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Anest A, Bouchenak-Khelladi Y, Charles-Dominique T, Forest F, Caraglio Y, Hempson GP, Maurin O, Tomlinson KW. Blocking then stinging as a case of two-step evolution of defensive cage architectures in herbivore-driven ecosystems. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:587-597. [PMID: 38438539 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01649-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Dense branching and spines are common features of plant species in ecosystems with high mammalian herbivory pressure. While dense branching and spines can inhibit herbivory independently, when combined, they form a powerful defensive cage architecture. However, how cage architecture evolved under mammalian pressure has remained unexplored. Here we show how dense branching and spines emerged during the age of mammalian radiation in the Combretaceae family and diversified in herbivore-driven ecosystems in the tropics. Phylogenetic comparative methods revealed that modern plant architectural strategies defending against large mammals evolved via a stepwise process. First, dense branching emerged under intermediate herbivory pressure, followed by the acquisition of spines that supported higher speciation rates under high herbivory pressure. Our study highlights the adaptive value of dense branching as part of a herbivore defence strategy and identifies large mammal herbivory as a major selective force shaping the whole plant architecture of woody plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artémis Anest
- Center for Integrative Conservation and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
| | - Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi
- Agroécologie, Univ. Bourgogne, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, Institut Agro, Dijon, France
| | - Tristan Charles-Dominique
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | | | - Yves Caraglio
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Gareth P Hempson
- Ecology and Environmental Change, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Kyle W Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
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