Cospeciation Analysis of an Obligate Pollination Mutualism: Haveglochidion Trees (Euphorbiaceae) and Pollinating Epicephala Moths(gracillariidae) Diversified in Parallel?

Abstract

Species-specific obligate pollination mutualism between Glochidion trees (Euphorbiaceae) and Epicephala moths (Gracillariidae) involves a large number of interacting species and resembles the classically known fig-fig wasp and yucca-yucca moth associations. To assess the extent of parallel cladogenesis in Glochidion-Epicephala association, we reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of 18 species of Glochidion using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences (internal and external transcribed spacers) and those of the corresponding 18 Epicephala species using mitochondrial (the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene) and nuclear DNA sequences (the arginine kinase and elongation factor-1alpha genes). Based on the obtained phylogenies, we determine whether Glochidion and Epicephala have undergone parallel diversification using several different methods for investigating the level of cospeciation between phylogenies. These tests indicate that there is generally a greater degree of correlation between Glochidion and Epicephala phylogenies than expected in a random association, but the results are sensitive to selection of different phylogenetic hypotheses and analytical methods for evaluating cospeciation. Perfect congruence between phylogenies is not found in this association, which likely resulted from host shift by the moths. The observed significant discrepancy between Glochidion and Epicephala phylogenies implies that the one-to-one specificity between the plants and moths has been maintained through a complex speciation process or that there is an underestimated diversity of association between Glochidion trees and Epicephala moths.

Nitrile-Containing Phenolic Glucosides from the Leaves of Glochidion acuminatum

“…The NMR spectroscopic data for 1a for pyridine-d 5 were identical with those of ehretioside B (12), 7) and those for CD 3 OD with those of 12 isolated from S. adoxoides 8) (Table 1). Sugar Analysis About 1.0 mg aliquots of compounds 1-5 were hydrolyzed with 1 M HCl (0.1 mL) at 90°C for 2 h. The reaction mixtures were then each washed with an equal amount of EtOAc and the aqueous layers were analyzed by HPLC, which gave a peak for D-glucose at 15.…”

Cophylogeny of the anther smut fungi and their caryophyllaceous hosts: Prevalence of host shifts and importance of delimiting parasite species for inferring cospeciation

“…Cospeciation yields congruent phylogenies ( i.e. parallel cladogenesis), as has been previously illustrated, for example in the cases of animal hosts and parasitic lice [5] and of some mutualist associations [6,7]. In contrast, the colonization of new hosts, either followed by parasite speciation (host shift) or not ('failure to speciate' [8]), generally decreases phylogenetic congruence [9,10].…”

Incipient allochronic speciation by climatic disruption of the reproductive period

“…A portion of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI ) gene region was PCR-amplified using primers 5 0 -TTA TTT TTG GAA TTT GAG C-3 0 (forward) and 5 0 -CCT GTT AAT CCT CCT ACT GT-3 0 (reverse), and a 518-bp fragment was sequenced using the forward primer. In addition, a 934-bp fragment of nuclear elongation factor-1a (EF-1a) gene region was PCR-amplified using primers 5 0 -TGC GGT GGT ATC GAC AAG AG-3 0 and 5 0 -GAT TTA CCR GWA CGA CGR TC-3 0 (Kawakita et al 2004). The PCR products were sequenced using an ABI3130xl sequencer (Applied Biosystems).…”