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Devkota K, dos Santos CF, Souza-Santos PD, Ramos JD, Otesbelgue A, Mishra BP, Almeida EAB, Blochtein B. Pollen diet diversity across bee lineages varies with lifestyle rather than colony size. J Insect Sci 2024; 24:1. [PMID: 38442352 PMCID: PMC10914374 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieae023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The shift to a pollen diet and the evolution of more highly organized societies, i.e., eusocial, were key milestones in bee diversification over their evolutionary history, culminating in a high dependence on feeding broods with a large variety of floral resources. Here, we hypothesized that obligatory eusocial bees have a wider diet diversity than their relatives with solitary lifestyles, and this would be related to colony size. To test both hypotheses, we surveyed diet breadth data (palynological analysis) based on the Shannon-Wiener index (H') for 85 bee taxa. We also obtained colony size for 47 eusocial bee species. These data were examined using phylogenetic comparative methods. The results support the generalist strategy as a derived trait for the bee taxa evaluated here. The dietary diversity of eusocial bees (H': 2.1, on average) was 67.5% higher than that of noneusocial bees (H': 1.21, on average). There was, however, no relationship between diet breadth and colony size, indicating that smaller colonies can harvest a pollen variety as diverse as larger colonies. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the impact of lifestyle on the diversity of collected pollen. Furthermore, this work sheds light on an advantage of living in more highly structured societies irrespective of the size of the colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kedar Devkota
- Faculty of Agriculture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
| | - Charles F dos Santos
- Departamento de Fitossanidade, Faculdade de Agronomia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 7712, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 91540-000, Brazil
| | - Patrick D Souza-Santos
- Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Biologia do Desenvolvimento de Abelhas, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3.900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Jenifer D Ramos
- Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Rodovia SP-340, Km 127.5, Jaguariúna, São Paulo 13918-110, Brazil
| | - Alex Otesbelgue
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Department of Zoology, Bird and Mammal Evolution, Systematics and Ecology Lab, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 43435, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 90650-001, Brazil
| | | | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Betina Blochtein
- Mais Abelhas Consultoria Ambiental Co., Avenida Ipiranga, 6681, Partenon, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil
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Alves-de-Lima L, Calixto ES, de Oliveira ML, Novaes LR, Almeida EAB, Torezan-Silingardi HM. Flowering Time Variation in Two Sympatric Tree Species Contributes to Avoid Competition for Pollinator Services. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:3347. [PMID: 37836087 PMCID: PMC10574496 DOI: 10.3390/plants12193347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Competition is an important biological filter that can define crucial features of species' natural history, like survival and reproduction success. We evaluated in the Brazilian tropical savanna whether two sympatric and congenereric species, Qualea multiflora Mart. and Q. parviflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae), compete for pollinator services, testing whether there is a better competitor or whether plants present any anti-competitive mechanism. Additionally, we investigated the breeding system, pollinators, and flowering phenology of both species. The results showed that Q. multiflora and Q. parviflora are dependent on pollinators for fruit formation, as they exhibited a self-incompatible and non-agamospermic breeding system. These plants shared the same guild of pollinators, which was formed by bees and hummingbirds, and an overlap in the flower visitation time was observed. Each plant species had different pollinator attraction strategies: Q. multiflora invested in floral resource quality, while Q. parviflora invested in resource quantity. The blooming time showed a temporal flowering partition, with highly sequential flowering and no overlap. Qualea parviflora bloomed intensely from September to October, while Q. multiflora bloomed from November to January, with the flowering peak occurring in December. The two Qualea species have morphologically similar flowers, are sympatric, and share the same pollinator community, with overlapping foraging activity during the day. However, they do not compete for pollinator services as they exhibit an anti-competitive mechanism mediated by temporal flowering partition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Alves-de-Lima
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Soares Calixto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 3261, USA
| | - Marcos Lima de Oliveira
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
| | - Letícia Rodrigues Novaes
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Eduardo A. B. Almeida
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
| | - Helena Maura Torezan-Silingardi
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, MG, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-901, SP, Brazil
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Almeida EAB, Bossert S, Danforth BN, Porto DS, Freitas FV, Davis CC, Murray EA, Blaimer BB, Spasojevic T, Ströher PR, Orr MC, Packer L, Brady SG, Kuhlmann M, Branstetter MG, Pie MR. The evolutionary history of bees in time and space. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3409-3422.e6. [PMID: 37506702 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Bees are the most significant pollinators of flowering plants. This partnership began ca. 120 million years ago, but the uncertainty of how and when bees spread across the planet has greatly obscured investigations of this key mutualism. We present a novel analysis of bee biogeography using extensive new genomic and fossil data to demonstrate that bees originated in Western Gondwana (Africa and South America). Bees likely originated in the Early Cretaceous, shortly before the breakup of Western Gondwana, and the early evolution of any major bee lineage is associated with either the South American or African land masses. Subsequently, bees colonized northern continents via a complex history of vicariance and dispersal. The notable early absences from large landmasses, particularly in Australia and India, have important implications for understanding the assembly of local floras and diverse modes of pollination. How bees spread around the world from their hypothesized Southern Hemisphere origin parallels the histories of numerous flowering plant clades, providing an essential step to studying the evolution of angiosperm pollination syndromes in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo A B Almeida
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil.
