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Schneider K, Steward RA, Celorio-Mancera MDLP, Janz N, Moberg D, Wheat CW, Nylin S. Plasticity for the win: Flexible transcriptional response to host plant switches in the comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album). Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17479. [PMID: 39036890 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17479] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Generalist plant-feeding insects are characterised by a broad host repertoire that can comprise several families or even different orders of plants. The genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying the use of such a wide host range are still not fully understood. Earlier studies indicate that the consumption of different host plants is associated with host-specific gene expression profiles. It remained, however, unclear if and how larvae can alter these profiles in the case of a changing host environment. Using the polyphagous comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) we show that larvae can adjust their transcriptional profiles in response to a new host plant. The switch to some of the host plants, however, resulted in a larger transcriptional response and, thus, seems to be more challenging. At a physiological level, no correspondence for these patterns could be found in larval performance. This suggests that a high transcriptional but also phenotypic flexibility are essential for the use of a broad and diverse host range. We furthermore propose that host switch tests in the laboratory followed by transcriptomic investigations can be a valuable tool to examine not only plasticity in host use but also subtle and/or transient trade-offs in the evolution of host plant repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel A Steward
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Biology Department, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria de la Paz Celorio-Mancera
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niklas Janz
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dick Moberg
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Sören Nylin
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Zvereva EL, Castagneyrol B, Kozlov MV. Does spatial variation in insect herbivory match variations in plant quality? A meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14440. [PMID: 38778587 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14440] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Variation in herbivore pressure has often been predicted from patterns in plant traits considered as antiherbivore defences. Here, we tested whether spatial variation in field insect herbivory is associated with the variation in plant quality by conducting a meta-analysis of 223 correlation coefficients between herbivory levels and the expression of selected plant traits. We found no overall correlation between herbivory and either concentrations of plant secondary metabolites or values of physical leaf traits. This result was due to both the large number of low correlations and the opposing directions of high correlations in individual studies. Field herbivory demonstrated a significant association only with nitrogen: herbivore pressure increased with an increase in nitrogen concentration in plant tissues. Thus, our meta-analysis does not support either theoretical prediction, i.e., that plants possess high antiherbivore defences in localities with high herbivore pressure or that herbivory is low in localities where plant defences are high. We conclude that information about putative plant defences is insufficient to predict plant losses to insects in field conditions and that the only bottom-up factor shaping spatial variation in insect herbivory is plant nutritive value. Our findings stress the need to improve a theory linking plant putative defences and herbivory.
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3
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Shreenidhi PM, Brock DA, McCabe RI, Strassmann JE, Queller DC. Costs of being a diet generalist for the protist predator Dictyostelium discoideum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313203121. [PMID: 38530891 PMCID: PMC10998602 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313203121] [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: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Consumers range from specialists that feed on few resources to generalists that feed on many. Generalism has the clear advantage of having more resources to exploit, but the costs that limit generalism are less clear. We explore two understudied costs of generalism in a generalist amoeba predator, Dictyostelium discoideum, feeding on naturally co-occurring bacterial prey. Both involve costs of combining prey that are suitable on their own. First, amoebas exhibit a reduction in growth rate when they switched to one species of prey bacteria from another compared to controls that experience only the second prey. The effect was consistent across all six tested species of bacteria. These switching costs typically disappear within a day, indicating adjustment to new prey bacteria. This suggests that these costs are physiological. Second, amoebas usually grow more slowly on mixtures of prey bacteria compared to the expectation based on their growth on single prey. There were clear mixing costs in three of the six tested prey mixtures, and none showed significant mixing benefits. These results support the idea that, although amoebas can consume a variety of prey, they must use partially different methods and thus must pay costs to handle multiple prey, either sequentially or simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. M. Shreenidhi
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Debra A. Brock
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Rachel I. McCabe
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Joan E. Strassmann
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - David C. Queller
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
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4
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Kropelin G, Scott Chialvo CH. Examining the associations between a generalist feeder and a highly toxic host. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11035. [PMID: 38384824 PMCID: PMC10880132 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the often antagonistic plant-herbivore interactions and how host defenses can influence herbivore dietary breadth is an area of ongoing study in ecology and evolutionary biology. Typically, host plants/fungi that produce highly noxious chemical defenses are only fed on by specialists. We know very little about generalist species that can feed and develop on a noxious host. One such example of generalists feeding on toxic host occurs in the mushroom-feeding Drosophila found in the immigrans-tripunctata radiation. Although these species are classified as generalists, their acceptable hosts include deadly Amanita species. In this study, we used behavioral assays to assess associations between one mushroom-feeding species, Drosophila guttifera, and the deadly Amanita phalloides. We conducted feeding assays to confirm the presence of cyclopeptide toxin tolerance. We then completed host preference assays in female flies and larvae and did not find a preference for toxic mushrooms in either. Finally, we assessed the effect of competition on oviposition preference. We found that the presence of a competitor's eggs on the preferred host was associated with the flies increasing the number of eggs laid on the toxic mushrooms. Our results highlight how access to a low competition host resource may help to maintain associations between a generalist species and a highly toxic host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Kropelin
- Department of BiologyAppalachian State UniversityBooneNorth CarolinaUSA
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Jarrett BJM, Miller CW. Host Plant Effects on Sexual Selection Dynamics in Phytophagous Insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 69:41-57. [PMID: 37562047 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-022823-020258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Natural selection is notoriously dynamic in nature, and so, too, is sexual selection. The interactions between phytophagous insects and their host plants have provided valuable insights into the many ways in which ecological factors can influence sexual selection. In this review, we highlight recent discoveries and provide guidance for future work in this area. Importantly, host plants can affect both the agents of sexual selection (e.g., mate choice and male-male competition) and the traits under selection (e.g., ornaments and weapons). Furthermore, in our rapidly changing world, insects now routinely encounter new potential host plants. The process of adaptation to a new host may be hindered or accelerated by sexual selection, and the unexplored evolutionary trajectories that emerge from these dynamics are relevant to pest management and insect conservation strategies. Examining the effects of host plants on sexual selection has the potential to advance our fundamental understanding of sexual conflict, host range evolution, and speciation, with relevance across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J M Jarrett
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom;
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA;
| | - Christine W Miller
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA;
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6
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Kyogoku D. Evolution of realized niche breadth diversity driven by community dynamics. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14369. [PMID: 38247040 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14369] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Why many herbivorous insects are host plant specialists, with non-negligible exceptions, is a conundrum of evolutionary biology, especially because the host plants are not necessarily optimal larval diets. Here, I present a novel model of host plant preference evolution of two insect species. Because habitat preference evolution is contingent upon demographic dynamics, I integrate the evolutionary framework with the modern coexistence theory. The results show that the two insect species can evolve into a habitat specialist and generalist, when they experience both negative and positive frequency-dependent community dynamics. This happens because the joint action of positive and negative frequency dependence creates multiple (up to nine) eco-evolutionary equilibria. Furthermore, initial condition dependence due to positive frequency dependence allows specialization to poor habitats. Thus, evolved habitat preferences do not necessarily correlate with the performances. The model provides explanations for counterintuitive empirical patterns and mechanistic interpretations for phenomenological models of niche breadth evolution.
