1 MYA), suggesting that rapid and recent adaptive introgression and speciation in Helianthus may have instigated the diversification of Strauzia, with some flies converging upon a single plant host after their respective ancestral host plants hybridized to form a new sunflower species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaine C Hippee
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Marc A Beer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Robin K Bagley
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Lima, Lima, OH, USA
| | - Marty A Condon
- Department of Biology, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA, USA
| | - Andrew Kitchen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | | | - Allen L Norrbom
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, PSI, c/o National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andrew A Forbes
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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3
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Narango DL, Tallamy DW, Shropshire KJ. Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5751. [PMID: 33188194 PMCID: PMC7666120 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19565-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional food webs are essential for the successful conservation of ecological communities, and in terrestrial systems, food webs are built on a foundation of coevolved interactions between plants and their consumers. Here, we collate published data on host plant ranges and associated host plant-Lepidoptera interactions from across the contiguous United States and demonstrate that among ecosystems, distributions of plant-herbivore interactions are consistently skewed, with a small percentage of plant genera supporting the majority of Lepidoptera. Plant identities critical for retaining interaction diversity are similar and independent of geography. Given the importance of Lepidoptera to food webs and ecosystem function, efficient and effective restoration of degraded landscapes depends on the inclusion of such 'keystone' plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiree L Narango
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1002, USA.
| | - Douglas W Tallamy
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
| | - Kimberley J Shropshire
- Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
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Shi S, Zhang M, Xie F, Jiang J, Liu W, Li Ding, Luan L, Wang B. Multiple data revealed two new species of the Asian horned toad Megophrys Kuhl & Van Hasselt, 1822 (Anura, Megophryidae) from the eastern corner of the Himalayas. Zookeys 2020; 977:101-161. [PMID: 33177944 PMCID: PMC7596021 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.977.55693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple disciplines can help to discover cryptic species and resolve taxonomic confusions. The Asian horned toad genus Megophrys sensu lato as a diverse group was proposed to contain dozens of cryptic species. Based on molecular phylogenetics, morphology, osteology, and bioacoustics data, the species profiles of Megophrys toads in the eastern corner of Himalayas in Medog County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China was investigated. The results indicated that this small area harbored at least four Megophrys species, i.e., M. medogensis, M. pachyproctus, Megophrys zhoui sp. nov., and Megophrys yeae sp. nov., the latter two being described in this study. Additionally, the mitochondrial DNA trees nested the low-middle-elevation and high-elevation groups of M. medogensis into a monophyletic group, being in discordance with the paraphyletic relationship between them revealed in the nuclear DNA trees. The findings highlighted the underestimated biodiversity in Himalayas, and further indicated that the Megophrys toads here have been probably experienced complicated evolutionary history, for example, introgression between clades or incomplete lineage sorting and niche divergences in microhabitats. Anyway, it is urgent for us to explore the problems because these toads are suffering from increasing threats from human activities and climatic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengchao Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, ChinaSichuan UniversityChengduChina
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Meihua Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Feng Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Jianping Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Wulin Liu
- Forestry Survey and Design Research Institute of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Lhasa 850000, ChinaForestry Survey and Design Research Institute of the Tibet Autonomous RegionLhasaChina
| | - Li Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Li Luan
- Chengdu Survey and Design Research Institute of China Electric Power Construction Group Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610041, ChinaChengdu Survey and Design Research Institute of China Electric Power Construction Group Co., Ltd.ChengduChina
| | - Bin Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
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Bruzzese DJ, Wagner DL, Harrison T, Jogesh T, Overson RP, Wickett NJ, Raguso RA, Skogen KA. Phylogeny, host use, and diversification in the moth family Momphidae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0207833. [PMID: 31170152 PMCID: PMC6553701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect herbivores and their hostplants constitute much of Earth's described biological diversity, but how these often-specialized associations diversify is not fully understood. We combined detailed hostplant data and comparative phylogenetic analyses of the lepidopteran family Momphidae to explore how shifts in the use of hostplant resources, not just hostplant taxon, contribute to the diversification of a phytophagous insect lineage. We inferred two phylogenetic hypotheses emphasizing relationships among species in the nominate genus, Mompha Hübner. A six-gene phylogeny was constructed with reared exemplars and collections from hostplants in