Host and parasite morphology influence congruence between host and parasite phylogenies

Abstract

Comparisons of host and parasite phylogenies often show varying degrees of phylogenetic congruence. However, few studies have rigorously explored the factors driving this variation. Multiple factors such as host or parasite morphology may govern the degree of phylogenetic congruence. An ideal analysis for understanding the factors correlated with congruence would focus on a diverse host-parasite system for increased variation and statistical power. In this study, we focused on the Brueelia-complex, a diverse and widespread group of feather lice that primarily parasitise songbirds. We generated a molecular phylogeny of the lice and compared this tree with a phylogeny of their avian hosts. We also tested for the contribution of each host-parasite association to the overall congruence. The two trees overall were significantly congruent, but the contribution of individual associations to this congruence varied. To understand this variation, we developed a novel approach to test whether host, parasite or biogeographic factors were statistically associated with patterns of congruence. Both host plumage dimorphism and parasite ecomorphology were associated with patterns of congruence, whereas host body size, other plumage traits and biogeography were not. Our results lay the framework for future studies to further elucidate how these factors influence the process of host-parasite coevolution.

Draft genome assemblies of the avian louse Brueelia nebulosa and its associates using long-read sequencing from an individual specimen

“…Several studies have focused on the phylogeny and taxonomy of Brueelia ( Bush et al . 2016 ; Sweet et al . 2018 ), so there is considerable mitochondrial data from Sanger sequencing available on NCBI (1,213 nucleotide sequences, as of February 21, 2022).…”

Unexpected bird–feather mite associations revealed by DNA metabarcoding uncovers a dynamic ecoevolutionary scenario

“…Mainly by cophylogenetic studies, we now know that the relevance of host‐switching versus other processes such as cospeciation for the diversification of symbionts varies among groups (Clayton et al, ; de Vienne et al, and references therein). Evidence suggests that factors such as symbiont dispersal or parasite ecomorphology are related to speciation by host switch (Sweet, Bush, et al, ; Sweet, Chesser, & Johnson, ), but we are still far from understanding both the genesis of these macroevolutionary patterns at an ecological and microevolutionary scale and which factors influence it.…”

The Influence of Host Body Size and Food Guild on Prevalence and Mean Intensity of Chewing Lice (Phthiraptera) on Birds in Southern China

“…So far, more than 6,300 chewing louse species have been described, but only around 4,500 of them were accepted as valid by the most recent checklist (Price et al, 2003). Many species of chewing lice exhibit a high degree of host specificity and are important models of hostparasite coevolution on many taxonomic levels (Clayton and Moore, 1997;Clayton et al, 2003;Johnson et al, 2011Johnson et al, , 2012Sweet et al, 2016Sweet et al, , 2017Sweet et al, , 2018.…”