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Hettiarachchi DK, Rostás M, Sullivan JJ, Jackman S, van Koten C, Cripps MG. Plant phylogeny determines host selection and acceptance of the oligophagous leaf beetle Cassida rubiginosa. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:4694-4703. [PMID: 37450765 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting the host range of biocontrol agents is important for the safe and effective implementation of biocontrol of weeds. In this study, we examined the phylogenetic pattern of host selection and acceptance by the biocontrol beetle, Cassida rubiginosa. The beetle was released in New Zealand for control of Cirsium arvense, its primary host plant, but has potential to attack many Cardueae (thistles and knapweeds) species. We conducted a series of no-choice and choice experiments and modelled the responses of Cassida rubiginosa in relation to phylogenetic distance from Cirsium arvense. RESULTS The olfactory recognition (single odour) and preference (two odours) of the beetle showed a significant phylogenetic relationship. These relationships showed a high degree of correlation with 66.9% of the variation in olfactory recognition and 82.8% of the variation in olfactory preference explained by phylogeny. Where the beetle could contact plants, under no-choice conditions there was no phylogenetic pattern to host plant acceptance. However, under choice conditions, phylogenetic distance was a strong predictor of feeding and oviposition preference. These relationships showed a high degree of correlation, with 63.4% of the variation in feeding preference, and 89.0% of the variation in oviposition preference, explained by phylogeny. CONCLUSIONS As far as we are aware, this is the first demonstration of an herbivorous insect that exhibits a phylogenetic pattern to olfactory host plant selection. Host plant utilisation by Cassida rubiginosa in New Zealand will be mostly restricted to Cirsium and Carduus species, with minimal potential for impact on other Cardueae weeds. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilani K Hettiarachchi
- Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
| | - Michael Rostás
- Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
- Agricultural Entomology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jon J Sullivan
- Department of Pest Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Sarah Jackman
- AgResearch Ltd., Lincoln Science Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand
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Abstract
AbstractEvolutionary biologists have thought about the role of genetic variation during adaptation for a very long time-before we understood the organization of the genetic code, the provenance of genetic variation, and how such variation influenced the phenotypes on which natural selection acts. Half a century after the discovery of the structure of DNA and the unraveling of the genetic code, we have a rich understanding of these problems and the means to both delve deeper and widen our perspective across organisms and natural populations. The 2022 Vice Presidential Symposium of the American Society of Naturalists highlighted examples of recent insights into the role of genetic variation in adaptive processes, which are compiled in this special section. The work was conducted in different parts of the world, included theoretical and empirical studies with diverse organisms, and addressed distinct aspects of how genetic variation influences adaptation. In our introductory article to the special section, we discuss some important recent insights about the generation and maintenance of genetic variation, its impacts on phenotype and fitness, its fate in natural populations, and its role in driving adaptation. By placing the special section articles in the broader context of recent developments, we hope that this overview will also serve as a useful introduction to the field.
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Sun X, Sun Y, Cao X, Zhai X, Callaway RM, Wan J, Flory SL, Huang W, Ding J. Trade-offs in non-native plant herbivore defences enhance performance. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1584-1596. [PMID: 37387416 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14283] [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: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Non-native plants are typically released from specialist enemies but continue to be attacked by generalists, albeit at lower intensities. This reduced herbivory may lead to less investment in constitutive defences and greater investment in induced defences, potentially reducing defence costs. We compared herbivory on 27 non-native and 59 native species in the field and conducted bioassays and chemical analyses on 12 pairs of non-native and native congeners. Non-natives suffered less damage and had weaker constitutive defences, but stronger induced defences than natives. For non-natives, the strength of constitutive defences was correlated with the intensity of herbivory experienced, whereas induced defences showed the reverse. Investment in induced defences correlated positively with growth, suggesting a novel mechanism for the evolution of increased competitive ability. To our knowledge, these are the first linkages reported among trade-offs in plant defences related to the intensity of herbivory, allocation to constitutive versus induced defences, and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Yumei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Xueyao Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Xincong Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Ragan M Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Jinlong Wan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - S Luke Flory
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Wei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianqing Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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10
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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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Wang Z, Gong L, Huang Z, Geng Y, Zhang W, Si M, Wu H, Feng J, Jiang T. Linking changes in individual specialization and population niche of space use across seasons in the great evening bat (Ia io). MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:32. [PMID: 37287053 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00394-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The niche breadth of an animal population comprises both within-individual and between-individual variation (individual specialization). Both components can be used to explain changes in population niche breadth, and this has been extensively investigated in dietary niche dimension studies. However, little is known about how changes in food resources or environmental factors across seasons affect changes in individual and population space use within the same population. METHODS In this study, we used micro-GPS loggers to capture the space use of individuals and of a population of the great evening bat (Ia io) in summer and autumn. We used I. io as a model to investigate how individual spatial niche breadth and spatial individual specialization affect changes in population niche breadth (home range and core area sizes) across seasons. Additionally, we explored the drivers of individual spatial specialization. RESULTS We found that the population home range and the core area of I. io did not increase in autumn when insect resources were reduced. Moreover, I. io showed different specialization strategies in the two seasons: higher spatial individual specialization in summer and lower individual specialization but broader individual niche breadth in autumn. This trade-off may maintain the dynamic stability of the population spatial niche breadth across seasons and facilitate the population response to changes in food resources and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS Like diet, spatial niche breadth of a population also may be determined by a combination of individual niche breadth and individual specialization. Our work provides new insights into the evolution of niche breadth from the spatial dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Lixin Gong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Zhenglanyi Huang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Yang Geng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Man Si
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Hui Wu
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China.