the family Onagraceae from western and southwestern USA, and a cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) phylogeny was inferred from collections and publicly available accessions in the Barcode of Life Data System. Species delimitation analyses combined with morphological data revealed ca. 56 undescribed species-level taxa, many of which are hostplant specialists on Onagraceae in the southwestern USA. Our phylogenetic reconstructions divided Momphidae into six major clades: 1) an Onagraceae flower- and fruit-boring clade, 2) a Melastomataceae-galling clade, 3) a leafmining clade A, 4) a leafmining clade B, 5) a Zapyrastra Meyrick clade, and 6) a monobasic lineage represented by Mompha eloisella (Clemens). Ancestral trait reconstructions using the COI phylogeny identified leafmining on Onagraceae as the ancestral state for Momphidae. Our study finds that shifts along three hostplant resource axes (plant taxon, plant tissue type, and larval feeding mode) have contributed to the evolutionary success and diversification of momphids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Bruzzese
- Department of Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, United States of America
| | - David L. Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
| | - Terry Harrison
- Independent Researcher, Charleston, IL, United States of America
| | - Tania Jogesh
- Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, United States of America
| | - Rick P. Overson
- Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, United States of America
- Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Norman J. Wickett
- Department of Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, United States of America
| | - Robert A. Raguso
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - Krissa A. Skogen
- Department of Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL, United States of America
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Abstract
Background Much evolutionary theory predicts that diversity arises via both adaptive radiation (diversification driven by selection against niche-overlap within communities) and divergence of geographically isolated populations. We focus on tropical fruit flies (Blepharoneura, Tephritidae) that reveal unexpected patterns of niche-overlap within local communities. Throughout the Neotropics, multiple sympatric non-interbreeding populations often share the same highly specialized patterns of host use (e.g., flies are specialists on flowers of a single gender of a single species of host plants). Lineage through time (LTT) plots can help distinguish patterns of diversification consistent with ecologically limited adaptive radiation from those predicted by ecologically neutral theories. Here, we use a time-calibrated phylogeny of Blepharoneura to test the hypothesis that patterns of Blepharoneura diversification are consistent with an “ecologically neutral” model of diversification that predicts that diversification is primarily a function of time and space. Results The Blepharoneura phylogeny showed more cladogenic divergence associated with geography than with shifts in host-use. Shifts in host-use were associated with ~ 20% of recent splits (< 3 Ma), but > 60% of older splits (> 3 Ma). In the overall tree, gamma statistic and maximum likelihood model fitting showed no evidence of diversification rate changes though there was a weak signature of slowing diversification rate in one of the component clades. Conclusions Overall patterns of Blepharoneura diversity are inconsistent with a traditional explanation of adaptive radiation involving decreases in diversification rates associated with niche-overlap. Sister lineages usually use the same host-species and host-parts, and multiple non-interbreeding sympatric populations regularly co-occur on the same hosts. We suggest that most lineage origins (phylogenetic splits) occur in allopatry, usually without shifts in host-use, and that subsequent dispersal results in assembly of communities composed of multiple sympatric non-interbreeding populations of flies that share the same hosts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1146-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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7
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Phylogenetics of Australasian gall flies (Diptera: Fergusoninidae): Evolutionary patterns of host-shifting and gall morphology. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 115:140-160. [PMID: 28757445 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated host-specificity and phylogenetic relationships in Australian galling flies, Fergusonina Malloch (Diptera: Fergusoninidae), in order to assess diversity and explore the evolutionary history of host plant affiliation and gall morphology. A DNA barcoding approach using COI data from 203 Fergusonina specimens from 5gall types on 56 host plant species indicated 85 presumptive fly species. These exhibited a high degree of host specificity; of the 40 species with multiple representatives, each fed only on a single host genus, 29 (72.5%) were strictly monophagous, and 11 (27.5%) were reared from multiple closely related hosts. COI variation within species was not correlated with either sample size or geographic distance. However variation was greater within oligophagous species, consistent with expectations of the initial stages of host-associated divergence during speciation. Phylogenetic analysis using both nuclear and mitochondrial genes revealed host genus-restricted clades but also clear evidence of multiple colonizations of both host plant genus and host species. With the exception of unilocular peagalls, evolution of gall type was somewhat constrained, but to a lesser degree than host plant association. Unilocular peagalls arose more often than any other gall type, were primarily located at the tips of the phylogeny, and did not form clades comprising more than a few species. For ecological reasons, species of this gall type are predicted to harbor substantially less genetic variation than others, possibly reducing evolutionary flexibility resulting in reduced diversification in unilocular gallers.
