Long-term population persistence of flightless weevils (Eurhoptus pyriformis) across old- and second-growth forests patches in southern Appalachia

Abstract

BackgroundSouthern Appalachian forests are dominated by second-growth vegetation following decades of intensive forestry and agricultural use, although some old-growth patches remain. While it’s been shown that second-growth areas may exhibit comparable species richness to old-growth in the area, the extent to which populations of arthropods in second-growth areas have persisted vs. recolonized from other areas remains unexamined. The implications for conservation of both classes of forest are significant. Here we analyze population diversity and relatedness across five old-growth and five second-growth populations of flightless, leaf litter-inhabiting beetles in the genus Eurhoptus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cryptorhynchinae). Our main goal is asking whether second-growth areas show diminished diversity and/or signals of recolonization from old-growth sources.ResultsPopulation genetic and phylogenetic analyses do not reveal any consistent differences in diversity between the old-growth and second-growth populations examined. Some second-growth populations retain substantial genetic diversity, while some old-growth populations appear relatively depauperate. There is no phylogenetic indication that second-growth populations have recolonized from old-growth source populations.ConclusionsMost populations contain substantial and unique genetic diversity indicating long-term persistence in the majority of sites. The results support substantial resilience in second-growth populations, though the geographic scale of sampling may have hindered detection of recolonization patterns. Broad scale phylogeographic patterns reveal a deep break across the French Broad River basin, as has been reported in several other taxa of limited dispersal abilities. In Eurhoptus this break dates to ~ 2–6 Ma ago, on the older end of the range of previously estimated dates.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1278-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A revision of the genus Eurhoptus LeConte, 1876 (Curculionidae, Cryptorhynchinae) of America north of Mexico

“…sp., was not represented by molecular data, but appears justifiably distinct based on male genitalia. Another morphotype, referred to in Caterino and Langton-Myers (in press) as ‘patterned E. pyriformis ’ turns out to be neither genetically nor morphologically supportable. Individuals showing these distinctively patterned elytra (Figures 2A, B ) are now known from across the range (specifically individuals from NC, GA, and AR), and these are resolved as paraphyletic with respect to a ‘plain’ morphotype.…”

“…Our main questions regarded the distinctiveness of a few morphological variants related to both E. pyriformis and E. sordidus . Our data set largely relies on data generated for a population level analysis of E. pyriformis in the southern Appalachians ( Caterino and Langton-Myers in press ). However, we have generated a number of additional sequences for the current study, and have pruned out many redundant or highly similar sequences (mainly within E. pyriformis ) for the present analysis.…”

“…At least three new species have been known to occur in the U.S. for some time ( Anderson 2002 ), but their exact limits and relationships to the described species have remained unclear. A phylogeographic study ( Caterino and Langton-Myers in press ) on E. pyriformis revealed deep divisions within this species in the southeastern U.S., suggesting a more complex taxonomic situation than expected, and prompting the current attempt to more completely revise the taxonomy of the known and unknown U.S. species.…”

The Role of Glacial-Interglacial Climate Change in Shaping the Genetic Structure of Eastern Subterranean Termites in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

“…The interplay between past climate change and complex montane topography, and its impact on the spatial distribution of intraspecific genetic diversity has been reported for other taxa from temperate regions (Hewitt 2004). While there has been extensive work on salamanders from the southern Appalachians (e.g., Zamudio and Savage 2003;Crespi et al 2003;Jones et al 2006;Rissler and Smith 2010;Kuchta et al 2016; Jones and Weisrock 2018), relatively few studies have focused on reconstructing the longterm population history of forest-dependent arthropods in this region (but see Hedin and Wood 2002;Nalepa et al 2002;Thomas and Hedin 2008;Walker et al 2009;Caterino and Langton-Myers 2018). Indeed, the predominant focus on vertebrates and vascular plants in conservation research and planning is likely to result in management strategies that fail to cater to a large proportion of biodiversity (Garrick et al 2018 and references therein).…”

The role of glacial‐interglacial climate change in shaping the genetic structure of eastern subterranean termites in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA

“…phy, and its impact on the spatial distribution of intraspecific genetic diversity has been reported for other taxa from temperate regions (Hewitt, 2004). While there has been extensive work on salamanders from the southern Appalachians (Crespi, Rissler, & Browne, 2003;Jones & Weisrock, 2018;Jones, Voss, Ptacek, Weisrock, & Tonkyn, 2006;Kuchta, Haughey, Wynn, Jacobs, & Highton, 2016;Rissler & Smith, 2010;Zamudio & Savage, 2003), relatively few studies have focused on reconstructing the long-term population history of forestdependent arthropods in this region (but see Hedin & Wood, 2002;Nalepa, Luykx, Klass, & Deitz, 2002;Thomas & Hedin, 2008;Walker, Stockman, Marek, & Bond, 2009;Caterino & Langton-Myers, 2018).…”