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
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12
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Hardy NB, Forister ML. Niche Specificity, Polygeny, and Pleiotropy in Herbivorous Insects. Am Nat 2023; 201:376-388. [PMID: 36848511 DOI: 10.1086/722568] [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] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWhat causes host use specificity in herbivorous insects? Population genetic models predict specialization when habitat preference can evolve and there is antagonistic pleiotropy at a performance-affecting locus. But empirically for herbivorous insects, host use performance is governed by many genetic loci, and antagonistic pleiotropy seems to be rare. Here, we use individual-based quantitative genetic simulation models to investigate the role of pleiotropy in the evolution of sympatric host use specialization when performance and preference are quantitative traits. We look first at pleiotropies affecting only host use performance. We find that when the host environment changes slowly, the evolution of host use specialization requires levels of antagonistic pleiotropy much higher than what has been observed in nature. On the other hand, with rapid environmental change or pronounced asymmetries in productivity across host species, the evolution of host use specialization readily occurs without pleiotropy. When pleiotropies affect preference as well as performance, even with slow environmental change and host species of equal productivity, we observe fluctuations in host use breadth, with mean specificity increasing with the pervasiveness of antagonistic pleiotropy. Thus, our simulations show that pleiotropy is not necessary for specialization, although it can be sufficient, provided it is extensive or multifarious.
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13
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Gong L, Gu H, Chang Y, Wang Z, Shi B, Lin A, Wu H, Feng J, Jiang T. Seasonal variation of population and individual dietary niche in the avivorous bat, Ia io. Oecologia 2023; 201:733-747. [PMID: 36929223 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05346-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
The variation in niche breadth can affect how species respond to environmental and resource changes. However, there is still no clear understanding of how seasonal variability in food resources impacts the variation of individual dietary diversity, thereby affecting the dynamics of a population's dietary niche breadth. Optimal foraging theory (OFT) and the niche variation hypothesis (NVH) predict that when food resources are limited, the population niche breadth will widen or narrow due to increased within-individual dietary diversity and individual specialization or reduced within-individual dietary diversity, respectively. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding to examine the composition and seasonality of diets of the avivorous bat Ia io. Furthermore, we investigated how the dietary niches changed among seasons and how the population niche breadth changed when the availability of insect resources was reduced in autumn. We found that there was differentiation in dietary niches among seasons and a low degree of overlap, and the decrease of insect resource availability and the emergence of ecological opportunities of nocturnal migratory birds might drive dietary niche shifts toward birds in I. io. However, the population's dietary niche breadth did not broaden by increasing the within-individual dietary diversity or individual specialization, but rather became narrower by reducing dietary diversity via predation on bird resources that served as an ecological opportunity when insect resources were scarce in autumn. Our findings were consistent with the predictions of OFT, because birds as prey for bats provided extremely different resources from those of insects in size and nutritional value. Our work highlights the importance of size and quality of prey resources along with other factors (i.e., physiological, behavioral, and life-history traits) in dietary niche variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Gong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Hao Gu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Yang Chang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Biye Shi
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Aiqing Lin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Hui Wu
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China.
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of Education Ministry, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun, 130117, China.
