Insights into the evolution of herbivory from a leaf-mining fly.

Autor: Aguilar JM; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., Gloss AD; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA., Suzuki HC; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., Verster KI; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., Singhal M; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., Hoff J; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., Grebenok R; Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 14208, USA., Nabity PD; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA., Behmer ST; Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA., Whiteman NK; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.; Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecosphere (Washington, D.C) [Ecosphere] 2024 Apr; Vol. 15 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 23.
DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4764
Abstrakt: Herbivorous insects and their host plants comprise most known species on Earth. Illuminating how herbivory repeatedly evolved in insects from non-herbivorous lineages is critical to understanding how this biodiversity is created and maintained. We characterized the trophic niche of Scaptomyza flava , a representative of a lineage nested within the Drosophila that transitioned to herbivory ~10-15 million years ago. We used natural history studies to determine if S. flava is a true herbivore or a cryptic microbe-feeder, given that the ancestral character state for the family Drosophilidae is likely microbe-feeding. Specifically, we quantified oviposition substrate choice and larval viability across food-types, trophic-related morphological traits, and nitrogen isotope and sterol profiles across putatively herbivorous and non-herbivorous drosophilids. The results of these studies show that S. flava is an obligate herbivore of living plants. Paired with its genetic model host, Arabidopsis thaliana , S. flava is a novel and powerful system for exploring mechanisms underlying the evolution of herbivory, a complex trait that enabled the exceptional diversification of insects.
Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Statement The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: