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Olle Pellmyr - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Geographic isolation trumps coevolution as a driver of yucca and yucca moth diversification.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2011Co-Authors: David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Christopher Irwin Smith, Jim Leebens-mack, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution is thought to be especially important in diversification of obligate mutualistic interactions such as the one between yuccas and pollinating yucca moths. We took a three-step approach to examine if plant and pollinator speciation events were likely driven by coevolution. First, we tested whether there has been co-speciation between yuccas and pollinator yucca moths in the genus Tegeticula (Prodoxidae). Second, we tested whether co-speciation also occurred between yuccas and commensalistic yucca moths in the genus Prodoxus (Prodoxidae) in which reciprocal evolutionary change is unlikely. Finally, we examined the current range distributions of yuccas in relationship to pollinator speciation events to determine if plant and moth speciation events likely occurred in sympatry or allopatry. Co-speciation analyses of yuccas with their coexisting Tegeticula pollinator and commensalistic Prodoxus lineages demonstrated phylogenetic congruence between both groups of moths and yuccas, even though moth lineages differ in the type of interaction with yuccas. Furthermore, Yucca species within a lineage occur primarily in allopatry rather than sympatry. We conclude that biogeographic factors are the overriding force in plant and pollinator moth speciation and significant phylogenetic congruence between the moth and plant lineages is likely due to shared biogeography rather than coevolution.
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host associated divergence and incipient speciation in the yucca moth prodoxus coloradensis lepidoptera Prodoxidae on three species of host plants
Heredity, 2010Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, H J Xue, Jeremy B Yoder, Olle PellmyrAbstract:A wide range of evolutionary processes have been implicated in the diversification of yuccas and yucca moths, which exhibit ecological relationships that extend from obligate plant-pollinator mutualisms to commensalist herbivory. Prodoxus coloradensis (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) is a yucca moth, which feeds on the flowering stalks of three Yucca species as larvae, but does not provide pollination service. To test for evidence of host-associated speciation, we examined the genetic structure of P. coloradensis using mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I) and nuclear (elongation factor 1 alpha) DNA sequence data. Multilocus coalescent simulations indicate that moths on different host plant species are characterized by recent divergence and low levels of effective migration, with large effective population sizes and considerable retention of shared ancestral polymorphism. Although geographical distance explains a proportion of the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA variation among moths on different species of Yucca, the effect of host specificity on genetic distance remains significant after accounting for spatial isolation. The results of this study indicate that differentiation within P. coloradensis is consistent with the evolution of incipient species affiliated with different host plants, potentially influenced by sex-biased dispersal and female philopatry.
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host specificity and reproductive success of yucca moths tegeticula spp lepidoptera Prodoxidae mirror patterns of gene flow between host plant varieties of the joshua tree yucca brevifolia agavaceae
Molecular Ecology, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher Irwin Smith, Christopher S Drummond, Jeremy B Yoder, William Godsoe, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution between flowering plants and their pollinators is thought to have generated much of the diversity of life on Earth, but the population processes that may have produced these macroevolutionary patterns remain unclear. Mathematical models of coevolution in obligate pollination mutualisms suggest that phenotype matching between plants and their pollinators can generate reproductive isolation. Here, we test this hypothesis using a natural experiment that examines the role of natural selection on phenotype matching between yuccas and yucca moths (Tegeticula spp.) in mediating reproductive isolation between two varieties of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia var. brevifolia and Y. brevifolia var. jaegeriana). Using passive monitoring techniques, DNA barcoding, microsatellite DNA genotyping, and sibship reconstruction, we track host specificity and the fitness consequences of host choice in a zone of sympatry. We show that the two moth species differ in their degree of host specificity and that oviposition on a foreign host plant results in the production of fewer offspring. This difference in host specificity between the two moth species mirrors patterns of chloroplast introgression from west to east between host varieties, suggesting that natural selection acting on pollinator phenotypes mediates gene flow and reproductive isolation between Joshua-tree varieties.