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8
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Ottens K, Winkler IS, Lewis ML, Scheffer SJ, Gomes-Costa GA, Condon MA, Forbes AA. Genetic differentiation associated with host plants and geography among six widespread species of South American Blepharoneura fruit flies (Tephritidae). J Evol Biol 2017; 30:696-710. [PMID: 28106948 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 01/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Tropical herbivorous insects are astonishingly diverse, and many are highly host-specific. Much evidence suggests that herbivorous insect diversity is a function of host plant diversity; yet, the diversity of some lineages exceeds the diversity of plants. Although most species of herbivorous fruit flies in the Neotropical genus Blepharoneura are strongly host-specific (they deposit their eggs in a single host plant species and flower sex), some species are collected from multiple hosts or flowers and these may represent examples of lineages that are diversifying via changes in host use. Here, we investigate patterns of diversification within six geographically widespread Blepharoneura species that have been collected and reared from at least two host plant species or host plant parts. We use microsatellites to (1) test for evidence of local genetic differentiation associated with different sympatric hosts (different plant species or flower sexes) and (2) examine geographic patterns of genetic differentiation across multiple South American collection sites. In four of the six fly species, we find evidence of local genetic differences between flies collected from different hosts. All six species show evidence of geographic structure, with consistent differences between flies collected in the Guiana Shield and flies collected in Amazonia. Continent-wide analyses reveal - in all but one instance - that genetically differentiated flies collected in sympatry from different host species or different sex flowers are not one another's closest relatives, indicating that genetic differences often arise in allopatry before, or at least coincident with, the evolution of novel host use.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Ottens
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - I S Winkler
- Department of Biology, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA, USA
| | - M L Lewis
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service - U.S. Department of Agriculture (ARS-USDA), Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - S J Scheffer
- Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service - U.S. Department of Agriculture (ARS-USDA), Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - G A Gomes-Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - M A Condon
- Department of Biology, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA, USA
| | - A A Forbes
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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9
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Forbes AA, Devine SN, Hippee AC, Tvedte ES, Ward AKG, Widmayer HA, Wilson CJ. Revisiting the particular role of host shifts in initiating insect speciation. Evolution 2017; 71:1126-1137. [PMID: 28052326 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The notion that shifts to new hosts can initiate insect speciation is more than 150 years old, yet widespread conflation with paradigms of sympatric speciation has led to confusion about how much support exists for this hypothesis. Here, we review 85 insect systems and evaluate the relationship between host shifting, reproductive isolation, and speciation. We sort insects into five categories: (1) systems in which a host shift has initiated speciation; (2) systems in which a host shift has made a contribution to speciation; (3) systems in which a host shift has caused the evolution of new reproductive isolating barriers; (4) systems with host-associated genetic differences; and (5) systems with no evidence of host-associated genetic differences. We find host-associated genetic structure in 65 systems, 43 of which show that host shifts have resulted in the evolution of new reproductive barriers. Twenty-six of the latter also support a role for host shifts in speciation, including eight studies that definitively support the hypothesis that a host shift has initiated speciation. While this review is agnostic as to the fraction of all insect speciation events to which host shifts have contributed, it clarifies that host shifts absolutely can and do initiate speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Forbes
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
| | - Sara N Devine
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
| | - Alaine C Hippee
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
| | - Eric S Tvedte
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
| | - Anna K G Ward
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
| | | | - Caleb J Wilson
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242
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10
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Kjer K, Borowiec ML, Frandsen PB, Ware J, Wiegmann BM. Advances using molecular data in insect systematics. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 18:40-47. [PMID: 27939709 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The size of molecular datasets has been growing exponentially since the mid 1980s, and new technologies have now dramatically increased the slope of this increase. New datasets include genomes, transcriptomes, and hybrid capture data, producing hundreds or thousands of loci. With these datasets, we are approaching a consensus on the higher level insect phylogeny. Huge datasets can produce new challenges in interpreting branch support, and new opportunities in developing better models and more sophisticated partitioning schemes. Dating analyses are improving as we recognize the importance of careful fossil calibration selection. With thousands of genes now available, coalescent methods have come of age. Barcode libraries continue to expand, and new methods are being developed for incorporating them into phylogenies with tens of thousands of individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Kjer
- Rutgers University, Department of Biological Sciences, 415 Boyden Hall, Newark, NJ 07012, USA
| | - Marek L Borowiec
- University of Rochester, 226 Hutchison Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Paul B Frandsen
- Smithsonian Institution, Office of Research Information Services, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Washington, D.C. 20024, USA
| | - Jessica Ware
- Rutgers University, Department of Biological Sciences, 415 Boyden Hall, Newark, NJ 07012, USA
| | - Brian M Wiegmann
- Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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11
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Zhang K, Lin S, Ji Y, Yang C, Wang X, Yang C, Wang H, Jiang H, Harrison RD, Yu DW. Plant diversity accurately predicts insect diversity in two tropical landscapes. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:4407-19. [PMID: 27474399 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Plant diversity surely determines arthropod diversity, but only moderate correlations between arthropod and plant species richness had been observed until Basset et al. (Science, 338, 2012 and 1481) finally undertook an unprecedentedly comprehensive sampling of a tropical forest and demonstrated that plant species richness could indeed accurately predict arthropod species richness. We now require a high-throughput pipeline to operationalize this result so that we can (i) test competing explanations for tropical arthropod megadiversity, (ii) improve estimates of global eukaryotic species diversity, and (iii) use plant and arthropod communities as efficient proxies for each other, thus improving the efficiency of conservation planning and of detecting forest degradation and recovery. We therefore applied metabarcoding to Malaise-trap samples across two tropical landscapes in China. We demonstrate that plant species richness can accurately predict arthropod (mostly insect) species richness and that plant and insect community compositions are highly correlated, even in landscapes that are large, heterogeneous and anthropogenically modified. Finally, we review how metabarcoding makes feasible highly replicated tests of the major competing explanations for tropical megadiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
