Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite
Host plant specialisation can promote evolutionary divergence between herbivore populations associated with different plant species. While the mechanisms by which specialist species exploit their hosts have been studied widely across taxa, less is known about the mechanisms that allow intraspecific...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.819894/full |
| _version_ | 1818005530704084992 |
|---|---|
| author | Ernesto Villacis-Perez Ernesto Villacis-Perez Juan Manuel Alba Julien Cotte Zeno van Loon Johannes A. J. Breeuwer Thomas Van Leeuwen |
| author_facet | Ernesto Villacis-Perez Ernesto Villacis-Perez Juan Manuel Alba Julien Cotte Zeno van Loon Johannes A. J. Breeuwer Thomas Van Leeuwen |
| author_sort | Ernesto Villacis-Perez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Host plant specialisation can promote evolutionary divergence between herbivore populations associated with different plant species. While the mechanisms by which specialist species exploit their hosts have been studied widely across taxa, less is known about the mechanisms that allow intraspecific variants to arise and to be maintained across spatial and temporal scales. To understand whether adaptations to plant defences against herbivory contribute to the co-existence of genetically distinct populations of an herbivore, we investigate the interaction between honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) and sympatric specialist and generalist populations of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. We found that mite folivory induces the production of sticky droplets on honeysuckle, which have a defensive role: they increase mite mortality directly, and potentially indirectly by increasing the arrestment of a predator. We show that droplet induction and the preference to feed on honeysuckle depend on mite genotype, where the generalist avoids this host and the specialist suppresses droplet production. These traits are heritable and dominant in F1 hybrids between generalists and specialists. Selection pressure from honeysuckle and differences in host preference likely reduce the opportunity of mating encounters on this host. We propose that the interplay between selection from host plant defences and ecological barriers to hybridisation contribute to the persistence of genetically distinct populations of a single species in sympatry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:45:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4a8b6574b80741b995bb3153b7038382 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:45:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-4a8b6574b80741b995bb3153b70383822022-12-22T02:11:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-04-011010.3389/fevo.2022.819894819894Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous MiteErnesto Villacis-Perez0Ernesto Villacis-Perez1Juan Manuel Alba2Julien Cotte3Zeno van Loon4Johannes A. J. Breeuwer5Thomas Van Leeuwen6Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumDepartment of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumHost plant specialisation can promote evolutionary divergence between herbivore populations associated with different plant species. While the mechanisms by which specialist species exploit their hosts have been studied widely across taxa, less is known about the mechanisms that allow intraspecific variants to arise and to be maintained across spatial and temporal scales. To understand whether adaptations to plant defences against herbivory contribute to the co-existence of genetically distinct populations of an herbivore, we investigate the interaction between honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) and sympatric specialist and generalist populations of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. We found that mite folivory induces the production of sticky droplets on honeysuckle, which have a defensive role: they increase mite mortality directly, and potentially indirectly by increasing the arrestment of a predator. We show that droplet induction and the preference to feed on honeysuckle depend on mite genotype, where the generalist avoids this host and the specialist suppresses droplet production. These traits are heritable and dominant in F1 hybrids between generalists and specialists. Selection pressure from honeysuckle and differences in host preference likely reduce the opportunity of mating encounters on this host. We propose that the interplay between selection from host plant defences and ecological barriers to hybridisation contribute to the persistence of genetically distinct populations of a single species in sympatry.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.819894/fullintraspecific genetic variationsympatryisolation by ecologyplant-herbivore interactionshost specialisationplant defence suppression |
| spellingShingle | Ernesto Villacis-Perez Ernesto Villacis-Perez Juan Manuel Alba Julien Cotte Zeno van Loon Johannes A. J. Breeuwer Thomas Van Leeuwen Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution intraspecific genetic variation sympatry isolation by ecology plant-herbivore interactions host specialisation plant defence suppression |
| title | Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite |
| title_full | Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite |
| title_fullStr | Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite |
| title_short | Interactions With Plant Defences Isolate Sympatric Populations of an Herbivorous Mite |
| title_sort | interactions with plant defences isolate sympatric populations of an herbivorous mite |
| topic | intraspecific genetic variation sympatry isolation by ecology plant-herbivore interactions host specialisation plant defence suppression |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.819894/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ernestovillacisperez interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT ernestovillacisperez interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT juanmanuelalba interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT juliencotte interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT zenovanloon interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT johannesajbreeuwer interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite AT thomasvanleeuwen interactionswithplantdefencesisolatesympatricpopulationsofanherbivorousmite |