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14
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Walsh GC, Sosa AJ, Mc Kay F, Maestro M, Hill M, Hinz HL, Paynter Q, Pratt PD, Raghu S, Shaw R, Tipping PW, Winston RL. Is Biological Control of Weeds Conservation’s Blind Spot? THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1086/723930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
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15
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Horne GM, Manderino R, Jaffe SP. Specialist Herbivore Performance on Introduced Plants During Native Host Decline. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:88-97. [PMID: 36610403 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvac107] [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: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Ash (Fraxinus spp.) is in rapid decline across the northeastern USA due to the invasive emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire). Three recently co-occurring confamilial species may serve as alternative larval host plants for ash-reliant Lepidoptera. These prospective hosts are nonnative shrubs often planted in managed suburban landscapes and are sometimes invasive or naturalized in North America. Given the imminent decline of ash trees, we considered potential downstream effects on insect herbivores historically specialized on ash foliage. We measured the performance of three ash-specialist hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) on native white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) and alternative host plants: common lilac (Syringa vulgaris L.), weeping forsythia [Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl], and European privet (Ligustrum vulgare L.). We found the nonnative host plants provided varied support for larval survival to pupation, with biomass and growth rate affected differently by both plant and insect identity. Nearly all caterpillars reared on one alternative host, European privet, exhibited distinct malformations of the wing buds at pupation. Given caterpillar presence on privet in the field, privet may constitute an ecological trap (i.e., when female moths select a sub-optimal host, offspring survival and fitness are reduced). This work demonstrates how performance testing can reveal species-specific effects of host plant loss on mono- or oligophagous insects. For some ash specialists, alternative nonnative host plants may be suboptimal, but some cultivated host plants may be able to support certain specialist insects during native host decline. We suggest that landscaping decisions can be tailored to support threatened insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace M Horne
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 4000 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville, ME, USA
- The Caterpillar Lab, 172 Main Street, Marlborough, NH, USA
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, 458 Hutchison Hall, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rea Manderino
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation, 1776 Loughborough Lane, Upperville, VA, USA
| | - Samuel P Jaffe
- The Caterpillar Lab, 172 Main Street, Marlborough, NH, USA
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16
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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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17
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Skoracka A, Laska A, Radwan J, Konczal M, Lewandowski M, Puchalska E, Karpicka‐Ignatowska K, Przychodzka A, Raubic J, Kuczyński L. Effective specialist or jack of all trades? Experimental evolution of a crop pest in fluctuating and stable environments. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1639-1652. [PMID: 36330306 PMCID: PMC9624081 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding pest evolution in agricultural systems is crucial for developing effective and innovative pest control strategies. Types of cultivation, such as crop monocultures versus polycultures or crop rotation, may act as a selective pressure on pests' capability to exploit the host's resources. In this study, we examined the herbivorous mite Aceria tosichella (commonly known as wheat curl mite), a widespread wheat pest, to understand how fluctuating versus stable environments influence its niche breadth and ability to utilize different host plant species. We subjected a wheat-bred mite population to replicated experimental evolution in a single-host environment (either wheat or barley), or in an alternation between these two plant species every three mite generations. Next, we tested the fitness of these evolving populations on wheat, barley, and on two other plant species not encountered during experimental evolution, namely rye and smooth brome. Our results revealed that the niche breadth of A. tosichella evolved in response to the level of environmental variability. The fluctuating environment expanded the niche breadth by increasing the mite's ability to utilize different plant species, including novel ones. Such an environment may thus promote flexible host-use generalist phenotypes. However, the niche expansion resulted in some costs expressed as reduced performances on both wheat and barley as compared to specialists. Stable host environments led to specialized phenotypes. The population that evolved in a constant environment consisting of barley increased its fitness on barley without the cost of utilizing wheat. However, the population evolving on wheat did not significantly increase its fitness on wheat, but decreased its performance on barley. Altogether, our results indicated that, depending on the degree of environmental heterogeneity, agricultural systems create different conditions that influence pests' niche breadth evolution, which may in turn affect the ability of pests to persist in such systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Skoracka
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
- Center for Advanced TechnologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Alicja Laska
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Jacek Radwan
- Evolutionary Biology GroupFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Mateusz Konczal
- Evolutionary Biology GroupFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Mariusz Lewandowski
- Section of Applied EntomologyDepartment of Plant ProtectionInstitute of Horticultural SciencesWarsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGWWarsawPoland
| | - Ewa Puchalska
- Section of Applied EntomologyDepartment of Plant ProtectionInstitute of Horticultural SciencesWarsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGWWarsawPoland
| | - Kamila Karpicka‐Ignatowska
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Anna Przychodzka
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Jarosław Raubic
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Lechosław Kuczyński
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyInstitute of Environmental BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
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18
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Additive genetic effects in interacting species jointly determine the outcome of caterpillar herbivory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2206052119. [PMID: 36037349 PMCID: PMC9456756 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2206052119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-insect interactions are common and important in basic and applied biology. Trait and genetic variation can affect the outcome and evolution of these interactions, but the relative contributions of plant and insect genetic variation and how these interact remain unclear and are rarely subject to assessment in the same experimental context. Here, we address this knowledge gap using a recent host-range expansion onto alfalfa by the Melissa blue butterfly. Common garden rearing experiments and genomic data show that caterpillar performance depends on plant and insect genetic variation, with insect genetics contributing to performance earlier in development and plant genetics later. Our models of performance based on caterpillar genetics retained predictive power when applied to a second common garden. Much of the plant genetic effect could be explained by heritable variation in plant phytochemicals, especially saponins, peptides, and phosphatidyl cholines, providing a possible mechanistic understanding of variation in the species interaction. We find evidence of polygenic, mostly additive effects within and between species, with consistent effects of plant genotype on growth and development across multiple butterfly species. Our results inform theories of plant-insect coevolution and the evolution of diet breadth in herbivorous insects and other host-specific parasites.
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19
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Geographic isolation drives speciation in Nearctic aphids. Commun Biol 2022; 5:796. [PMID: 35941371 PMCID: PMC9360434 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03771-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Across herbivorous insect clades, species richness and host-use diversity tend to positively covary. This could be because host-use divergence drives speciation, or because it raises the ecological limits on species richness. To evaluate these hypotheses, we performed phylogenetic path model analyses of the species diversity of Nearctic aphids. Here, we show that variation in the species richness of aphid clades is caused mainly by host-use divergence, whereas variation in speciation rates is caused more by divergence in non-host-related niche variables. Aphid speciation is affected by both the evolution of host and non-host-related niche components, but the former is largely caused by the latter. Thus, our analyses suggest that host-use divergence can both raise the ecological limits on species richness and drive speciation, although in the latter case, host-use divergence tends to be a step along the causal path leading from non-host-related niche evolution to speciation. Using phylogenetic path modelling, geographic isolation is revealed to be the main driver of Nearctic aphid speciation, with subsequent host-use divergence raising the limits on clade species richness.
