Independent Evolutionary Responses to Quaternary Landscape and Climatic Changes of Two Codistributed Cactophilic Drosophila Species (Drosophila repleta group) in Open Areas of South America

Abstract

Evolutionary processes related to climatic changes and ecological factors, such as microhabitat affinities and food specialization, can be important contributors to phylogeographic discordance between codistributed and related species. Here, we evaluate the evolutionary histories of two cactophilic and codistributed Drosophila species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from South America, Drosophila antonietae and Drosophila meridionalis, where they use mainly Cereus hildmaniannus (Cactoideae: Cereeae) as host, using mitochondrial DNA sequences and species distribution modeling. The diversification of both species was estimated during the Pleistocene. For both species, the distribution of suitable areas through the Last Glacial period to the present showed a similar dynamic from Andes Valley through east and through the Paraná-Paraguay river basin to the Atlantic coastline. The current distribution of D. antonietae was influenced by demographic expansion and putative migration route from northwest to south and then to coast, with two genetic incipient groups with bidirectional genetic flow between them. For D. meridionalis, we suggested a migration route from south to north as well as to coast, with three genetic groups deeply structured with no evidence of demographic expansion. Our comparative results showed that the Quaternary paleoclimatic dynamic has had a similar role in both species (displacement of the high suitability areas) with similar routes but in different directions. Additionally, the Araucaria forest represents a putative biogeographic barrier for Drosophila species and also for host C. hildmaniannus. The phylogeographical differences between these species related to geographical distribution, genetic structure, and demographic history could be explained for differences to adaptation and plasticity to explore a new host.

A holocenic and dynamic hybrid zone between two cactophilicDrosophilaspecies in a coastal lowland plain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…to the invader species (for example, D. serido), as suggested by COI data (Amorim et al, 2017;Currat et al, 2008;Excoffier et al, 2009;Ley & Hardy, 2017;Mastrantonio et al, 2016;Zhang, 2014). Perhaps this climatically suitable area would have been recurrent throughout the palaeoclimatic oscillations since that these species would have diverged during Plio-Pleistocene (Koser et al, 2020;Oliveira et al, 2012) or even to the recent upper Pleistocene (Hurtado et al, 2019). Therefore, the demographic scenario could be more complex in this area, involving past and/or present variation and multiple demographic factors as described for other contact zones (Johannesson et al, 2020).…”

“…serido exhibits a demographic expansion from 100 ka and 40 ka to the present time, respectively (Barrios-Leal et al, 2019;Franco & Manfrin, 2013;Koser et al, 2020). The paleomodels suggest that Santa Catarina Island is climatically suitable for both Drosophila species during the mid-Holocene until the present, and this area may have been recently colonized by D. serido populations that occur along the Atlantic coast, from Santa Catarina until Rio Grande do Norte (Figure 4).…”

Diversidade genética intraespecífica na espécie cactófila >i<Drosophila serido>/i< Vilela & Sene, 1977 do Grupo >i<Drosophila repleta>/i<

“…Sob o ponto de vista ecológico-adaptativo, a diversificação das várias populações desses insetos pode ter sido influenciada pela composição química dos cactos utilizados e também pela expressão de genes relacionados aos processos de desintoxicação de compostos secundários dos cactos no organismo do animal (Matzkin et al, 2006;Matzkin, 2008;2012, Rane et al, 2018Carreira et al, 2022;Moreyra et al, 2022). Sob o ponto de vista de sua distribuição histórica, é possível que eventos subsequentes e recorrentes como os de expansão e retração das formações vegetais abertas durante paleoeventos climáticos possam ter tido influência significativa na distribuição das populações de cactos (Taylor & Zappi, 2004;Bonatelli et al, 2014;Franco et al, 2017;Lavor et al, 2018;Silva et al, 2018;Amaral et al, 2021) e, por consequência, na distribuição das populações de Drosophila (Morales, 2005;Moraes et al, 2009;Santos, 2011;Franco & Manfrin, 2013;Franco et al, 2017;Barrios-Leal et al, 2018;Barrios-Leal et al, 2019;Rane et al, 2019;Koser et al, 2020;. Figura 1.…”