Macroevolutionary Patterns in the Aphidini Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae): Diversification, Host Association, and Biogeographic Origins

Abstract

BackgroundDue to its biogeographic origins and rapid diversification, understanding the tribe Aphidini is key to understanding aphid evolution. Major questions about aphid evolution include origins of host alternation as well as age and patterns of diversification in relation to host plants. To address these questions, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the Aphidini which contains Aphis, the most diverse genus in the family. We used a combined dataset of one nuclear and four mitochondrial DNA regions. A molecular dating approach, calibrated with fossil records, was used to estimate divergence times of these taxa.Principal FindingsMost generic divergences in Aphidini occurred in the Middle Tertiary, and species-level divergences occurred between the Middle and Late Tertiary. The ancestral state of host use for Aphidini was equivocal with respect to three states: monoecy on trees, heteroecy, and monoecy on grasses. The ancestral state of Rhopalosiphina likely included both heteroecy and monoecy, whereas that of Aphidina was most likely monoecy. The divergence times of aphid lineages at the generic or subgeneric levels are close to those of their primary hosts. The species-level divergences in aphids are consistent with the diversification of the secondary hosts, as a few examples suggest. The biogeographic origin of Aphidini as a whole was equivocal, but the major lineages within Aphidina likely separated into Nearctic, Western Palearctic, and Eastern Palearctic regions.ConclusionsMost generic divergences in Aphidini occurred in the Middle Tertiary when primary hosts, mainly in the Rosaceae, were diverging, whereas species-level divergences were contemporaneous with diversification of the secondary hosts such as Poaceae in the Middle to Late Tertiary. Our results suggest that evolution of host alternation within Aphidini may have occurred during the Middle Tertiary (Oligocene) when the secondary hosts emerged.

Molecular and morphological differentiation between Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera, Aphididae) and related species, with particular reference to the North American Midwest

“…The analysis of different species included in this study largely corroborates the results obtained by Coeur d’acier et al (2007), Kim and Lee (2008), Kim et al (2010a), Kim et al (2010b), Kim et al (2011) and Lagos et al (2014b). The gossypii complex in the North American Midwest contains the following native species, Aphid oestlundi and Aphid monardae , and the invasive species Aphid gossypii and Aphid sedi .…”

Characterization of mariner-like transposons of the mauritiana Subfamily in seven tree aphid species

“…In this case, the relationships between sequences of elements must reflect the phylogenetic relationships between their hosts. Therefore, a comparative CO-I based network showing the relationships between the seven aphid species studied was constructed, and was consistent with classical phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular characteristics (Foottit et al 2008;Coeur D'Acier et al 2008;Kim et al 2011;Blackman and Eastop 2007;Leclant 2000). The mitochondrial CO-I barcoding marker has proved an effective tool for characterising aphid species .…”

“…Pairwise comparison of the MLEs isolated showed a high degree of similarity, indicating that they shared a common origin. It is possible that the deletion occurred in an ancestral population before the Tribes diverged in the Eocene (Kim et al 2011). If so, all these deletions can be expected to have resulted from the same ancestral event.…”

Temporal variations in the life-cycles of aphids (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae) and their coccinellid predators

“…about half the diversity. This percentage is high given that the global percentage for Aphididae is less than 15% (Kim et al, 2011). In Belgium, heteroecious species make up around 34% of all aphid species if the species alternating between Ribes or Rubus/herbaceous species are excluded (Yattara & Francis, 2013).…”