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20
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Bras A, Roy A, Heckel DG, Anderson P, Karlsson Green K. Pesticide resistance in arthropods: Ecology matters too. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1746-1759. [PMID: 35726578 PMCID: PMC9542861 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Pesticide resistance development is an example of rapid contemporary evolution that poses immense challenges for agriculture. It typically evolves due to the strong directional selection that pesticide treatments exert on herbivorous arthropods. However, recent research suggests that some species are more prone to evolve pesticide resistance than others due to their evolutionary history and standing genetic variation. Generalist species might develop pesticide resistance especially rapidly due to pre‐adaptation to handle a wide array of plant allelochemicals. Moreover, research has shown that adaptation to novel host plants could lead to increased pesticide resistance. Exploring such cross‐resistance between host plant range evolution and pesticide resistance development from an ecological perspective is needed to understand its causes and consequences better. Much research has, however, been devoted to the molecular mechanisms underlying pesticide resistance while both the ecological contexts that could facilitate resistance evolution and the ecological consequences of cross‐resistance have been under‐studied. Here, we take an eco‐evolutionary approach and discuss circumstances that may facilitate cross‐resistance in arthropods and the consequences cross‐resistance may have for plant–arthropod interactions in both target and non‐target species and species interactions. Furthermore, we suggest future research avenues and practical implications of an increased ecological understanding of pesticide resistance evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Bras
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.,Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, EXTEMIT-K and EVA.4.0 Unit, Czech University of Life Sciences, Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Amit Roy
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, EXTEMIT-K and EVA.4.0 Unit, Czech University of Life Sciences, Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - David G Heckel
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Peter Anderson
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Kristina Karlsson Green
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
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21
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Brown J, Cunningham SA. Biogeographic history predicts bee community structure across floral resource gradients in south‐east Australia. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Julian Brown
- Fenner School of Environment and Society Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Richmond Victoria Australia
| | - Saul A. Cunningham
- Fenner School of Environment and Society Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
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22
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Barcoto MO, Rodrigues A. Lessons From Insect Fungiculture: From Microbial Ecology to Plastics Degradation. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:812143. [PMID: 35685924 PMCID: PMC9171207 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.812143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities have extensively transformed the biosphere by extracting and disposing of resources, crossing boundaries of planetary threat while causing a global crisis of waste overload. Despite fundamental differences regarding structure and recalcitrance, lignocellulose and plastic polymers share physical-chemical properties to some extent, that include carbon skeletons with similar chemical bonds, hydrophobic properties, amorphous and crystalline regions. Microbial strategies for metabolizing recalcitrant polymers have been selected and optimized through evolution, thus understanding natural processes for lignocellulose modification could aid the challenge of dealing with the recalcitrant human-made polymers spread worldwide. We propose to look for inspiration in the charismatic fungal-growing insects to understand multipartite degradation of plant polymers. Independently evolved in diverse insect lineages, fungiculture embraces passive or active fungal cultivation for food, protection, and structural purposes. We consider there is much to learn from these symbioses, in special from the community-level degradation of recalcitrant biomass and defensive metabolites. Microbial plant-degrading systems at the core of insect fungicultures could be promising candidates for degrading synthetic plastics. Here, we first compare the degradation of lignocellulose and plastic polymers, with emphasis in the overlapping microbial players and enzymatic activities between these processes. Second, we review the literature on diverse insect fungiculture systems, focusing on features that, while supporting insects' ecology and evolution, could also be applied in biotechnological processes. Third, taking lessons from these microbial communities, we suggest multidisciplinary strategies to identify microbial degraders, degrading enzymes and pathways, as well as microbial interactions and interdependencies. Spanning from multiomics to spectroscopy, microscopy, stable isotopes probing, enrichment microcosmos, and synthetic communities, these strategies would allow for a systemic understanding of the fungiculture ecology, driving to application possibilities. Detailing how the metabolic landscape is entangled to achieve ecological success could inspire sustainable efforts for mitigating the current environmental crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana O. Barcoto
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Andre Rodrigues
- Center for the Study of Social Insects, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
- Department of General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
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23
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Zhang SK, Wang Y, Li ZK, Xue HJ, Zhou XD, Huang JH. Two Apriona Species Sharing a Host Niche Have Different Gut Microbiome Diversity. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:1059-1072. [PMID: 34302194 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01799-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The adaptability of herbivorous insects to toxic plant defense compounds is partly related to the structure of the gut microbiome. To overcome plant resistance, the insect gut microbiome should respond to a wide range of allelochemicals derived from dietary niches. Nevertheless, for sibling herbivorous insect species, whether the gut microbiome contributes to success in food niche competition is unclear. Based on 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, the gut microbiomes of two Apriona species that share the same food niche were investigated in this study to determine whether the gut microbiome contributes to insect success in food-niche competition. Our observations indicated that the gut microbiome tended to play a part in host niche competition between the two Apriona species. The gut microbiome of Apriona swainsoni had many enriched pathways that can help degrade plant toxic secondary compounds, including xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism, terpenoid and polyketide metabolism, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Meanwhile, A. swainsoni hosted a much greater variety of microorganisms and had more viable bacteria than A. germari. We conclude that gut microbes may influence the coevolution of herbivores and host plants. Gut bacteria may not only serve to boost nutritional relationships, but may also play an important role in insect food niche competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Ke Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
- School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Wang
- School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-Kun Li
- School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Huai-Jun Xue
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Xu-Dong Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
- School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jun-Hao Huang
