Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)

Masonick, Paul; Michael, Amy; Frankenberg, Sarah; Rabitsch, Wolfgang; Weirauch, Christiane

doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Ambush bugs are remarkable yet understudied predators. They are found in a wide range of environments (Masonick, Michael, Frankenberg, Rabitsch, & Weirauch, ) and can exhibit striking colour differences mirroring colour variation found in their environment (Figure ), strongly suggesting that their body coloration may act as a form of crypsis. Earlier work on ambush bugs has demonstrated the potential for habitat selection among flower‐colour types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticity and habitat choice match colour to function in an ambush bug

Boyle

Start

2020

Functional Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Individuals aim to maximize their fitness by matching their own phenotype to the optimum phenotype in their environment. Individuals can achieve matching through several mechanisms including habitat choice and adaptive plasticity. A key trait of interest to biologists is colour, with background matching reciprocally camouflaging predators and prey. However, the multiple mechanisms matching an individual's colour to their background, and its consequences for function (e.g. species interactions), are rarely explored simultaneously. Here we investigate colour variation in ambush bugs, Phymata americana, that feed on insects visiting white and yellow flowers. We conducted surveys of wild populations to establish phenotype–environment matching and its effects on prey capture, then performed habitat choice and plasticity (colour change) trials to test for the mechanisms underlying putative patterns of habitat matching. Ambush bugs matched their background—yellower ambush bugs were found on yellow flowers and whiter ambush bugs on white flowers, and matching increased prey capture. This pattern was seemingly driven by a combination of plasticity and habitat choice. Our study highlights how organisms can optimize trait values through a combination of plasticity and habitat choice with tangible effects on individual performance. We suggest that multiple mechanisms interactively shape phenotypes, optimizing function and fitness in the wild. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticity and habitat choice match colour to function in an ambush bug

Boyle

Start

2020

Functional Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hybridization in wild populations has been suspected or inferred in overlapping regions of their ranges (Punzalan & Rowe, 2017;Swanson, 2013); consistent with this, current molecular phylogenetic data fail to distinguish between the two (Masonick et al, 2017;Masonick & Weirauch, 2020), despite substantial morphological divergence (Punzalan & Rowe, 2017). Both species are generalist predators occurring in temperate habitats, where they utilize a wide range of plant species as hunting sites (Balduf, 1939(Balduf, , 1941Yong, 2005), suggesting considerable niche overlap.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Climate change has different predicted effects on the range shifts of two hybridizing ambush bug (Phymata, Family Reduviidae, Order Hemiptera) species

Zhang

Punzalan

Rowe

2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the present paper, we took the opportunity to evaluate potential range shifts in a parapatric pair of insect species that appear to hybridize in overlapping regions of their respective ranges.Phymata americana Melin and P. pennsylvanicaHandlirsch are two of the most common North American species in the genus (Family: Reduviidae), with the former more northerly in distribution, extending west across the American Midwest and Canadian prairies, and the latter mostly concentrated in the northeastern United States. Hybridisation in wild populations has been suspected or inferred (Punzalan & Rowe, 2017;Swanson, 2013); consistent with this, current molecular phylogenetic data fail to distinguish between the two (Masonick, Michael, Frankenberg, Rabitsch, & Weirauch, 2017;Masonick & Weirauch, 2020), despite substantial morphological divergence (Punzalan & Rowe, 2017). Both species are generalist predators occurring in temperate habitats, where they utilize a wide range of plant species as hunting sites (Balduf, 1939(Balduf, , 1941Yong, 2005), suggesting considerable niche overlap.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Climate change has different predicted effects on the range shifts of two hybridising ambush bug (Phymata) species

Zhang

Punzalan

Rowe

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A universal attribute of species is that their distributions are limited by numerous factors that may be difficult to quantify. Furthermore, climate change-induced range shifts have been reported in many taxa, and understanding the implications of these shifts remains a priority and a challenge. One approach is to employ species distribution models which correlates species presence data with a set of predictor variables. Here, we use MAXENT to predict current suitable habitat and to project future distributions of two closely related Phymata species in light of anthropogenic climate change. Using species occurrence data from museum databases and environmental data from WorldClim, we identified environmental variables maintaining the distribution of Phymata americana and Phymata pennsylvanica, and created binary suitability maps of current distributions for both species on ArcMap. We then predicted future distributions using the same environmental variables under different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), created binary suitability maps for future distributions, and calculated the degree of overlap between the two species. We found that the strongest predictor to P. americana ranges was precipitation seasonality, while precipitation of the driest quarter and mean temperature of the coldest quarter were strong predictors of P. pennsylvanica ranges. Future ranges for P. americana are predicted to increase northwestward and southward at higher CO 2 concentrations. Suitable ranges for P. pennsylvanica are initially predicted to increase, but eventually decrease with slight fluctuations around range edges. There is an increase in overlapping ranges in all future predictions. These differences in optima provide evidence for different environmental requirements for P. americana and P. pennsylvanica, accounting for their distinct ranges. Because these species are ecologically similar and can hybridize, climate change has potentially important eco-evolutionary ramifications. Overall our results are consistent with effects of climate change that is highly variable across species, geographic regions and over time.

show abstract

Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)

Cited by 20 publications

References 40 publications

Plasticity and habitat choice match colour to function in an ambush bug

Plasticity and habitat choice match colour to function in an ambush bug

Climate change has different predicted effects on the range shifts of two hybridizing ambush bug (Phymata, Family Reduviidae, Order Hemiptera) species

Climate change has different predicted effects on the range shifts of two hybridising ambush bug (Phymata) species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About