| | - Siliang Lin
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Yinqiu Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Chenxue Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China
| | - Chunyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Hesheng Wang
- Hainan Yinggeling National Nature Reserve, Baisha, 572800, China
| | - Haisheng Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Rhett D Harrison
- World Agroforestry Center, East and Central Asia Regional Office, Kunming, 650201, China.,Center for Mountain Ecosystem Studies (CMES), Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Douglas W Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR47TJ, UK
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12
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Zhang B, Segraves KA, Xue HJ, Nie RE, Li WZ, Yang XK. Adaptation to different host plant ages facilitates insect divergence without a host shift. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:rspb.2015.1649. [PMID: 26378220 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Host shifts and subsequent adaption to novel host plants are important drivers of speciation among phytophagous insects. However, there is considerably less evidence for host plant-mediated speciation in the absence of a host shift. Here, we investigated divergence of two sympatric sister elm leaf beetles, Pyrrhalta maculicollis and P. aenescens, which feed on different age classes of the elm Ulmus pumila L. (seedling versus adult trees). Using a field survey coupled with preference and performance trials, we show that these beetle species are highly divergent in both feeding and oviposition preference and specialize on either seedling or adult stages of their host plant. An experiment using artificial leaf discs painted with leaf surface wax extracts showed that host plant chemistry is a critical element that shapes preference. Specialization appears to be driven by adaptive divergence as there was also evidence of divergent selection; beetles had significantly higher survival and fecundity when reared on their natal host plant age class. Together, the results identify the first probable example of divergence induced by host plant age, thus extending how phytophagous insects might diversify in the absence of host shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Kari A Segraves
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Huai-Jun Xue
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui-E Nie
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Zhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing-Ke Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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13
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Scally M, Into F, Thomas D, Ruiz-Arce R, Barr N, Schuenzel E. Resolution of inter and intra-species relationships of the West Indian fruit fly Anastrepha obliqua. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2016; 101:286-293. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Hamerlinck G, Hulbert D, Hood GR, Smith JJ, Forbes AA. Histories of host shifts and cospeciation among free‐living parasitoids of
Rhagoletis
flies. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1766-79. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- G. Hamerlinck
- Department of Biology University of Iowa Iowa City IA USA
| | - D. Hulbert
- Department of Entomology Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - G. R. Hood
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Notre Dame South Bend IN USA
| | - J. J. Smith
- Department of Entomology Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - A. A. Forbes
- Department of Biology University of Iowa Iowa City IA USA
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15
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Cuartas-Hernández SE, Gómez-Murillo L. Effect of biotic and abiotic factors on diversity patterns of anthophyllous insect communities in a tropical mountain forest. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 44:214-223. [PMID: 26013265 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-014-0265-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The determinants of diversity are a central issue in ecology, particularly in Andean forests that are known to be a major diversity hotspot for several taxa. We examined the effect of abiotic (elevation and precipitation) and biotic (flowering plant diversity) factors considered to be decisive causal factors of diversity patterns on anthophyllous insect communities on mountain forest. Sampling was carried out in 100-m transects at eight elevational levels and during a period of 8 months. All flowering plants in the understory and their flowering visitors were recorded. Species richness and diversity were estimated for each elevation and month. Diversity of flowering plants, elevation, and precipitation were used as independent variables in multiple regressions against insect diversity. The evaluated abiotic and biotic factors had contrasting effects on insect diversity: a significant decrease on insect diversity occurred at high elevation and dry months (i.e., threshold effect), while it showed a positive relationship with flowering plant diversity through time (i.e., linear effect), but not along elevation. Rapid turnover of species of both interacting guilds was observed every 100-m altitude and month. Local insect communities were also divided functionally depending on the plant family they visit. These results indicate that each insect community is distinctive among elevations and months and that diversity of flowering plants, precipitation, and elevation influence their structure and composition. Thus, conservation strategies should involve protection of forest cover at the whole elevation gradient, in order to preserve common and exclusive components of diversity and consequently, the mosaic of plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Cuartas-Hernández
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 N° 53-108, Bloque 7 Oficina 108, Medellín, Colombia,
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16
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Condon MA, Scheffer SJ, Lewis ML, Wharton R, Adams DC, Forbes AA. Lethal Interactions Between Parasites and Prey Increase Niche Diversity in a Tropical Community. Science 2014; 343:1240-4. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1245007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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17
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Zou Y, Sang W, Bai F, Axmacher JC. Relationships between plant diversity and the abundance and α-diversity of predatory ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in a mature Asian temperate forest ecosystem. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82792. [PMID: 24376582 PMCID: PMC3869730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
A positive relationship between plant diversity and both abundance and diversity of predatory arthropods is postulated by the Enemies Hypothesis, a central ecological top-down control hypothesis. It has been supported by experimental studies and investigations of agricultural and grassland ecosystems, while evidence from more complex mature forest ecosystems is limited. Our study was conducted on Changbai Mountain in one of the last remaining large pristine temperate forest environments in China. We used predatory ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) as target taxon to establish the relationship between phytodiversity and their activity abundance and diversity. Results showed that elevation was the only variable included in both models predicting carabid activity abundance and α-diversity. Shrub diversity was negatively and herb diversity positively correlated with beetle abundance, while shrub diversity was positively correlated with beetle α-diversity. Within the different forest types, a negative relationship between plant diversity and carabid activity abundance was observed, which stands in direct contrast to the Enemies Hypothesis. Furthermore, plant species density did not predict carabid α-diversity. In addition, the density of herbs, which is commonly believed to influence carabid movement, had little impact on the beetle activity abundance recorded on Changbai Mountain. Our study indicates that in a relatively large and heterogeneous mature forest area, relationships between plant and carabid diversity are driven by variations in environmental factors linked with altitudinal change. In addition, traditional top-down control theories that are suitable in explaining diversity patterns in ecosystems of low diversity appear to play a much less pronounced role in highly complex forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zou
