Host conservatism, geography, and elevation in the evolution of a Neotropical moth radiation

Abstract

The origins of evolutionary radiations are often traced to the colonization of novel adaptive zones, including unoccupied habitats or unutilized resources. For herbivorous insects, the predominant mechanism of diversification is typically assumed to be a shift onto a novel lineage of host plants. However, other drivers of diversification are important in shaping evolutionary history, especially for groups residing in regions with complex geological histories. We evaluated the contributions of shifts in host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation to diversification in Eois (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a hyper-diverse genus of moths found throughout the Neotropics. Relationships among 107 taxa were reconstructed using one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. In addition, we used a genotyping-by-sequencing approach to generate 4641 SNPs for 137 taxa. Both datasets yielded similar phylogenetic histories, with relationships structured by host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation. While diversification of basal lineages often coincided with host clade shifts, more recent speciation events were more typically associated with shifts across bioregions or elevational gradients. Overall, patterns of diversification in Eois are consistent with the perspective that shifts across multiple adaptive zones synergistically drive diversification in hyper-diverse lineages.

Iriarteeae palms tracked the uplift of Andean Cordilleras

“…Furthermore, the rise of the Andes had great impact on the formation and retraction of the Miocene Pebas mega‐wetland system (Wesselingh, Guerrero, Rasanen, Romero Pitmann, & Vonhif, ), which likely covered large expanses of western Amazonia during some periods (Hoorn et al., ; Jaramillo et al., ). Using species that are restricted to particular biogeographical regions, or simply bioregions (distinct geographical units defined by the evolutionary history and taxonomic composition of their components; see Vilhena & Antonelli, ) within northern South America, the temporal evolution of geological formations and biological lineages can be linked to further understand the interplay between landscape changes and biodiversity (Bacon, ; Bacon et al., ,; Hoorn, Mosbrugger, Mulch, & Antonelli, ; Jahner et al., ; Lagomarsino, Condamine, Antonelli, Mulch, & Davis, ).…”

Evidence for both phylogenetic conservatism and lability in the evolution of secondary chemistry in a tropical angiosperm radiation

“…A growing number of studies conducted at shallower evolutionary scales suggest chemical traits may be evolutionarily labile and highlight the need for determining the level at which chemical defense is conserved, and which compound classes are more likely to exhibit phylogenetic signal and evolutionary correlations (Kursar et al, 2009;Sedio, 2013;Johnson et al, 2014;Salazar et al, 2016;Maldonado et al, 2017;Moreira et al, 2018). Further, an understanding of the phylogenetic scale of chemical trait conservation will enable insights into the drivers of herbivorous insect radiations, as the nature of codiversification in many of these lineages is likely structured by complex associations between geology, geography, chemical defense, and biotic interactions (Endara et al 2017;Jahner et al 2017). Our results are generally consistent with the predictions of signal (and conservatism) for broad classes of compounds, as well as the lack of signal for specific structures captured by 1 H NMR data.…”

“…Chemically, Piper is impressively diverse (Parmar et al, 1997;Dyer & Palmer, 2004;Richards et al, 2015): chemical profiling in a modest number of taxa has yielded 667 different compounds from 11 distinct structural classes thus far (Parmar et al, 1997;Kato & Furlan, 2007;Richards et al, 2018). This phytochemical diversity has likely contributed to the diversification of several herbivorous insect lineages that specialize on Piper, including most notably the geometrid moth genus Eois (Strutzenberger et al, 2012;Wilson et al, 2012;Jahner et al, 2017). Furthermore, phytochemical variation in Piper communities has been shown to shape tri-trophic interactions and the structure of tropical communities Glassmire et al, 2016;Richards et al, 2018).…”

Structural and compositional dimensions of phytochemical diversity in the genus Piper reflect distinct ecological modes of action

“…This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved al., 2020, Slinn et al, 2018) and can drive community assembly (Glassmire et al, 2016, Harrison et al, 2016, Massad et al, 2017, Poelman et al, 2009, Richards et al, 2015, Salazar et al, 2016a, Salazar et al, 2016b, Schuman et al, 2016 and contribute to coevolutionary processes (Berenbaum and Zangerl, 1996, Ehrlich and Raven, 1964, Jahner et al, 2017.…”