| | - Silas Bossert
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
| | - Bryan N Danforth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Comstock Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Diego S Porto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil; Finnish Museum of Natural History - LUOMUS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Felipe V Freitas
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-901, Brazil; Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Charles C Davis
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Murray
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Bonnie B Blaimer
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Tamara Spasojevic
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA; Life Sciences, Natural History Museum Basel, 4051 Basel, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Patrícia R Ströher
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná 81531-990, Brazil; Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Michael C Orr
- Entomologie, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany; Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Laurence Packer
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Seán G Brady
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Michael Kuhlmann
- Zoological Museum, University of Kiel, Hegewischstr. 3, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael G Branstetter
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Marcio R Pie
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná 81531-990, Brazil; Department of Biology, Edge Hill University, St Helens Rd, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 4QP, UK
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Chavarría-Pizarro L, da Silva M, Ament DC, Almeida EAB, Noll FB. Behavioural evolution of Neotropical social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae): the queen selection process. Cladistics 2023; 39:215-228. [PMID: 36869732 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
All Epiponini wasps are polygynic, with multiple queens alternating over the colony cycle. There are several potential queens in the early stages of this cycle, but as it progresses, the number of queens is reduced. Because most individuals remain reproductively totipotent, there is great potential for conflicts over reproduction. Workers could have an advantage in controlling queen production because they are much more numerous than queens. Nevertheless, the queen selection process is little known for Epiponini. For this reason, we aimed to study the behaviour of queens and workers during queen selection in multiple species of Epiponini, integrate information from previous behavioural studies, and perform a comparative analysis to interpret changes evolutionarily. We conducted observations on nine species belonging to five genera: Brachygastra, Chartergellus, Metapolybia, Polybia and Protopolybia. Females were individually marked to make direct and video observations. Queen production was artificially induced. A total of 28 behaviours related to queen selection were identified. The most aggressive interactions between castes, such as bite and dart, were lost in the major lineages of Epiponini. Bending display I is an ancient behaviour used as the main dominance display. Behaviours exhibited by workers to test queen status arose in the common ancestor of the Epiponini and are not shared by other polistine wasps. Consequently, the act of workers testing queen status probably was present in the Epiponini ancestor. Ritualized test display and dominance behaviours are used in Epiponini as honest signals of the queen's reproductive potential instead of aggressive behaviours. Caste flexibility had already been suggested as the ground plan for Epiponini and is herein discussed as decisive for colony survival of swarm wasps, because it allows colonies to respond efficiently to different situations that may eventually arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Chavarría-Pizarro
- Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP-USP, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Marjorie da Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, IBILCE-UNESP, Rua Cristovão Colombo 2265, CEP 15055-240, São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
| | - Danilo C Ament
- Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP-USP, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP-USP, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Fernando Barbosa Noll
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, IBILCE-UNESP, Rua Cristovão Colombo 2265, CEP 15055-240, São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil
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Canhos DAL, Almeida EAB, Assad AL, Cunha Bustamante MMD, Canhos VP, Chapman AD, Giovanni RD, Imperatriz-Fonseca VL, Lohmann LG, Maia LC, Miller JT, Nelson G, Peterson AT, Pirani JR, Souza SD, Stehmann JR, Thiers B. speciesLink: rich data and novel tools for digital assessments of biodiversity. Biota Neotrop 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2022-1394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract speciesLink is a large-scale biodiversity information portal that exists thanks to a broad collaborative network of people and institutions. CRIA’s involvement with the scientific community of Brazil and other countries is responsible for the significant results achieved, currently reaching more than 15 million primary biodiversity data records, 95% of which are associated with preserved specimens and about 25% with high-quality digital images. The network provides data on over 200,000 species, of which over 110,000 occur in Brazil. This article describes thematic networks within speciesLink, as well as some of the most useful tools developed. The importance and contributions of speciesLink are outlined, as are concerns about securing stable budgetary support for such biodiversity data e-infrastructures. Here we review the value of speciesLink as a major source of biodiversity information for research, education, informed decision-making, policy development, and bioeconomy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Gil Nelson