- UCL Department of Geography, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Weiguo Sang
- The State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (WS); (JCA)
| | - Fan Bai
- The State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jan Christoph Axmacher
- UCL Department of Geography, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (WS); (JCA)
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18
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Wardhaugh CW, Stork NE, Edwards W. Canopy invertebrate community composition on rainforest trees: Different microhabitats support very different invertebrate communities. AUSTRAL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carl W. Wardhaugh
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology; James Cook University; Cairns Campus McGregor Road Smithfield Queensland 4870 Australia
| | - Nigel E. Stork
- Environmental Futures Centre; Griffith School of Environment; Griffith University; Brisbane
| | - Will Edwards
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology; James Cook University; Cairns Campus McGregor Road Smithfield Queensland 4870 Australia
- Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change; James Cook University; Cairns Queensland Australia
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19
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McPeek MA. Intraspecific density dependence and a guild of consumers coexisting on one resource. Ecology 2012; 93:2728-35. [DOI: 10.1890/12-0797.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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20
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The overlooked biodiversity of flower-visiting invertebrates. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45796. [PMID: 23029246 PMCID: PMC3446946 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 08/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimates suggest that perhaps 40% of all invertebrate species are found in tropical rainforest canopies. Extrapolations of total diversity and food web analyses have been based almost exclusively on species inhabiting the foliage, under the assumption that foliage samples are representative of the entire canopy. We examined the validity of this assumption by comparing the density of invertebrates and the species richness of beetles across three canopy microhabitats (mature leaves, new leaves and flowers) on a one hectare plot in an Australian tropical rainforest. Specifically, we tested two hypotheses: 1) canopy invertebrate density and species richness are directly proportional to the amount of resource available; and 2) canopy microhabitats represent discrete resources that are utilised by their own specialised invertebrate communities. We show that flowers in the canopy support invertebrate densities that are ten to ten thousand times greater than on the nearby foliage when expressed on a per-unit resource biomass basis. Furthermore, species-level analyses of the beetle fauna revealed that flowers support a unique and remarkably rich fauna compared to foliage, with very little species overlap between microhabitats. We reject the hypothesis that the insect fauna on mature foliage is representative of the greater canopy community even though mature foliage comprises a very large proportion of canopy plant biomass. Although the significance of the evolutionary relationship between flowers and insects is well known with respect to plant reproduction, less is known about the importance of flowers as resources for tropical insects. Consequently, we suggest that this constitutes a more important piece of the ‘diversity jigsaw puzzle’ than has been previously recognised and could alter our understanding of the evolution of plant-herbivore interactions and food web dynamics, and provide a better foundation for accurately estimating global species richness.
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21
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Beck J, Holloway JD, Khen CV, Kitching IJ. Diversity partitioning confirms the importance of beta components in tropical rainforest Lepidoptera. Am Nat 2012; 180:E64-74. [PMID: 22854086 DOI: 10.1086/666982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Tropical beta diversity, and particularly that of herbivorous insects in rainforests, is often considered to be enormous, but this notion has recently been challenged. Because tropical beta diversity is highly relevant to our view on biodiversity, it is important to gain more insights and to resolve methodological problems that may lead to contradictions in different studies. We used data on two ecologically distinct moth families from Southeast Asia and analyzed separately the contribution of beta components to overall species richness at three spatial scales. Observed diversity partitions were compared under different types of null models. We found that alpha diversity was lower than expected on the basis of null models, whereas hierarchical beta components were larger than expected. Beta components played a significant role in shaping gamma diversity, and their contribution can be high (multiplicative beta >5). We found a reduction in beta components when comparing primary forests to agricultural sites (cf. "biotic homogenization"), but even in these habitats, beta components were still substantial. Our analyses show that beta components do play an important role in our data on tropical herbivorous insects and that these results are not attributable to lumping different habitats when sampling environmental gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Beck
- Department of Environmental Sciences (Biogeography), University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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22
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Joy JB, Crespi BJ. Island phytophagy: explaining the remarkable diversity of plant-feeding insects. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:3250-5. [PMID: 22553094 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-feeding insects have undergone unparalleled diversification among different plant taxa, yet explanations for variation in their diversity lack a quantitative, predictive framework. Island biogeographic theory has been applied to spatially discrete habitats but not to habitats, such as host plants, separated by genetic distance. We show that relationships between the diversity of gall-inducing flies and their host plants meet several fundamental predictions from island biogeographic theory. First, plant-taxon genetic distinctiveness, an integrator for long-term evolutionary history of plant lineages, is a significant predictor of variance in the diversity of gall-inducing flies among host-plant taxa. Second, range size and structural complexity also explain significant proportions of the variance in diversity of gall-inducing flies among different host-plant taxa. Third, as with other island systems, plant-lineage age does not predict species diversity. Island biogeographic theory, applied to habitats defined by genetic distance, provides a novel, comprehensive framework for analysing and explaining the diversity of plant-feeding insects and other host-specific taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Joy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6.
