Expanded molecular phylogeny of the genus<i>Bicyclus</i>(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) shows the importance of increased sampling for detecting semi-cryptic species and highlights potentials for future studies

Aduse‐Poku, Kwaku; Brakefield, Paul M.; Wahlberg, Niklas; Brattström, Oskar

doi:10.1080/14772000.2016.1226979

Cited by 18 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Using a phylogenetic tree reconstructed from a five‐gene matrix of sequences used in previous species‐level phylogenetic studies (Aduse‐Poku, Brakefield, Wahlberg, & Brattström, ; Aduse‐Poku et al., , ; Monteiro & Pierce, ; Van Velzen, Wahlberg, Sosef, & Bakker, ), a statistically independent set of contrast values (see Felsenstein, ; for details of this method) were computed for each measured morphological trait and squared root‐transformed species abundance. This method, referred to as phylogenetic independent contrast (PIC), removes the inherent phylogenetic signals in the dataset (Felsenstein, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests

Aduse‐Poku

Molleman

Oduro

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography has gained the status of a quantitative null model for explaining patterns in ecological (meta)communities. The theory assumes that individuals of trophically similar species are functionally equivalent. We empirically evaluate the relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in three tropical forests in Africa, using both direct (confronting the neutral model with species abundance data) and indirect approaches (testing the predictions of neutral theory using data other than species abundance distributions). Abundance data were obtained by sampling butterflies using banana baited traps set at the forest canopy and understorey strata. Our results indicate a clear consistency in the kind of species or species groups observed at either the canopy or understorey in the three studied communities. Furthermore, we found significant correlation between some flight‐related morphological traits and species abundance at the forest canopy, but not at the understorey. Neutral theory's contribution to explaining our data lies largely in identifying dispersal limitation as a key process regulating fruit‐feeding butterfly community structure. Our study illustrates that using species abundance data alone in evaluating neutral theory can be informative, but is insufficient. Species‐level information such as habitat preference, host plants, geographical distribution, and phylogeny is essential in elucidating the processes that regulate biodiversity community structures and patterns.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests

Aduse‐Poku

Molleman

Oduro

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…For example, The Wolbachia strain variants 'B4' (Fig. 2) are found in species from at least ve divergent Bicyclus species-groups, including the evadne-group, the saussurei-group,the angulosa-group, the trilophus-group and the hewitsoni-group [46]. Additionally, many of the Wolbachia strains characterized in the Mylothris butter ies (family Pieridae) were similar to those from the Bicyclus butter ies (family Nymphalidae) [36] (Table S3), other Lepidoptera, or other insects (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

Duplouy

Pranter²,

Warren-Gash³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Phylogenetically closely related strains of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria are often found in phylogenetically divergent, and geographically distant insect host species. The interspecies transfer of the symbiont Wolbachia has been thought to have occurred repeatedly, facilitating its observed global pandemic. Few ecological interactions have been proposed as potential routes for the horizontal transfer of Wolbachia within natural insect communities. These routes are however likely to act only at the local scale, but how they may support the global distribution of some Wolbachia strains remains unclear. Results Here, we characterize the Wolbachia diversity in butterflies from the tropical forest regions of central Africa to discuss transfer at both local and global scales. We show that numerous species from both the Mylothris (family Pieridae) and Bicyclus (family Nymphalidae) butterfly genera are infected with similar Wolbachia strains, this despite only minor interclade contacts across the life cycles of the species within their partially overlapping ecological niches. The phylogenetic distance and differences in resource use between these genera rule out the role of ancestry, hybridization, and shared host-plants in the interspecies transfer of the symbiont. Furthermore, we could not identify any shared ecological factors to explain the presence of the strains in other arthropod species from other habitats, or even ecoregions. Conclusion Only the systematic surveys of the Wolbachia strains from entire species communities may offer the material currently lacking for understanding how Wolbachia may transfer between highly different and unrelated hosts, as well as across environmental scales.

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“…To construct a phylogenetic tree and estimate divergence times, we used published (Aduse‐Poku, Brakefield, Wahlberg, & Brattström, ; Aduse‐Poku et al, ; Aduse‐Poku, Vingerhoedt, & Wahlberg, ; Kodandaramaiah et al, ; Kodandaramaiah & Wahlberg, ; Monteiro & Pierce, ; Van Velzen, Bakker, & Loon, ; Van Velzen, Wahlberg, Sosef, & Bakker, ) and original DNA sequences for nearly all fruit‐feeding butterfly species in the study community (96 species) with the help of calibration points (see Appendix S1 for more details). Including more species at the tree‐building stage enabled us to produce a better‐resolved phylogeny in the first instance, but the resulting tree was pruned to represent only the 34 butterfly species in this study (Figure in Appendix S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the effects of species traits on predation risk in nature: A comparative study of butterfly wing damage

Molleman

Javoiš

Davis

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Evading predators is a fundamental aspect of the ecology and evolution of all prey animals. In studying the influence of prey traits on predation risk, previous researchers have shown that crypsis reduces attack rates on resting prey, predation risk increases with increased prey activity, and rapid locomotion reduces attack rates and increases chances of surviving predator attacks. However, evidence for these conclusions is nearly always based on observations of selected species under artificial conditions. In nature, it remains unclear how defensive traits such as crypsis, activity levels and speed influence realized predation risk across species in a community. Whereas direct observations of predator–prey interactions in nature are rare, insight can be gained by quantifying bodily damage caused by failed predator attacks. We quantified how butterfly species traits affect predation risk in nature by determining how defensive traits correlate with wing damage caused by failed predation attempts, thereby providing the first robust multi‐species comparative analysis of predator‐induced bodily damage in wild animals. For 34 species of fruit‐feeding butterflies in an African forest, we recorded wing damage and quantified crypsis, activity levels and flight speed. We then tested for correlations between damage parameters and species traits using comparative methods that account for measurement error. We detected considerable differences in the extent, location and symmetry of wing surface loss among species, with smaller differences between sexes. We found that males (but not females) of species that flew faster had substantially less wing surface loss. However, we found no correlation between cryptic coloration and symmetrical wing surface loss across species. In species in which males appeared to be more active than females, males had a lower proportion of symmetrical wing surface loss than females. Our results provide evidence that activity greatly influences the probability of attacks and that flying rapidly is effective for escaping pursuing predators in the wild, but we did not find evidence that cryptic species are less likely to be attacked while at rest.

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Expanded molecular phylogeny of the genusBicyclus(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) shows the importance of increased sampling for detecting semi-cryptic species and highlights potentials for future studies

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests

Relative contribution of neutral and deterministic processes in shaping fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages in Afrotropical forests

Unravelling Wolbachia global exchange: a contribution from the Bicyclus and Mylothris butterflies in the Afrotropics

Quantifying the effects of species traits on predation risk in nature: A comparative study of butterfly wing damage

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