- Integrated Digitized Biocollections, USA
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Noll FB, da Silva M, Soleman RA, Lopes RB, Grandinete YC, Almeida EAB, Wenzel JW, Carpenter JM. Marimbondos: systematics, biogeography, and evolution of social behaviour of neotropical swarm-founding wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini). Cladistics 2021; 37:423-441. [PMID: 34478190 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neotropical swarm-founding wasps are divided into 19 genera in the tribe Epiponini (Vespidae, Polistinae). They display extensive variation in several colony-level traits that make them an attractive model system for reconstructing the evolution of social phenotypes, including caste dimorphism and nest architecture. Epiponini has been upheld as a solid monophyletic group in most phylogenetic analyses carried out so far, supported by molecular, morphological and behavioural data. Recent molecular studies, however, propose different relationships among the genera of swarm-founding wasps. This study is based on the most comprehensive epiponine sampling so far and was analyzed by combining morphological, nesting and molecular data. The resulting phylogenetic hypothesis shows many of the traditional clades but still impacts the way certain behavioural characters, such as nest structure and castes, evolved, and thus requires some re-interpretations. Angiopolybia as sister to the remaining Epiponini implies that nest envelopes and a casteless system are plesiomorphic in the tribe. Molecular dating points to an early tribal diversification during the Eocene (c. 55-38 Ma), with the major differentiation of current genera concentrated in the Oligocene/Miocene boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando B Noll
- Depto. de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE), Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Marjorie da Silva
- Depto. de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE), Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Raduan A Soleman
- Depto. de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE), Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Rogério B Lopes
- Depto. de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE), Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Yuri C Grandinete
- Depto. de Zoologia e Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE), Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Depto. Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - John W Wenzel
- Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1795 Route 381, Rector, PA, 15677, USA
| | - James M Carpenter
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
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Menezes RST, Cabral-de-Mello DC, Milani D, Bardella VB, Almeida EAB. The relevance of chromosome fissions for major ribosomal DNA dispersion in hymenopteran insects. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1466-1476. [PMID: 34331340 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) loci are essential for cellular metabolism due to their participation in ribosome biogenesis. Although these genes have been widely cytogenetically mapped, the evolutionary mechanisms behind their variability in number and chromosomal location remain elusive, even in well-known biological groups, such as ants, bees and wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera). To address this question in Hymenoptera and therefore advance the understanding of rDNA evolution in insects in general, we integrated molecular cytogenetic data, a phylogenomic framework, model-based predictions and genome sequencing. Hence, we assessed the main evolutionary trends shaping the chromosomal distribution of rDNA loci in Hymenoptera. We noticed the conservation of one site of rDNA per haploid genome, suggesting that a single 45S rDNA locus is the putative ancestral pattern for aculeate Hymenoptera. Moreover, our results highlighted a nonrandom distribution of rDNA in Hymenoptera karyotypes, as well as a lineage-specific preferential location. The proximal location of rDNA is favoured in species with multiple loci and in the two families of Hymenoptera that show the highest range of chromosome numbers: Formicidae and Vespidae. We propose that chromosome fissions have played a crucial role in the distribution pattern of rDNA loci through the evolutionary diversification of Hymenoptera. Moreover, our genomic analysis of two species, one with a single locus of rDNA and one with multiple loci, supported that loci multiplication is followed by sequence divergence. Our results provide detailed information about the number and chromosomal position of rDNA in Hymenoptera and, therefore, broaden our knowledge regarding rDNA evolutionary dynamics in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolpho S T Menezes
