Diversification of plants and pllinators driven by obligate pollination mutualism

这项研究利用叶下珠科植物和小头蛾之间高度专门化的联系，调查了植物和昆虫传粉者之间的相互作用是否以及如何促进彼此的多样性。对这些植物和蛾的系统发育分析表明，与表头蛾有互惠关系的叶下珠科谱系的多样性比与非表头蛾授粉的姊妹群的多样性更快。这项研究是明确证明动物传粉者在促进植物多样性方面的作用的极少数例子之一。

This study investigated whether and how the interaction between plants and insect pollinators promote the diversification of each other using a highly specialized association between Phyllanthaceae plants and Epicephala moths. A phylogenetic analysis of the plants and moths suggested that Phyllanthaceae lineages engaged in mutualism with Epicephala moths diversified more rapidly than their sister groups with non-Epicephala pollination. This study is one of very few examples that clearly demonstrate the role of animal pollinators in promoting plant diversification.