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species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Molecular Ecology Resources, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant-pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
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molecular diagnostics and dna taxonomy species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant‐pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
Christopher S Drummond - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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host associated divergence and incipient speciation in the yucca moth prodoxus coloradensis lepidoptera Prodoxidae on three species of host plants
Heredity, 2010Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, H J Xue, Jeremy B Yoder, Olle PellmyrAbstract:A wide range of evolutionary processes have been implicated in the diversification of yuccas and yucca moths, which exhibit ecological relationships that extend from obligate plant-pollinator mutualisms to commensalist herbivory. Prodoxus coloradensis (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) is a yucca moth, which feeds on the flowering stalks of three Yucca species as larvae, but does not provide pollination service. To test for evidence of host-associated speciation, we examined the genetic structure of P. coloradensis using mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I) and nuclear (elongation factor 1 alpha) DNA sequence data. Multilocus coalescent simulations indicate that moths on different host plant species are characterized by recent divergence and low levels of effective migration, with large effective population sizes and considerable retention of shared ancestral polymorphism. Although geographical distance explains a proportion of the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA variation among moths on different species of Yucca, the effect of host specificity on genetic distance remains significant after accounting for spatial isolation. The results of this study indicate that differentiation within P. coloradensis is consistent with the evolution of incipient species affiliated with different host plants, potentially influenced by sex-biased dispersal and female philopatry.
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host specificity and reproductive success of yucca moths tegeticula spp lepidoptera Prodoxidae mirror patterns of gene flow between host plant varieties of the joshua tree yucca brevifolia agavaceae
Molecular Ecology, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher Irwin Smith, Christopher S Drummond, Jeremy B Yoder, William Godsoe, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution between flowering plants and their pollinators is thought to have generated much of the diversity of life on Earth, but the population processes that may have produced these macroevolutionary patterns remain unclear. Mathematical models of coevolution in obligate pollination mutualisms suggest that phenotype matching between plants and their pollinators can generate reproductive isolation. Here, we test this hypothesis using a natural experiment that examines the role of natural selection on phenotype matching between yuccas and yucca moths (Tegeticula spp.) in mediating reproductive isolation between two varieties of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia var. brevifolia and Y. brevifolia var. jaegeriana). Using passive monitoring techniques, DNA barcoding, microsatellite DNA genotyping, and sibship reconstruction, we track host specificity and the fitness consequences of host choice in a zone of sympatry. We show that the two moth species differ in their degree of host specificity and that oviposition on a foreign host plant results in the production of fewer offspring. This difference in host specificity between the two moth species mirrors patterns of chloroplast introgression from west to east between host varieties, suggesting that natural selection acting on pollinator phenotypes mediates gene flow and reproductive isolation between Joshua-tree varieties.
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species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Molecular Ecology Resources, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant-pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
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molecular diagnostics and dna taxonomy species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant‐pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
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MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS AND DNA TAXONOMY Species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yuccamoths Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae)
2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher I. Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant–pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollin-ators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100 % of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female
Christopher Irwin Smith - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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first recorded observations of pollination and oviposition behavior in tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae suggest a functional basis for coevolution with joshua tree yucca hosts
Annals of The Entomological Society of America, 2017Co-Authors: William S Cole, Alexander S James, Christopher Irwin SmithAbstract:Yucca moths (Tegeticula spp.) are the exclusive pollinators of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia s. l.). The moths actively pollinate the Joshua tree flowers and lay their eggs in the style. Recent studies have revealed that the plants commonly known as Joshua trees include two distinct, sister-species of plant: Yucca brevifolia Engelm. and Yucca jaegeriana McKelvey, each pollinated by two sister-species of yucca moth Tegeticula synthetica Riley and Tegeticula antithetica Pellmyr, respectively. A number of studies have argued that the moths have coevolved with their hosts, producing a pattern of phenotype matching between moth ovipositor length and floral style length. However, the only known descriptions of yucca moth pollination and oviposition behavior on Joshua trees are observations of T. synthetica made in 1893. The behavior of T. antithetica has never been observed before. We produced the first video recordings of the behavior of T. antithetica, and measured the points of oviposition and egg placement within the floral style. We found a number of differences between the behaviors of T. antithetica and T. synthetica, which appear to be a consequence of differences in floral morphology between Y. jaegeriana and Y. brevifolia. We also found that variation in floral style length strongly influences the placement of eggs within the flower, which may explain patterns of phenotype matching described previously. However, unlike in other yucca moths, we find that the mode of oviposition is unlikely to wound the floral ovules, and thus that oviposition by T. antithetica is unlikely to prompt floral abscission.