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Diogo C Cabral-de-Mello
- Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Diogo Milani
- Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Vanessa B Bardella
- Departamento de Biologia Geral e Aplicada, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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8
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Lucena DAA, Almeida EAB. Morphology and Bayesian tip-dating recover deep Cretaceous-age divergences among major chrysidid lineages (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae). Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We integrated phylogenetic, biogeographic and palaeontological data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the cuckoo wasps. We propose a phylogenetic hypothesis based on a comprehensive morphological study resulting in 300 characters coded for both living and extinct species. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence time estimation were simultaneously inferred in a Bayesian tip-dating framework, applying a relaxed morphological clock. Results unequivocally indicate Chrysididae to be monophyletic, as well as all traditionally recognized subfamilies and tribes. Within the Chrysidinae, Elampini was placed as the sister-group of the other three chrysidine tribes, with Parnopini as sister to the clade including Allocoeliini and Chrysidini. Dating analysis indicates that the major lineages started to differentiate around 130 Mya during the Early Cretaceous. The clades recognized as subfamilies started differentiating during the Palaeogene and the Neogene. Our results reveal an intricate process on the geographic evolution of chrysidid wasps and dispute previous ideas that Cretaceous-old splits in their early history could be associated with vicariant events related to the breakup between Africa and South America. The present-day southern disjunctions of some groups are interpreted as the outcome of more recent dispersals and extinctions of representatives from Nearctic and Palaearctic faunas during the Neogene, when northern continents became significantly colder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daercio A A Lucena
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900., Ribeirão Preto, SP,Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900., Ribeirão Preto, SP,Brazil
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9
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Freitas FV, Branstetter MG, Griswold T, Almeida EAB. Partitioned Gene-Tree Analyses and Gene-Based Topology Testing Help Resolve Incongruence in a Phylogenomic Study of Host-Specialist Bees (Apidae: Eucerinae). Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1090-1100. [PMID: 33179746 PMCID: PMC7947843 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Incongruence among phylogenetic results has become a common occurrence in analyses of genome-scale data sets. Incongruence originates from uncertainty in underlying evolutionary processes (e.g., incomplete lineage sorting) and from difficulties in determining the best analytical approaches for each situation. To overcome these difficulties, more studies are needed that identify incongruences and demonstrate practical ways to confidently resolve them. Here, we present results of a phylogenomic study based on the analysis 197 taxa and 2,526 ultraconserved element (UCE) loci. We investigate evolutionary relationships of Eucerinae, a diverse subfamily of apid bees (relatives of honey bees and bumble bees) with >1,200 species. We sampled representatives of all tribes within the group and >80% of genera, including two mysterious South American genera, Chilimalopsis and Teratognatha. Initial analysis of the UCE data revealed two conflicting hypotheses for relationships among tribes. To resolve the incongruence, we tested concatenation and species tree approaches and used a variety of additional strategies including locus filtering, partitioned gene-trees searches, and gene-based topological tests. We show that within-locus partitioning improves gene tree and subsequent species-tree estimation, and that this approach, confidently resolves the incongruence observed in our data set. After exploring our proposed analytical strategy on eucerine bees, we validated its efficacy to resolve hard phylogenetic problems by implementing it on a published UCE data set of Adephaga (Insecta: Coleoptera). Our results provide a robust phylogenetic hypothesis for Eucerinae and demonstrate a practical strategy for resolving incongruence in other phylogenomic data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe V Freitas
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT
| | - Michael G Branstetter
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT
| | - Terry Griswold
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, UT
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Ament DC, Hash JM, Almeida EAB. Remarkable sexually dimorphic features of Coniceromyia(Diptera: Phoridae): evolution in the light of phylogeny and comparative evidence about their function. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractConiceromyia is a genus of 100 species of phorid flies mostly distributed in the Neotropical region. The genus is distinguishable based on several male-exclusive features in different parts of the body, many of which are unique among the Phoridae. In addition, many species of Coniceromyia have nearly identical morphology of their male copulatory apparatus (i.e. hypopygium). The co-occurrence of these unusual characteristics suggests an evolutionary correlation between them. To investigate this possible correlation and to understand other aspects of the evolution of these puzzling male-exclusive characters, we performed the first phylogenetic analysis of Coniceromyia, based on morphological and molecular data. Ancestral state reconstructions and comparative analyses then allowed us to infer the evolution of these characters and search for general evolutionary patterns and correlated histories. We demonstrate that these male-exclusive features varied from highly homoplastic to uniquely derived on the phylogenetic history of Coniceromyia. For some characters, we found evidence of a biased evolution favouring gains over losses of the feature, but no male characteristics were significantly correlated with hypopygium morphology. The evolutionary patterns of the male-exclusive features and comparative evidence with other better known groups suggest possible functions for these features related to sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo C Ament
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - John M Hash
- Entomology Section, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Porto DS, Almeida EAB, Pennell MW. Investigating Morphological Complexes Using Informational Dissonance and Bayes Factors: A Case Study in Corbiculate Bees. Syst Biol 2021; 70:295-306. [PMID: 32722788 PMCID: PMC7882150 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely recognized that different regions of a genome often have different evolutionary histories and that ignoring this variation when estimating phylogenies can be misleading. However, the extent to which this is also true for morphological data is still largely unknown. Discordance among morphological traits might plausibly arise due to either variable convergent selection pressures or else phenomena such as hemiplasy. Here, we investigate patterns of discordance among 282 morphological characters, which we scored for 50 bee species particularly targeting corbiculate bees, a group that includes the well-known eusocial honeybees and bumblebees. As a starting point for selecting the most meaningful partitions in the data, we grouped characters as morphological modules, highly integrated trait complexes that as a result of developmental constraints or coordinated selection we expect to share an evolutionary history and trajectory. In order to assess conflict and coherence across and within these morphological modules, we used recently developed approaches for computing Bayesian phylogenetic information allied with model comparisons using Bayes factors. We found that despite considerable conflict among morphological complexes, accounting for among-character and among-partition rate variation with individual gamma distributions, rate multipliers, and linked branch lengths can lead to coherent phylogenetic inference using morphological data. We suggest that evaluating information content and dissonance among partitions is a useful step in estimating phylogenies from morphological data, just as it is with molecular data. Furthermore, we argue that adopting emerging approaches for investigating dissonance in genomic datasets may provide new insights into the integration and evolution of anatomical complexes. [Apidae; entropy; morphological modules; phenotypic integration; phylogenetic information.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego S Porto
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Matthew W Pennell
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Almeida EAB, Costa AM, Filho JAT, Zichinelli MMP, Quinteiro FÁB. Illustrated catalogue of type specimens of insects (Hexapoda) at Coleção Entomológica "Prof. J.M.F.Camargo" (RPSP), Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. Zootaxa 2020; 4842:zootaxa.4842.1.1. [PMID: 33056798 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4842.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The present catalogue lists the insect types (Hexapoda) deposited at Coleção Entomológica "Prof. J.M.F.Camargo" (RPSP), Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. This collection is known as one of the most significant depositories of stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) for the Brazilian and Neotropical faunas, largely because of the legacy of Professor João Franco Maria de Camargo (in memoriam) and co-workers. The Meliponini constitute the most emblematic portion of the collection, comprising 3,335 type-specimens (66 holotypes, 3,254 paratypes, and 15 paralectotypes), which represent 132 species-names. In addition to stingless bees, 495 type specimens of other Hymenoptera (23 holotypes and 472 paratypes) are deposited at RPSP representing 71 hymenopteran species-names: Agaonidae (16 names), Andrenidae (3 names), non-Meliponini Apidae (21 names), Chrysididae (2 names), Halictidae (16 names), Colletidae (5 names), Megachilidae (5 names), Melittidae (1 name), Pteromalidae (1 name), and Vespidae (1 name); the only other insect order currently represented by types at RPSP is Diptera (Drosophilidae: 2 names). Altogether, there currently are 3,832 type-specimens deposited at RPSP. Label data and additional information from the RPSP registers, literature sources, and taxonomic remarks are given, including photographs of name bearing types and representatives of other type specimens of the species herein considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA)-Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo. 14040-600. Ribeirão Preto, SP. Brazil.