- School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
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24
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Fargallo JA, Navarro-López J, Cantalapiedra JL, Pelegrin JS, Hernández Fernández M. Trophic Niche Breadth of Falconidae Species Predicts Biomic Specialisation but Not Range Size. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11040522. [PMID: 35453721 PMCID: PMC9028249 DOI: 10.3390/biology11040522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary The diversity of food consumed and the habitats occupied by species and populations, which is called a trophic niche, play a key role in biogeographic distribution patterns. Niche narrowing is considered a strategy to reduce resource-use overlap and competition among coexisting individuals, populations or species. However, the success of narrowing (specialism) or broadening (generalism) the trophic niche seems to depend on the temporal and spatial predictability of food resources. It is thought that specialist strategies are favoured in homogeneous environments predictable in time and space, while environmental unpredictability promotes generalist strategies that, in turn, allow a greater capacity to colonise new niches, thus tending to increase the geographic range size. Interestingly, although known at a within-population scale, the relationship between diet breadth and environmental heterogeneity at global and interspecific scales has not been explicitly assessed. Using the family Falconidae (Aves, Falconiformes) as a model study, we tested the prediction that those species with a wider diet spectrum will have larger geographic range sizes and inhabit more biomes. Our findings show that trophic breadth was not a good predictor for range size but was for total environmental heterogeneity, with more diet-generalist species occupying a higher number of biomes. Abstract Trophic niche breadth plays a key role in biogeographic distribution patterns. Theory posits that generalist strategies are favoured in a more heterogeneous set of environments across a spatio-temporal gradient of resources predictability, conferring individuals and species a greater capacity for colonising new habitats and thus expanding their distribution area. Using the family Falconidae (Aves, Falconiformes) as a model study, we tested the prediction that those species with a wider diet spectrum will have larger geographic range sizes and inhabit more biomes. We assessed the relationships between trophic breadth (diet richness and diversity) at different taxonomic resolutions of the prey (class and order), range size and biomic specialisation index (BSI; number of biomes inhabited) for the different species. Despite different diet breadth indexes and taxonomic resolutions defined differently the trophic niche of the clade and species, our findings revealed that trophic breadth was not a good predictor for range size but was for total environmental heterogeneity, with more diet-generalist species occupying a higher number of biomes. Diet breadth at the order taxonomic level showed a higher capacity of predicting BSI than at class level, and can be an important ecological trait explaining biogeographic patterns of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan A. Fargallo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales—Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-914111328
| | - Juan Navarro-López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales—Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Juan L. Cantalapiedra
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida (Sección de Ecología), Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain;
| | - Jonathan S. Pelegrin
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecología y Conservación de la Biodiversidad (EcoBio), Área de Biología y Programa de Maestría en Educación Ambiental y Desarrollo Sostenible, Facultades de Educación y Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Calle 5 62-00, Cali 760035, Colombia;
| | - Manuel Hernández Fernández
- Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, José Antonio Novais 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
- Departamento de Cambio Medioambiental, Instituto de Geociencias (UCM, CSIC), Doctor Severo Ochoa 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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25
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Sudta C, Salcido DM, Forister ML, Walla TR, Villamarín-Cortez S, Dyer LA. Jack-of-all-trades paradigm meets long-term data: Generalist herbivores are more widespread and locally less abundant. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:948-957. [PMID: 35106892 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Insect herbivores are relatively specialized. Why this is so is not clear. We examine assumptions about associations between local abundance and dietary specialization using an 18-year data set of caterpillar-plant interactions in Ecuador. Our data consist of caterpillar-plant associations and include standardized plot-based samples and general collections of caterpillars, allowing for diet breadth and abundance estimates across spatial scales for 1917 morphospecies. We find that more specialized caterpillars are locally more abundant than generalists, consistent with a key component of the 'jack of all trades, master of none' hypothesis. As the diet breadth of species increased, generalists were not as abundant in any one location, but they had broader occupancy across the landscape, which is a pattern that could reflect high plant beta diversity and is consistent with an alternative neutral hypothesis. Our finding that more specialized species can be both rare and common highlights the ecological complexity of specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanchanok Sudta
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Danielle M Salcido
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Matthew L Forister
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Thomas R Walla
- Department of Biological Science, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado, USA
| | - Santiago Villamarín-Cortez
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.,Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad - INABIO, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lee A Dyer
- Department of Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA.,Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad - INABIO, Quito, Ecuador
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26
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Improving Natural Enemy Selection in Biological Control through Greater Attention to Chemical Ecology and Host-Associated Differentiation of Target Arthropod Pests. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13020160. [PMID: 35206733 PMCID: PMC8877252 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Host-associated differentiation (HAD) refers to cases in which genetically distinct populations of a species (e.g., herbivores or natural enemies) preferentially reproduce or feed on different host species. In agroecosystems, HAD often results in unique strains or biotypes of pest species, each attacking different species of crops. However, HAD is not restricted to pest populations, and may cascade to the third trophic level, affecting host selection by natural enemies, and ultimately leading to HAD within natural enemy species. Natural enemy HAD may affect the outcomes of biological control efforts, whether classical, conservation, or augmentative. Here, we explore the potential effects of pest and natural enemy HAD on biological control in agroecosystems, with emphases on current knowledge gaps and implications of HAD for selection of biological control agents. Additionally, given the importance of semiochemicals in mediating interactions between trophic levels, we emphasize the role of chemical ecology in interactions between pests and natural enemies, and suggest areas of consideration for biological control. Overall, we aim to jump-start a conversation concerning the relevance of HAD in biological control by reviewing currently available information on natural enemy HAD, identifying challenges to incorporating HAD considerations into biological control efforts, and proposing future research directions on natural enemy selection and HAD.