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Geographic isolation trumps coevolution as a driver of yucca and yucca moth diversification.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2011Co-Authors: David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Christopher Irwin Smith, Jim Leebens-mack, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution is thought to be especially important in diversification of obligate mutualistic interactions such as the one between yuccas and pollinating yucca moths. We took a three-step approach to examine if plant and pollinator speciation events were likely driven by coevolution. First, we tested whether there has been co-speciation between yuccas and pollinator yucca moths in the genus Tegeticula (Prodoxidae). Second, we tested whether co-speciation also occurred between yuccas and commensalistic yucca moths in the genus Prodoxus (Prodoxidae) in which reciprocal evolutionary change is unlikely. Finally, we examined the current range distributions of yuccas in relationship to pollinator speciation events to determine if plant and moth speciation events likely occurred in sympatry or allopatry. Co-speciation analyses of yuccas with their coexisting Tegeticula pollinator and commensalistic Prodoxus lineages demonstrated phylogenetic congruence between both groups of moths and yuccas, even though moth lineages differ in the type of interaction with yuccas. Furthermore, Yucca species within a lineage occur primarily in allopatry rather than sympatry. We conclude that biogeographic factors are the overriding force in plant and pollinator moth speciation and significant phylogenetic congruence between the moth and plant lineages is likely due to shared biogeography rather than coevolution.
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host specificity and reproductive success of yucca moths tegeticula spp lepidoptera Prodoxidae mirror patterns of gene flow between host plant varieties of the joshua tree yucca brevifolia agavaceae
Molecular Ecology, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher Irwin Smith, Christopher S Drummond, Jeremy B Yoder, William Godsoe, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution between flowering plants and their pollinators is thought to have generated much of the diversity of life on Earth, but the population processes that may have produced these macroevolutionary patterns remain unclear. Mathematical models of coevolution in obligate pollination mutualisms suggest that phenotype matching between plants and their pollinators can generate reproductive isolation. Here, we test this hypothesis using a natural experiment that examines the role of natural selection on phenotype matching between yuccas and yucca moths (Tegeticula spp.) in mediating reproductive isolation between two varieties of Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia var. brevifolia and Y. brevifolia var. jaegeriana). Using passive monitoring techniques, DNA barcoding, microsatellite DNA genotyping, and sibship reconstruction, we track host specificity and the fitness consequences of host choice in a zone of sympatry. We show that the two moth species differ in their degree of host specificity and that oviposition on a foreign host plant results in the production of fewer offspring. This difference in host specificity between the two moth species mirrors patterns of chloroplast introgression from west to east between host varieties, suggesting that natural selection acting on pollinator phenotypes mediates gene flow and reproductive isolation between Joshua-tree varieties.
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species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Molecular Ecology Resources, 2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant-pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
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molecular diagnostics and dna taxonomy species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae in the yucca moths tegeticula synthetica and tegeticula antithetica lepidoptera Prodoxidae
2009Co-Authors: Christopher S Drummond, Christopher Irwin Smith, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Ecological interactions between yucca moths (Tegeticula, Prodoxidae) and their host plants (Yucca, Agavaceae) are exemplary of obligate plant‐pollinator mutualism and co-evolution. We describe a multiplex microsatellite DNA protocol for species identification and sibship assignment of sympatric larvae from Tegeticula synthetica and Tegeticula antithetica, pollinators of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Bayesian clustering provides correct diagnosis of species in 100% of adult moths, with unambiguous identification of sympatric larvae. Sibship assignments show that larvae within a single fruit are more likely to be full-sibs or half-sibs than larvae from different fruit, consistent with the hypothesis that larval clutches are predominantly the progeny of an individual female.