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Porto DS, Almeida EAB. A comparative study of the pharyngeal plate of Apoidea (Hymenoptera: Aculeata), with implications for the understanding of phylogenetic relationships of bees. Arthropod Struct Dev 2019; 50:64-77. [PMID: 31002960 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The pharyngeal plate is a morphological complex with extensive anatomical variation among bees and, therefore, potential as a source of phylogenetic information. The pharyngeal plate of bees is divided into four morphologically distinct regions: sitophore, hypopharyngeal lobe, pharyngeal rods, and median oral plate. In this work we illustrate and document in detail for the first time the pharyngeal plate of 43 bee species, providing descriptions of the morphological variation and contrasting these findings with representatives of apoid wasps (Crabronidae and Sphecidae). We evaluate and discuss the potential of this structure as a rich source of morphological information in the context of bee phylogeny and any research potentially impacted by comparative morphological data. The shape of the hypopharyngeal lobe is highly variable among suprageneric taxa of bees and can be readily employed to characterise taxa at various levels. We argue that the global patterns in the variation of the pharyngeal plate can provide information for phylogenetic inference within bees and constructed and coded 10 characters that encompass the most noticeable morphological differences discussed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego S Porto
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA) - Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA) - Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Dos Santos CF, Halinski R, de Souza Dos Santos PD, Almeida EAB, Blochtein B. Looking beyond the flowers: associations of stingless bees with sap-sucking insects. Naturwissenschaften 2019; 106:12. [PMID: 30927121 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1608-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The main sources of food for stingless bees are the nectar and pollen harvested from flowers, whereas one important kind of nesting material (i.e. wax) is produced by their own abdominal glands. Stingless bees can, nonetheless, obtain alternative resources of food and wax from exudates released by sap-sucking insects as honeydew and waxy cover, respectively. To date, there are no comprehensive studies investigating how diversified and structured the network interactions between stingless bees and sap-sucking insects are. Here, we conducted a survey of the data on relationship between stingless bees and sap-sucking insects to evaluate: (1) which resources are collected by which stingless bee species; (2) how diverse the interaction network is, using species degree and specialisation index as a proxy; and if (3) there would be any phylogenetic signal in the species degree and specialisation indices. Our findings demonstrate that approximately 21 stingless bee species like Trigona spp. and Oxytrigona spp. have been observed interacting with 11 sap-sucking species, among which Aethalion reticulatum is the main partner. From ca. 50 records, Brazil is the country with most observations (n = 38) of this type of ecological interaction. We found also that stingless bees harvest fivefold more honeydew than waxy covers on sap-sucking insects. However, we did not find any phylogenetic signal for the occurrence of this interaction, considering species degree and specialisation indices, suggesting that both traits apparently evolved independently among stingless bee species. We suggest that specific ecological demands may drive this opportunistic behaviour exhibited by stingless bees, because major sources of food are obtained from flowers and these bees produce their own wax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Fernando Dos Santos
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.