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23
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Forister ML, Dyer LA, Singer MS, Stireman III JO, Lill JT. Revisiting the evolution of ecological specialization, with emphasis on insect–plant interactions. Ecology 2012; 93:981-91. [DOI: 10.1890/11-0650.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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24
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Species delimitation and cryptic diversity in the moss genus Scleropodium (Brachytheciaceae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2012; 63:891-903. [PMID: 22421213 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Revised: 01/04/2012] [Accepted: 03/02/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Cryptic lineage diversification is an important component of global biodiversity, but it presents challenges to our ability to catalog and understand that diversity. Because of their relative morphological simplicity and broad geographic distributions, bryophytes are an ideal study group for investigating this phenomenon. This study generated molecular data from 109 ingroup individuals to test morphological species circumscriptions and examine patterns of cryptic lineage diversification within the small north temperate moss genus Scleropodium (Brachytheciaceae). Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses and statistical parsimony network analyses of ITS and chloroplast rps4, psbA2 and trnG regions indicate that the genus comprises six distinct molecular groups. Five of these molecular groups correspond to previously recognized species: S. californicum (Lesq.) Kindb., S. cespitans (Müll.) Koch, S. julaceum Lawton, S. obtusifolium (Mitt.) Kindb. in Macoun and S. touretii Brid. (Koch). However, the sixth group does not correspond to any existing species. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian posterior probability support for the monophyly of species varied widely and depended on both the dataset (ITS, chloroplast, combined) and the analysis method (Parsimony/Bayesian). Low phylogenetic resolution of species is attributable to the lack of informative DNA sequence vaiation and incongruent placements of three accessions in the chloroplast and ITS gene trees, both suggesting recent divergence within the genus. Re-examination of the herbarium vouchers for the sixth molecular group reveals that they form a group nested within the morphological circumscription of S. obtusifolium. One subtle morphological character (relative frequency of a costa spine) was identified that has utility in discriminating these two genetically distinct but morphologically very similar species.
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25
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Foster WA, Snaddon JL, Turner EC, Fayle TM, Cockerill TD, Ellwood MDF, Broad GR, Chung AYC, Eggleton P, Khen CV, Yusah KM. Establishing the evidence base for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in the oil palm landscapes of South East Asia. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 366:3277-91. [PMID: 22006968 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The conversion of natural forest to oil palm plantation is a major current threat to the conservation of biodiversity in South East Asia. Most animal taxa decrease in both species richness and abundance on conversion of forest to oil palm, and there is usually a severe loss of forest species. The extent of loss varies significantly across both different taxa and different microhabitats within the oil palm habitat. The principal driver of this loss in diversity is probably the biological and physical simplification of the habitat, but there is little direct evidence for this. The conservation of forest species requires the preservation of large reserves of intact forest, but we must not lose sight of the importance of conserving biodiversity and ecosystem processes within the oil palm habitat itself. We urgently need to carry out research that will establish whether maintaining diversity supports economically and ecologically important processes. There is some evidence that both landscape and local complexity can have positive impacts on biodiversity in the oil palm habitat. By intelligent manipulation of habitat complexity, it could be possible to enhance not only the number of species that can live in oil palm plantations but also their contribution to the healthy functioning of this exceptionally important and widespread landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Foster
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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26
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Novotny V, Miller SE, Hrcek J, Baje L, Basset Y, Lewis OT, Stewart AJA, Weiblen GD. Insects on plants: explaining the paradox of low diversity within specialist herbivore guilds. Am Nat 2012; 179:351-62. [PMID: 22322223 DOI: 10.1086/664082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Classical niche theory explains the coexistence of species through their exploitation of different resources. Assemblages of herbivores coexisting on a particular plant species are thus expected to be dominated by species from host-specific guilds with narrow, coexistence-facilitating niches rather than by species from generalist guilds. Exactly the opposite pattern is observed for folivores feeding on trees in New Guinea. The least specialized mobile chewers were the most species rich, followed by the moderately specialized semiconcealed and exposed chewers. The highly specialized miners and mesophyll suckers were the least species-rich guilds. The Poisson distribution of herbivore species richness among plant species in specialized guilds and the absence of a negative correlation between species richness in different guilds on the same plant species suggest that these guilds are not saturated with species. We show that herbivore assemblages are enriched with generalists because these are more completely sampled from regional species pools. Herbivore diversity increases as a power function of plant diversity, and the rate of increase is inversely related to host specificity. The relative species diversity among guilds is thus scale dependent, as the importance of specialized guilds increases with plant diversity. Specialized insect guilds may therefore comprise a larger component of overall diversity in the tropics (where they are also poorly known taxonomically) than in the temperate zone, which has lower plant diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
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Use of Host-Plant Trait Space by Phytophagous Insects during Host-Associated Differentiation: The Gape-and-Pinch Model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1155/2012/192345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Ecological speciation via host shifting has contributed to the astonishing diversity of phytophagous insects. The importance for host shifting of trait differences between alternative host plants is well established, but much less is known about trait variationwithinhosts. I outline a conceptual model, the “gape-and-pinch” (GAP) model, of insect response to host-plant trait variation during host shifting and host-associated differentiation. I offer four hypotheses about insect use of plant trait variation on two alternative hosts, for insects at different stages of host-associated differentiation. Collectively, these hypotheses suggest that insect responses to plant trait variation can favour or oppose critical steps in herbivore diversification. I provide statistical tools for analysing herbivore trait-space use, demonstrate their application for four herbivores of the goldenrodsSolidago altissimaandS. gigantea, and discuss their broader potential to advance our understanding of diet breadth and ecological speciation in phytophagous insects.