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Ali F, Hu X, Wang D, Yang F, Guo H, Wang Y. Plant pathogen-mediated rapid acclimation of a host-specialized aphid to a non-host plant. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15261-15272. [PMID: 34765176 PMCID: PMC8571567 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyphagous aphids often consist of host-specialized lineages, which have greater fitness on their native hosts than on others. The underlying causes are important for understanding of the evolution of diet breadth and host shift of aphids. The cotton-melon aphid Aphis gossypii Glover is extremely polyphagous with many strict host-specialized lineages. Whether and how the lineage specialized on the primary host hibiscus shifts to the secondary host cucumber remains elusive. We found that the hibiscus-specialized lineage suffered high mortality and gave birth to very few nymphs developing into yellow dwarfs on fresh cucumber leaves, and did not inflict any damage symptoms on cucumber plants. The poor performance did not improve with prolonged exposure to cucumber; however, it did significantly improve when the cucumber leaves were pre-infected with a biotrophic phytopathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis. More importantly, the hibiscus-specialized lineage with two-generation feeding experience on pre-infected cucumber leaves performed as well as the cucumber-specialized lineage did on fresh cucumber leaves, and inflicted typical damage symptoms on intact cucumber plants. Electrical penetration graph (EPG) indicated that the hibiscus-specialized lineage did not ingest phloem sap from fresh cucumber leaves but succeeded in ingesting phloem sap from pre-infected cucumber leaves, which explained the performance improvement of the hibiscus-specialized lineage on pre-infected cucumber leaves. This study revealed a new pathway for the hibiscus-specialized lineage to quickly acclimate to cucumber under the assistance of the phytopathogen. We considered that the short feeding experience on pre-infected cucumber may activate expression of effector genes that are related to specific host utilization. We suggest to identify host-specific effectors by comparing proteomes or/and transcriptomes of the hibiscus-specialized lineage before and after acclimating to cucumber.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhan Ali
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Xiaoyue Hu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Duoqi Wang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Fengying Yang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Hao Guo
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yongmo Wang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key LaboratoryCollege of Plant Science and TechnologyHuazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhanChina
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Seifert CL, Jorge LR, Volf M, Wagner DL, Lamarre GPA, Miller SE, Gonzalez‐Akre E, Anderson‐Teixeira KJ, Novotný V. Seasonality affects specialisation of a temperate forest herbivore community. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo L. Seifert
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Leonardo R. Jorge
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Martin Volf
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - David L. Wagner
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| | - Greg P. A. Lamarre
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Scott E. Miller
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Inst. Washington D.C. USA
| | - Erika Gonzalez‐Akre
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Inst. Front Royal VA USA
| | | | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst. Balboa Ancon Panama
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Wood TJ, Ghisbain G, Rasmont P, Kleijn D, Raemakers I, Praz C, Killewald M, Gibbs J, Bobiwash K, Boustani M, Martinet B, Michez D. Global patterns in bumble bee pollen collection show phylogenetic conservation of diet. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2421-2430. [PMID: 34096055 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bumble bees (Bombus) are a group of eusocial bees with a strongly generalised feeding pattern, collecting pollen from many different botanical families. Though predominantly generalists, some bumble bee species seem to have restricted dietary choices. It is unclear whether restricted diets in bumble bees are inherent or a function of local conditions due to a lack of data for many species across different regions. The objective of this study was to determine whether bumble bee species displayed specific patterns of pollen collection, and whether patterns were influenced by phylogenetic relatedness or tongue length, a trait known to be associated with structuring floral visitation. Bumble bee pollen collection patterns were quantified from 4,132 pollen loads taken from 58 bumble bee species, representing 24% of the pollen-collecting diversity of this genus. Phylogenetic trait mapping showed a conserved pattern of dietary dissimilarity across species, but not for dietary breadth. Dietary dissimilarity was driven by collection of Fabaceae, with the most similar species collecting around 50%-60% of their diet from this botanical family. The proportion of the diet collected from Fabaceae also showed a conserved phylogenetic signal. Greater collection of Fabaceae was associated with longer tongue lengths, with shorter tongued species focusing on alternative botanical families. However, this result was largely driven by phylogenetic relatedness, not tongue length per se. These results demonstrate that, though generalists, bumble bees are still subject to dietary restrictions that constrain their foraging choices. These dietary constraints have implications for their persistence should their core resources decline in abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Wood
- Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | | | - Pierre Rasmont
- Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ivo Raemakers
- Van Caldenborghstraat 26, Gronsveld, The Netherlands
| | - Christophe Praz
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,InfoFauna, Swiss Zoological Records Centre, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | | | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Kyle Bobiwash
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Mira Boustani
- Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Baptiste Martinet
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Denis Michez
- Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
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30
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Aguirre-Rojas LM, Scully ED, Trick HN, Zhu KY, Smith CM. Comparative analyses of transcriptional responses of Dectes texanus LeConte (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) larvae fed on three different host plants and artificial diet. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11448. [PMID: 34075134 PMCID: PMC8169664 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90932-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dectes texanus is an important coleopteran pest of soybeans and cultivated sunflowers in the Midwestern United States that causes yield losses by girdling stems of their host plants. Although sunflower and giant ragweed are primary hosts of D. texanus, they began colonizing soybeans approximately 50 years ago and no reliable management method has been established to prevent or reduce losses by this pest. To identify genes putatively involved when feeding soybean, we compared gene expression of D. texanus third-instar larvae fed soybean to those fed sunflower, giant ragweed, or artificial diet. Dectes texanus larvae differentially expressed 514 unigenes when fed on soybean compared to those fed the other diet treatments. Enrichment analyses of gene ontology terms from up-regulated unigenes in soybean-fed larvae compared to those fed both primary hosts highlighted unigenes involved in oxidoreductase and polygalacturonase activities. Cytochrome P450s, carboxylesterases, major facilitator superfamily transporters, lipocalins, apolipoproteins, glycoside hydrolases 1 and 28, and lytic monooxygenases were among the most commonly up-regulated unigenes in soybean-fed larvae compared to those fed their primary hosts. These results suggest that D. texanus larvae differentially expressed unigenes involved in biotransformation of allelochemicals, digestion of plant cell walls and transport of small solutes and lipids when feeding in soybean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina M Aguirre-Rojas
- Deparment of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92506, USA
| | - Erin D Scully
- Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research Unit, USDA-ARS-CGAHR, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA
| | - Harold N Trick
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Kun Yan Zhu
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - C Michael Smith
- Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA.
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Abstract
AbstractMany organisms are specialized, and these narrow niches are often explained with trade-offs-the inability for one organism to express maximal performance in two or more environments. However, evidence is lacking that trade-offs are sufficient to explain specialists. Several lines of theoretical inquiry suggest that populations can specialize without explicit trade-offs, as a result of relaxed selection in generalists for their performance in rare environments. Here, I synthesize and extend these approaches, showing that emergent asymmetries in evolvability can push a population toward specialization in the absence of trade-offs and in the presence of substantial ecological costs of specialism. Simulations are used to demonstrate how adaptation to a more common environment interferes with adaptation to a less common but otherwise equal alternative environment and that this interference is greatly exacerbated at low recombination rates. This adaptive process of specialization can effectively trap populations in a suboptimal niche. These modeling results predict that transient differences in evolvability across traits during a single episode of adaptation could have long-term consequences for a population's niche.