| | - Rosana Halinski
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Patrick Douglas de Souza Dos Santos
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.,Departamento de Genética, Laboratório de Biologia do Desenvolvimento de Abelhas, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3.900, Ribeirao Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Betina Blochtein
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
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Almeida EAB, Packer L, Melo GAR, Danforth BN, Cardinal SC, Quinteiro FB, Pie MR. The diversification of neopasiphaeine bees during the Cenozoic (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). ZOOL SCR 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo A. B. Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo Ribeirão Preto SP Brazil
| | | | - Gabriel A. R. Melo
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba PR Brazil
| | - Bryan N. Danforth
- Department of Entomology Comstock Hall, Cornell University. Ithaca New York
| | - Sophie C. Cardinal
- Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Canadian National Collection of Insects Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Fábio B. Quinteiro
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras, Universidade de São Paulo Ribeirão Preto SP Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal de Pelotas Pelotas Rio Grande do Sul Brazil
| | - Marcio R. Pie
- Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Curitiba PR Brazil
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Bossert S, Murray EA, Almeida EAB, Brady SG, Blaimer BB, Danforth BN. Combining transcriptomes and ultraconserved elements to illuminate the phylogeny of Apidae. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2018; 130:121-131. [PMID: 30326287 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Two increasingly popular approaches to reconstruct the Tree of Life involve whole transcriptome sequencing and the target capture of ultraconserved elements (UCEs). Both methods can be used to generate large, multigene datasets for analysis of phylogenetic relationships in non-model organisms. While targeted exon sequencing across divergent lineages is now a standard method, it is still not clear if UCE data can be readily combined with published transcriptomes. In this study, we evaluate the combination of UCEs and transcriptomes in a single analysis using genome-, transcriptome-, and UCE data for 79 bees in the largest and most biologically diverse bee family, Apidae. Using existing tools, we first developed a workflow to assemble phylogenomic data from different sources and produced two large nucleotide matrices of combined data. We then reconstructed the phylogeny of the Apidae using concatenation- and coalescent-based methods, and critically evaluated the resulting phylogenies in the context of previously published genetic, genomic, and morphological data sets. Our estimated phylogenetic trees are robustly supported and largely congruent with previous molecular hypotheses, from deep nodes to shallow species-level phylogenies. Moreover, the combined approach allows us to resolve controversial nodes of the apid Tree of Life, by clarifying the relationships among the genera of orchid bees (Euglossini) and the monophyly of the Centridini. Additionally, we present novel phylogenetic evidence supporting the monophyly of the diverse clade of cleptoparasitic Apidae and the placement of two enigmatic, oil-collecting genera (Ctenoplectra and Tetrapedia). Lastly, we propose a revised classification of the family Apidae that reflects our improved understanding of apid higher-level relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silas Bossert
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | | | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Seán G Brady
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Bonnie B Blaimer
- Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Menezes RST, Bardella VB, Cabral-de-Mello DC, Lucena DAA, Almeida EAB. Are the TTAGG and TTAGGG telomeric repeats phylogenetically conserved in aculeate Hymenoptera? Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:85. [PMID: 28956077 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1507-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the (TTAGG)n telomeric repeat supposed being the ancestral DNA motif of telomeres in insects, it was repeatedly lost within some insect orders. Notably, parasitoid hymenopterans and the social wasp Metapolybia decorata (Gribodo) lack the (TTAGG)n sequence, but in other representatives of Hymenoptera, this motif was noticed, such as different ant species and the honeybee. These findings raise the question of whether the insect telomeric repeat is or not phylogenetically predominant in Hymenoptera. Thus, we evaluated the occurrence of both the (TTAGG)n sequence and the vertebrate telomere sequence (TTAGGG)n using dot-blotting hybridization in 25 aculeate species of Hymenoptera. Our results revealed the absence of (TTAGG)n sequence in all tested species, elevating the number of hymenopteran families lacking this telomeric sequence to 13 out of the 15 tested families so far. The (TTAGGG)n was not observed in any tested species. Based on our data and compiled information, we suggest that the (TTAGG)n sequence was putatively lost in the ancestor of Apocrita with at least two subsequent independent regains (in Formicidae and Apidae).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolpho S T Menezes
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil.
