Patterns of Specificity of the Pathogen Escovopsis across the Fungus-Growing Ant Symbiosis
Patterns of Specificity of the Pathogen Escovopsis across the Fungus-Growing Ant Symbiosis
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DOI：
10.1086/686911
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发表时间：
2016-07-01
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Gerardo, Nicole M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Birnbaum, Stephanie S. L.;Gerardo, Nicole M.
寄生虫在复杂的非生物和生物环境中进化。正因为如此，它往往是具有挑战性的，以确定如何进化和生态过程共同影响寄生虫的专业化。在这里，我们使用真菌生长的蚂蚁系统，其中包括古老的，可能共同进化的，复杂的社区，探索生态和进化的力量塑造主机寄生虫特异性。我们使用比较系统发育框架，以确定是否模式的特异性之间的真菌寄生虫Escovopsis和其宿主真菌在精细的系统发育尺度反映模式的特异性在更广泛的系统发育水平。换句话说，我们问是否寄生虫特异性跨越广泛的主机系统发育关系保持特异性对更密切相关的主机。我们耦合这种探索与操纵的社会背景下，主机-寄生虫的相互作用正在发生，以评估如何社区的复杂性改变寄生虫的特异性。无论宿主群落的复杂性，寄生虫表现出一致的模式，专业化的本地主机，也就是说，他们被发现在自然界中攻击，偶尔切换到主机远亲到他们的本地主机的潜力。这些结果表明，即使在一个复杂的社会背景下，成对的主机和寄生虫的适应和共适应可以是寄生虫特异性的进化和维护的主要驱动力。
Parasites evolve within complex abiotic and biotic environments. Because of this, it is often challenging to ascertain how evolutionary and ecological processes together affect parasite specialization. Here, we use the fungus-growing ant system, which consists of ancient, likely coevolved, complex communities, to explore the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping host-parasite specificity. We use a comparative phylogenetic framework to determine whether patterns of specificity between the fungal parasite Escovopsis and its host fungi at fine phylogenetic scales reflect patterns of specificity at broader phylogenetic levels. In other words, we ask whether parasite specificity across broad host phylogenetic relationships is maintained by specificity toward more closely related hosts. We couple this exploration with manipulations of the community context within which host-parasite interactions are taking place to evaluate how community complexity alters parasite specificity. Regardless of host community complexity, parasites displayed a consistent pattern of specialization on native hosts, that is, those that they are found attacking in nature, with the potential for occasional switching to hosts distantly related to their native hosts. These results suggest that, even within a complex community context, pairwise host and parasite adaptation and coadaptation can be the primary drivers of the evolution and maintenance of parasite specificity.