Kari A. Segraves - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Geographic isolation trumps coevolution as a driver of yucca and yucca moth diversification.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2011Co-Authors: David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Christopher Irwin Smith, Jim Leebens-mack, Olle PellmyrAbstract:Coevolution is thought to be especially important in diversification of obligate mutualistic interactions such as the one between yuccas and pollinating yucca moths. We took a three-step approach to examine if plant and pollinator speciation events were likely driven by coevolution. First, we tested whether there has been co-speciation between yuccas and pollinator yucca moths in the genus Tegeticula (Prodoxidae). Second, we tested whether co-speciation also occurred between yuccas and commensalistic yucca moths in the genus Prodoxus (Prodoxidae) in which reciprocal evolutionary change is unlikely. Finally, we examined the current range distributions of yuccas in relationship to pollinator speciation events to determine if plant and moth speciation events likely occurred in sympatry or allopatry. Co-speciation analyses of yuccas with their coexisting Tegeticula pollinator and commensalistic Prodoxus lineages demonstrated phylogenetic congruence between both groups of moths and yuccas, even though moth lineages differ in the type of interaction with yuccas. Furthermore, Yucca species within a lineage occur primarily in allopatry rather than sympatry. We conclude that biogeographic factors are the overriding force in plant and pollinator moth speciation and significant phylogenetic congruence between the moth and plant lineages is likely due to shared biogeography rather than coevolution.
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phylogeny of the pollinating yucca moths with revision of mexican species tegeticula and parategeticula lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008Co-Authors: Olle Pellmyr, David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Manuel Balcazarlara, Rik J. LittlefieldAbstract:ABSTRACT The yucca moths (Tegeticula and Parategeticula; Lepidoptera, Prodoxidae) are well-known for their obligate relationship as exclusive pollinators of yuccas. Revisionary work in recent years has revealed far higher species diversity than historically recognized, increasing the number of described species from four to 21. Based on field surveys in Mexico and examination of collections, we describe five additional species: T. californica Pellmyr sp. nov., T. tehuacana Pellmyr & Balcazar-Lara sp. nov., T. tambasi Pellmyr & Balcazar-Lara sp. nov., T. baja Pellmyr & Balcazar-Lara sp. nov., and P. californica Pellmyr & Balcazar-Lara sp. nov. Tegeticula treculeanella Pellmyr is identified as a junior synonym of T. mexicana Bastida. A diagnostic key to the adults of all species of the T. yuccasella complex is provided. A phylogeny based on a 2104-bp segment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cytochrome oxidase I and II region supported monophyly of the two pollinator genera, and strongly supported monophyly of the 17 recognized species of the T. yuccasella complex. Most relationships are well-supported, but some relationships within a recent and rapidly diversified group of 11 taxa are less robust, and in one case conflicts with a whole-genome data set (AFLP). The current mtDNA-based analyses, together with previouslymore » published AFLP data, provide a robust phylogenetic foundation for future studies of life history evolution and host interactions in one of the classical models of coevolution and obligate mutualism. ADDITIONAL KEY WORDS: mutualism, pollination, molecular phylogenetics, mitochondrial DNA« less
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The obligate mutualism between yucca moths (Teg...
2006Co-Authors: Lepidoptera Prodoxidae, Olle Pellmyr, David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Manuel Balcázar-lara, Rik J. LittlefieldAbstract:The yucca moths (Tegeticula and Parategeticula; Lepidoptera, Prodoxidae) are well known for their obligate relationship as exclusive pollinators of yuccas. Revisionary work in recent years has revealed far higher species diversity than historically recognized, increasing the number of described species from four to 20. Based on field surveys in Mexico and examination of collections, we describe five additional species: T. californica Pellmyr sp
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Phylogeny and life history evolution of Prodoxus yucca moths (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae). Systematic Entomology 31
2006Co-Authors: Olle Pellmyr, Kari A. Segraves, Manuel Balc Ázar -lara, M Althoff, James Leebens -mackAbstract:Abstract. Yucca moths (Lep., Prodoxidae) are well-known for their obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas. In addition to the pollinators, yuccas also host many non-pollinating yucca moths. Here the genus Prodoxus, the non-pollinating sister group of the pollinators, is revised using morphological and molecular data, their phylogenetic relationships are analysed, and the evolution of host tissue specialization explored. Twenty-two species are recognized, includ-ing nine new species: Prodoxus gypsicolor sp.n., P. sonorensis sp.n., P. carnerosa-nellus sp.n., P. tamaulipellus sp.n., P. weethumpi sp.n., P. tehuacanensis sp.n.