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32
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Crossley MS, Snyder WE, Hardy NB. Insect-plant relationships predict the speed of insecticide adaptation. Evol Appl 2021; 14:290-296. [PMID: 33664776 PMCID: PMC7896708 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivorous insects must circumvent the chemical defenses of their host plants and, in cropping systems, must also circumvent synthetic insecticides. The pre-adaptation hypothesis posits that when herbivorous insects evolve resistance to insecticides, they co-opt adaptations against host plant defenses. Despite its intuitive appeal, few predictions of this hypothesis have been tested systematically. Here, with survival analysis of more than 17,000 herbivore-insecticide interactions, we show that resistance evolution tends to be faster when herbivorous insect diets are broad (but not too broad) and when insecticides and plant defensive chemicals are similar (but not too similar). These general relations suggest a complex interplay between macro-evolutionary contingencies and contemporary population genetic processes, and provide a predictive framework to forecast which pest species are most likely to develop resistance to particular insecticide chemistries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nate B. Hardy
- Department of Entomology and Plant PathologyAuburn UniversityAuburnALUSA
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33
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Peterson DA, Hardy NB, Morse GE, Itioka T, Wei J, Normark BB. Nonadaptive host-use specificity in tropical armored scale insects. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12910-12919. [PMID: 33304503 PMCID: PMC7713922 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Most herbivorous insects are diet specialists in spite of the apparent advantages of being a generalist. This conundrum might be explained by fitness trade-offs on alternative host plants, yet the evidence of such trade-offs has been elusive. Another hypothesis is that specialization is nonadaptive, evolving through neutral population-genetic processes and within the bounds of historical constraints. Here, we report on a striking lack of evidence for the adaptiveness of specificity in tropical canopy communities of armored scale insects. We find evidence of pervasive diet specialization, and find that host use is phylogenetically conservative, but also find that more-specialized species occur on fewer of their potential hosts than do less-specialized species, and are no more abundant where they do occur. Of course local communities might not reflect regional diversity patterns. But based on our samples, comprising hundreds of species of hosts and armored scale insects at two widely separated sites, more-specialized species do not appear to outperform more generalist species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A. Peterson
- Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMAUSA
| | - Nate B. Hardy
- Department of Entomology and Plant PathologyAuburn UniversityAuburnALUSA
| | | | - Takao Itioka
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental StudiesKyoto UniversityKyotoJapan
| | - Jiufeng Wei
- College of AgricultureShanxi Agricultural UniversityTaiguChina
| | - Benjamin B. Normark
- Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMAUSA
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Forister ML, Philbin CS, Marion ZH, Buerkle CA, Dodson CD, Fordyce JA, Forister GW, Lebeis SL, Lucas LK, Nice CC, Gompert Z. Predicting patch occupancy reveals the complexity of host range expansion. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/48/eabc6852. [PMID: 33246956 PMCID: PMC7695468 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc6852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Specialized plant-insect interactions are a defining feature of life on earth, yet we are only beginning to understand the factors that set limits on host ranges in herbivorous insects. To better understand the recent adoption of alfalfa as a host plant by the Melissa blue butterfly, we quantified arthropod assemblages and plant metabolites across a wide geographic region while controlling for climate and dispersal inferred from population genomic variation. The presence of the butterfly is successfully predicted by direct and indirect effects of plant traits and interactions with other species. Results are consistent with the predictions of a theoretical model of parasite host range in which specialization is an epiphenomenon of the many barriers to be overcome rather than a consequence of trade-offs in developmental physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Forister
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
- Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - C S Philbin
- Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Z H Marion
- Bio-protection Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - C A Buerkle
- Department of Botany and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - C D Dodson
- Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - J A Fordyce
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - G W Forister
- Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - S L Lebeis
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - L K Lucas
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - C C Nice
- Population and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Z Gompert
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
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McAulay MK, Killingsworth SZ, Forrest JRK. Understanding pollen specialization in mason bees: a case study of six species. Oecologia 2020; 195:559-574. [PMID: 33106935 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Many bee species are dietary specialists and restrict their pollen foraging to a subset of the available flowers. However, the reasons for specialization-and the reasons certain plant taxa support numerous specialists-are often unclear. Many bees specialize on the plant family Asteraceae, despite evidence its pollen is a poor food for non-specialists. Here, we studied six mason bee (Osmia) species, including three Asteraceae specialists, to test whether observed pollen-usage patterns reflect larval nutritional requirements, to investigate what aspects of Asteraceae pollen make it unsuitable for non-specialists, and to understand how Asteraceae specialists tolerate their seemingly low-quality diet. We reared larval bees on host and nonhost pollen and found that Asteraceae specialists could develop on nonhost provisions, but that other bees could not survive on Asteraceae provisions. These effects did not seem related to nutritional deficiencies, since Asteraceae provisions were not amino acid deficient, and we found no consistent differences in digestive efficiency among pollen types. However, Asteraceae specialists completed more foraging flights per larva, generally collected relatively larger provisions, and produced more frass (waste) than the other species, suggesting quantitative compensation for low food quality. Toxins, deficiencies in unmeasured nutrients, or aspects of pollen grain structure might explain poor survival of non-specialists on Asteraceae provisions. Our results suggest that floral host selection by specialist bees is not related to optimizing larval nutrition. We recommend further investigation of host-selection behaviour in adult bees and of pollen digestion in larvae to better understand the evolution of bee-flower associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K McAulay
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada. .,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA.
| | | | - Jessica R K Forrest
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
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