| | - Vanessa B Bardella
- Instituto de Biociências/IB, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Diogo C Cabral-de-Mello
- Instituto de Biociências/IB, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Av. 24A, 1515, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
| | - Daercio A A Lucena
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
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Grüter C, Segers FHID, Menezes C, Vollet-Neto A, Falcón T, von Zuben L, Bitondi MMG, Nascimento FS, Almeida EAB. Repeated evolution of soldier sub-castes suggests parasitism drives social complexity in stingless bees. Nat Commun 2017; 8:4. [PMID: 28232746 PMCID: PMC5431902 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-016-0012-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The differentiation of workers into morphological castes represents an important evolutionary innovation that is thought to improve division of labor in insect societies. Given the potential benefits of task-related worker differentiation, it is puzzling that physical worker castes, such as soldiers, are extremely rare in social bees and absent in wasps. Following the recent discovery of soldiers in a stingless bee, we studied the occurrence of worker differentiation in 28 stingless bee species from Brazil and found that several species have specialized soldiers for colony defence. Our results reveal that worker differentiation evolved repeatedly during the last ~ 25 million years and coincided with the emergence of parasitic robber bees, a major threat to many stingless bee species. Furthermore, our data suggest that these robbers are a driving force behind the evolution of worker differentiation as targets of robber bees are four times more likely to have nest guards of increased size than non-targets. These findings reveal unexpected diversity in the social organization of stingless bees.Although common in ants and termites, worker differentiation into physical castes is rare in social bees and unknown in wasps. Here, Grüter and colleagues find a guard caste in ten species of stingless bees and show that the evolution of the guard caste is associated with parasitization by robber bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Grüter
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Francisca H I D Segers
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes von Müller Weg 6, 55099, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Ayrton Vollet-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tiago Falcón
- Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP: 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas von Zuben
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Márcia M G Bitondi
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fabio S Nascimento
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A B Almeida
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Porto DS, Almeida EAB, Vilhelmsen L. Comparative morphology of internal structures of the mesosoma of bees with an emphasis on the corbiculate clade (Apidae: Apini). Zool J Linn Soc 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego S. Porto
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA); Departamento de Biologia; Faculdade de Filosofia; Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP); Universidade de São Paulo; Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 Ribeirão Preto SP 14040-901 Brazil
| | - Eduardo A. B. Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Comparada e Abelhas (LBCA); Departamento de Biologia; Faculdade de Filosofia; Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP); Universidade de São Paulo; Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900 Ribeirão Preto SP 14040-901 Brazil
| | - Lars Vilhelmsen
- Biosystematics; Natural History Museum of Denmark; Faculty of Science; University of Copenhagen; Universitetsparken 15 Copenhagen DK-2100 Denmark
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Abstract
Our understanding of bee phylogeny has improved over the past fifteen years as a result of new data, primarily nucleotide sequence data, and new methods, primarily model-based methods of phylogeny reconstruction. Phylogenetic studies based on single or, more commonly, multilocus data sets have helped resolve the placement of bees within the superfamily Apoidea; the relationships among the seven families of bees; and the relationships among bee subfamilies, tribes, genera, and species. In addition, molecular phylogenies have played an important role in inferring evolutionary patterns and processes in bees. Phylogenies have provided the comparative framework for understanding the evolution of host-plant associations and pollen specialization, the evolution of social behavior, and the evolution of parasitism. In this paper, we present an overview of significant discoveries in bee phylogeny based primarily on the application of molecular data. We review the phylogenetic hypotheses family-by-family and then describe how the new phylogenetic insights have altered our understanding of bee biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan N Danforth
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
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Almeida EAB, Danforth BN. Phylogeny of colletid bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) inferred from four nuclear genes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2008; 50:290-309. [PMID: 18992829 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2008.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2008] [Revised: 08/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/23/2008] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Colletidae comprise approximately 2500 species of bees primarily distributed in the southern continents (only two colletid genera are widely distributed: Colletes and Hylaeus). Previously published studies have failed to resolve phylogenetic relationships on a worldwide basis and this has been a major barrier to the progress of research regarding systematics and evolution of colletid bees. For this study, data from four nuclear gene loci: elongation factor-1alpha (F2 copy), opsin, wingless, and 28S rRNA were analyzed for 122 species of colletid bees, representing all subfamilies and tribes currently recognized; 22 species belonging to three other bee families were used as outgroups. Bayesian, maximum likelihood, and parsimony methods were employed to investigate the phylogenetic relationships within Colletidae and resulted in highly congruent and well-resolved trees. The phylogenetic results show that Colletidae are monophyletic and that all traditionally recognized subfamilies (except Paracolletinae) are also strongly supported as monophyletic. Our phylogenetic hypothesis provides a framework within which broad questions related to the taxonomy, biogeography, morphology, evolution, and ecology of colletid bees can be addressed.
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Almeida EAB. Two hundred years of homology and 50 years of "Essentialism". Cladistics 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2006.00134.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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