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28
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Imada Y, Kawakita A, Kato M. Allopatric distribution and diversification without niche shift in a bryophyte-feeding basal moth lineage (Lepidoptera: Micropterigidae). Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:3026-33. [PMID: 21367790 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lepidoptera represent one of the most successful radiations of plant-feeding insects, which predominantly took place within angiosperms beginning in the Cretaceous period. Angiosperm colonization is thought to underlie the evolutionary success of the Lepidoptera because angiosperms provide an enormous range of niches for ecological speciation to take place. By contrast, the basal lepidopteran lineage, Micropterigidae, remained unassociated with angiosperms since Jurassic times but nevertheless achieved a modest diversity in the Japanese Archipelago. We explored the causes and processes of diversification of the Japanese micropterigid moths by performing molecular phylogenetic analysis and extensive ecological surveying. Phylogenetic analysis recovered a monophyletic group of approximately 25 East Asian endemic species that feed exclusively on the liverwort Conocephalum conicum, suggesting that niche shifts hardly played a role in their diversification. Consistent with the low flying ability of micropterigid moths, the distributions of the Conocephalum specialists are each localized and allopatric, indicating that speciation by geographical isolation has been the major process shaping the diversity of Japanese Micropterigidae. To our knowledge, this is the largest radiation of herbivorous insects that does not accompany any apparent niche differentiation. We suggest that the significance of non-ecological speciation during the diversification of the Lepidoptera is commonly underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yume Imada
- Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
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Rodríguez-Castañeda G, Dyer LA, Brehm G, Connahs H, Forkner RE, Walla TR. Tropical forests are not flat: how mountains affect herbivore diversity. Ecol Lett 2010; 13:1348-57. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01525.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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30
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Pinzón-Navarro S, Barrios H, Múrria C, Lyal CHC, Vogler AP. DNA-based taxonomy of larval stages reveals huge unknown species diversity in neotropical seed weevils (genus Conotrachelus): relevance to evolutionary ecology. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2010; 56:281-93. [PMID: 20188844 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2009] [Revised: 02/12/2010] [Accepted: 02/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
High diversity in tropical phytophagous insects may be linked to narrow host specificity and host shifts, but tests are complicated by incomplete taxonomy and difficulties in food source identification. Specimens of the highly diverse New World genus Conotrachelus (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) were reared from >17,500 fruits (seeds) at six Central American rain forests. Interception traps were used for comparison with assemblages flying in the forest. Mitochondrial cox1 and the nuclear 28S genes were sequenced for 483 larval and adult specimens. A Yule-Coalescent technique was used to group cox1 sequences into putative species (17 from traps, 48 from rearing). Cox1 sequences of 24 species from museum collections provided matches for three species from traps and no match for the reared species. Inga (Fabaceae) was the predominant host among 15 other genera and 67% of the weevils were monophagous. A three gene tree (cox1, rrnL, 28S) recovered four well-supported clades feeding on Inga confirmed by phylogenetic community analyzes that showed phylogenetic conservation of host plant utilization. This suggests that host shifts are not directly involved in speciation, while the broad taxonomic host range and the evolutionary repeated shifts still contribute to the high species richness in Conotrachelus. The DNA-based approach combining species delimitation and phylogenetic analysis elucidated the evolutionary diversification of this lineage, despite insufficient taxonomic knowledge. Conotrachelus is an example of the diverse tropical groups that require DNA-based taxonomy to study their evolutionary ecology.