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phylogeny and life history evolution of prodoxus yucca moths lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Systematic Entomology, 2005Co-Authors: Olle Pellmyr, David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Manuel Balcazarlara, Jim LeebensmackAbstract:Yucca moths (Lep., Prodoxidae) are well-known for their obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas. In addition to the pollinators, yuccas also host many non-pollinating yucca moths. Here the genus Prodoxus, the non- pollinating sister group of the pollinators, is revised using morphological and molecular data, their phylogenetic relationships are analysed, and the evolution of host tissue specialization explored. Twenty-two species are recognized, includ- ing nine new species: Prodoxus gypsicolor sp.n., P. sonorensis sp.n., P. carnerosa- nellus sp.n., P. tamaulipellus sp.n., P. weethumpi sp.n., P. tehuacanensis sp.n., P. californicus sp.n., P. mapimiensis sp.n. and P. atascosanellus sp.n. Prodoxus y-inversus Riley, P. coloradensis Riley and P. sordidus Riley are redescribed. The genus Agavenema is synonymized with Prodoxus. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that stalk-feeding is basal within the group, that there are three separate origins of fruit-feeding, and one origin of leaf-mining from a stalk-feeding ancestor. Although species with different feeding habits often coexist within hosts, the analyses suggest that ecological specialization and diversification within a host only may have occurred within one or possibly two hosts.
Jim Leebensmack - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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timing of rapid diversification and convergent origins of active pollination within agavoideae asparagaceae
American Journal of Botany, 2016Co-Authors: Michael R Mckain, Joel R Mcneal, Roxanne P Kellar, Luis E Eguiarte, Chris J Pires, Jim LeebensmackAbstract:Premise of the study Yucca species are ideal candidates for the study of coevolution due to the obligate mutualism they form with yucca moth pollinators (genera Tegeticula and Parategeticula). Yuccas are not the only species to exhibit a mutualism with yucca moths; the genus Hesperoyucca is pollinated by the California yucca moth (Tegeticula maculata). Relationships among yuccas, Hesperoyucca, and other members of subfamily Agavoideae are necessary to understand the evolution of this unique pollination syndrome. Here, we investigate evolutionary relationships of yuccas and closely related genera looking at the timing and origin of yucca moth pollination. Methods In this study, we sequenced the chloroplast genomes of 20 species in the subfamily Agavoideae (Asparagaceae) and three confamilial outgroup taxa to resolve intergeneric phylogenetic relationships of Agavoideae. We estimated divergence times using protein-coding genes from 67 chloroplast genomes sampled across monocots to determine the timing of the yucca moth pollination origin. Key results We confidently resolved intergeneric relationships in Agavoideae, demonstrating the origin of the yucca-yucca moth mutualism on two distinct lineages that diverged 27 million years ago. Comparisons of Yucca and Hesperoyucca divergence time to those of yucca moths (Tegeticula and Parategeticula, Prodoxidae) indicate overlapping ages for the origin of pollinating behavior in the moths and pollination by yucca moths in the two plant lineages. Conclusion Whereas pollinating yucca moths have been shown to have a single origin within the Prodoxidae, there were independent acquisitions of active pollination on lineages leading to Yucca and Hesperoyucca within the Agavoideae.
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phylogeny and life history evolution of prodoxus yucca moths lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Systematic Entomology, 2005Co-Authors: Olle Pellmyr, David M. Althoff, Kari A. Segraves, Manuel Balcazarlara, Jim LeebensmackAbstract:Yucca moths (Lep., Prodoxidae) are well-known for their obligate pollination mutualism with yuccas. In addition to the pollinators, yuccas also host many non-pollinating yucca moths. Here the genus Prodoxus, the non- pollinating sister group of the pollinators, is revised using morphological and molecular data, their phylogenetic relationships are analysed, and the evolution of host tissue specialization explored. Twenty-two species are recognized, includ- ing nine new species: Prodoxus gypsicolor sp.n., P. sonorensis sp.n., P. carnerosa- nellus sp.n., P. tamaulipellus sp.n., P. weethumpi sp.n., P. tehuacanensis sp.n., P. californicus sp.n., P. mapimiensis sp.n. and P. atascosanellus sp.n. Prodoxus y-inversus Riley, P. coloradensis Riley and P. sordidus Riley are redescribed. The genus Agavenema is synonymized with Prodoxus. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that stalk-feeding is basal within the group, that there are three separate origins of fruit-feeding, and one origin of leaf-mining from a stalk-feeding ancestor. Although species with different feeding habits often coexist within hosts, the analyses suggest that ecological specialization and diversification within a host only may have occurred within one or possibly two hosts.
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pollen dispersal in yucca filamentosa agavaceae the paradox of self pollination behavior by tegeticula yuccasella Prodoxidae
American Journal of Botany, 2000Co-Authors: Deborah L Marr, Jim Leebensmack, Lindsey Elms, Olle PellmyrAbstract:We investigated pollen dispersal in an obligate pollination mutualism between Yucca filamentosaand Tegeticula yuccasella. Yucca moths are the only documented pollinator of yuccas, and moth larvae feed solely on developing yucca seeds. The quality of pollination by a female moth affects larval survival because flowers receiving small amounts of pollen or self-pollen have a high abscission probability, and larvae die in abscised flowers. We tested the prediction that yucca moths primarily perform outcross pollinations by using fluorescent dye to track pollen dispersal in five populations of Y. filamentosa. Dye transfers within plants were common in all populations (mean 6 1 SE, 55 6 3.0%), indicating that moths frequently deposit self-pollen. Distance of dye transfers ranged from 0 to 50 m, and the mean number of flowering plants between the pollen donor and recipient was 5 (median 5 0), suggesting that most pollen was transferred among near neighbors. A multilocus genetic estimate of outcrossing based on seedlings matured from open-pollinated fruits at one site was 94 6 6% (mean 6 1 SD). We discuss why moths frequently deposit self-pollen to the detriment of their offspring and compare the yucca‐yucca moth interaction with other obligate pollinator mutualisms in which neither pollinator nor plant benefit from self-pollination.
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phylogeography and host association in a pollinating seed parasite greya politella lepidoptera Prodoxidae
Molecular Ecology, 1997Co-Authors: Jonathan M Brown, Olle Pellmyr, Jim Leebensmack, John N. Thompson, Richard G HarrisonAbstract:Inferring the historical context of ecological diversification is an important step in understanding the way that population-level processes result in a diversity of species and interactions in communities. We performed a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes from the pollinating seed parasite Greya politella (Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) in order to determine the degree to which populations were structured according to geographical location and host-plant association. Ninety-eight individuals were sampled from 29 locations ranging from southern California to western Idaho. Restriction-site variation in 87 individuals (27 populations) was screened by digestion with 11 endonucleases, followed by Southern blotting; 38 restriction-site positions were mapped by double digests. Haplotypes were further defined by generating fragments 251 bases in length via PCR, screening them for sequence variation using denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE), and sequencing the resulting variants. Parsimony analysis of the resulting 12 restriction-site and 15 sequence haplotypes indicated strong geographical structuring of populations: (i) most populations were monomorphic for haplotype; (ii) haplotypes from California and the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington and Idaho) formed robust monophyletic groups. Population structure was significant both within and between the two regions, as reflected by NST. Patterns of host-plant association and haplotype phylogeny suggest that populations have recently undergone host-plant shifts in many different parts of the species range, although the direction and number of host shifts cannot be determined at the present level of sampling resolution.