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Schlick-Steiner BC, Steiner FM, Seifert B, Stauffer C, Christian E, Crozier RH. Integrative taxonomy: a multisource approach to exploring biodiversity. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2010; 55:421-38. [PMID: 19737081 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-112408-085432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 490] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Good alpha taxonomy is central to biology. On the basis of a survey of arthropod studies that used multiple disciplines for species delimitation, we evaluated the performance of single disciplines. All included disciplines had a considerable failure rate. Rigor in species delimitation can thus be increased when several disciplines chosen for complementarity are used. We present a flexible procedure and stopping rule for integrative taxonomy that uses the information from different disciplines separately. Disagreement among disciplines over the number and demarcation of species is resolved by elucidating and invoking evolutionary explanations for disagreement. With the identification of further promising study organisms and of new questions for in-depth analysis, evolutionary biology should profit from integrative taxonomy. An important rationale is clarity in researcher bias in the decision-making process. The success of integrative taxonomy will further increase through methodological progress, taxonomic training of evolutionary biologists, and balanced resource allocation.
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Steele PR, Friar LM, Gilbert LE, Jansen RK. Molecular systematics of the neotropical genus Psiguria (Cucurbitaceae): Implications for phylogeny and species identification. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2010; 97:156-173. [PMID: 21622376 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.0900192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Varying morphological features in many groups of tropical vines confound identification, requiring molecular tools for distinguishing species. Confusion is amplified in Psiguria, a small genus found in Central and South America and the Caribbean, because male and female flowers of these monoecious plants are widely separated by time and position on a branch. We present the first phylogeny of Psiguria utilizing a combination of eight chloroplast intergenic spacers, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA repeat, and the intron of the low-copy nuclear gene serine/threonine phosphatase, for a total aligned length of 9456 base pairs. Analyses include multiple accessions of all species in the genus. The data support the monophyly of Psiguria and elucidate several species boundaries. Also presented are Psiguria-specific DNA barcodes, which include the chloroplast regions: ndhC-trnV, rps16-trnQ, rpoB-trnC, ndhF-rpl32, and psbZ-trnM. For the first time, systematists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists will have the tools to confidently identify species of Psiguria with DNA barcodes that may be useful in other genera of Cucurbitaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Roxanne Steele
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0930, Austin, Texas 78712 USA
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33
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McBride CS, van Velzen R, Larsen TB. Allopatric origin of cryptic butterfly species that were discovered feeding on distinct host plants in sympatry. Mol Ecol 2009; 18:3639-51. [PMID: 19674305 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2009.04309.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Surveys of tropical insects are increasingly uncovering cryptic species - morphologically similar yet reproductively isolated taxa once thought to comprise a single interbreeding entity. The vast majority of such species are described from a single location. This leaves us with little information on geographic range and intraspecific variation and limits our ability to infer the forces responsible for generating such diversity. For example, in herbivorous and parasitic insects, multiple specialists are often discovered within what were thought to be single more generalized species. Host shifts are likely to have contributed to speciation in these cases. But when and where did those shifts occur, and were they facilitated by geographic isolation? We attempted to answer these questions for two cryptic species within the butterfly Cymothoe egesta that were recently discovered on different host plants in central Cameroon. We first used mtDNA markers to separate individuals collected on the two hosts within Cameroon and then extended our analysis to incorporate individuals collected across the entire pan-Afrotropical range of the original taxon. To our surprise, we found that the species are almost entirely allopatric, dividing the original range and overlapping only in the narrow zone of West-Central Africa where they were first discovered in sympatry. This finding, combined with analyses of genetic variation within each butterfly species, strongly suggests that speciation occurred in allopatry, probably during the Pleistocene. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding speciation among other cryptic species recently discovered in the tropics and argue that more work is needed on geographic patterns and host usage in such taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn S McBride
- Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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Extreme diversity of tropical parasitoid wasps exposed by iterative integration of natural history, DNA barcoding, morphology, and collections. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:12359-64. [PMID: 18716001 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805319105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 316] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We DNA barcoded 2,597 parasitoid wasps belonging to 6 microgastrine braconid genera reared from parapatric tropical dry forest, cloud forest, and rain forest in Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica and combined these data with records of caterpillar hosts and morphological analyses. We asked whether barcoding and morphology discover the same provisional species and whether the biological entities revealed by our analysis are congruent with wasp host specificity. Morphological analysis revealed 171 provisional species, but barcoding exposed an additional 142 provisional species; 95% of the total is likely to be undescribed. These 313 provisional species are extraordinarily host specific; more than 90% attack only 1 or 2 species of caterpillars out of more than 3,500 species sampled. The most extreme case of overlooked diversity is the morphospecies Apanteles leucostigmus. This minute black wasp with a distinctive white wing stigma was thought to parasitize 32 species of ACG hesperiid caterpillars, but barcoding revealed 36 provisional species, each attacking one or a very few closely related species of caterpillars. When host records and/or within-ACG distributions suggested that DNA barcoding had missed a species-pair, or when provisional species were separated only by slight differences in their barcodes, we examined nuclear sequences to test hypotheses of presumptive species boundaries and to further probe host specificity. Our iterative process of combining morphological analysis, ecology, and DNA barcoding and reiteratively using specimens maintained in permanent collections has resulted in a much more fine-scaled understanding of parasitoid diversity and host specificity than any one of these elements could have produced on its own.
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