Integrating Paleodistribution Models and Phylogeography in the Grass-Cutting Ant Acromyrmex striatus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Southern Lowlands of South America

The influence of climate oscillations and geological events on population differentiation of Camponotus japonicus in the Chinese mainland

Camponotus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is an omnivorous social insect which builds sizable colonies in sparse woodlands or cropland and spreads across multiple climatic zones in the Chinese mainland. This study aims to reveal the role of climate changes and geological events in driving the genetic structure of social insect populations by investigating the phylogenetics and historical demography of C. japonicus in the Chinese mainland. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on the mitochondria DNA dataset using MrBayes and IQ-TREE. We constructed a haplotype network, calculated analyses of molecular variance, estimated the divergence time, and reconstructed the maximum clade credibility tree. Mismatch distribution and Bayesian skyline plots were used to infer historical population fluctuations. Additionally, ecological niche modeling was employed to predict the potential distribution of the species during the present, mid-holocene, and last glacial maximum periods in the Chinese mainland. The phylogenetic tree and median-joining network analyses support the presence of four distinct lineages in C. japonicus. These lineages exhibit significant genetic differentiation and limited gene flow. The divergence among the four lineages began in the early Pleistocene, approximately 1.41 million years ago (Ma). Subsequently, the central lineage diverged from both the northern and southern lineages around 1.16 Ma, while the northern and southern lineages diverged from each other at approximately 1.07 Ma. Population expansion was observed in the southern, central, and northern lineages prior to the last glacial maximum, while the Yunnan-Sichuan lineage experienced a slight increase in population size in more recent times. The predicted distribution of the species corresponds well with the actual distribution. Furthermore, the current suitable habitat areas in northern Xinjiang, southern Tibet, and the southeast coastal regions have significantly decreased compared to the last glacial maximum and the mid-holocene periods. Our results suggest that climate oscillations and geological events play an important role in driving genetic patterns and differentiation of C. japonicus. Mountain barriers isolate populations from each other, hinder the flow of genes, and effectively prevent the spread of this species. But at the same time, it also formed refugia at low altitudes areas such as Qinling-Bashan Mountains and Yanshan-Taihang Mountains and provide suitable habitats during glaciation. This study provides a good model for understanding how complex climate changes and geological events affect population genetic differentiation of social insects in the Chinese mainland.

Preliminary population studies of the grassland swallowtail butterfly Euryades corethrus (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)

Euryades corethrus is a Troidini butterfly (Papilionidae, Papilioninae), endemic to grasslands in southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Formerly abundant, nowadays it is in the Red list of endangered species for those areas. During its larval stage, it feeds on Aristolochia spp, commonly found in southern grasslands. These native grassland areas are diminishing, being converted to crops and pastures, causing habitat loss for Aristolochia and E. corethrus. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity, population structure and demographic history of E. corethrus. We sampled eight populations from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and based on Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) molecular marker, our results suggest a low genetic variability between populations, presence of gene flow and, consequently, lack of population structure. A single maternally inherited-genetic marker is insufficient for population-level decisions, but barcoding is a useful tool during early stages of population investigation, bringing out genomic diversity patterns within the target species. Those populations likely faced a bottleneck followed by a rapid expansion during the last glaciation and subsequent stabilization in effective population size. Habitat loss is a threat, which might cause isolation, loss of genetic variability and, ultimately, extinction of E. corethrus if no habitat conservation policy is adopted.

Population Genetic Structure of Chlorops oryzae (Diptera, Chloropidae) in China

Frequent outbreaks have made Chlorops oryzae one of the major pests of rice in some regions. In order to understand the ecological adaptation of C. oryzae at the molecular level, and provide a scientific basis for formulating management strategies, we used two molecular markers, COI and ITS1 sequences, to systematically analyze the genetic structure of 31 populations. The higher haplotype diversity and lower nucleotide diversity indicated that the C. oryzae populations experienced rapid expansion after a “Bottleneck effect”. The results of the mismatch distribution, neutrality test (Fu’s Fs < 0, p < 0.001), and haplotype network analysis suggested that the population has recently undergone an expansion. Although genetic differentiation among C. oryzae populations was found to have existed at low/medium levels (Fst: 0.183 for COI, 0.065 for ITS1), the frequent gene flow presented as well (Nm: 2.23 for COI, 3.60 for ITS1) was supposed to be responsible for frequent local outbreaks.

A holocenic and dynamic hybrid zone between two cactophilic Drosophila species in a coastal lowland plain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Hybridization and introgression are processes that contribute to shaping biological diversity. The factors promoting the formation of these processes are multiples but poorly explored in a biogeographical and ecological context. In the southeast coastal plain of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a hybrid zone was described between two closely related cactophilic species, Drosophila antonietae and D. serido. Here, we revisited and analysed specimens from this hybrid zone to evaluate its temporal and spatial dynamic. We examined allopatric and sympatric populations of the flies using independent sources of data such as mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, microsatellite loci, morphometrics of wings and male genitalia, and climatic niche models. We also verified the emergence of the flies from necrotic tissues of collected cacti to verify the role of host association for the population dynamics. Our results support the existence of a hybrid zone due to secondary contact and limited to the localities where the two species are currently in contact. Furthermore, we detected asymmetric bidirectional introgression and the maintenance of the species integrity, ecological association and morphological characters, suggesting selection and limited introgression. Considering our paleomodels, probably this hybrid zone is recent and the contact occurred during the Holocene to the present day, favoured by range expansion of their populations due to expansion of open and dry areas in eastern South America during palaeoclimatic and geomorphological events.

Karyotype structure and cytogenetic markers of Amoimyrmex bruchi and Amoimyrmex silvestrii: contribution to understanding leaf-cutting ant relationships

Leaf-cutting ants are considered the most important herbivores in terrestrial environments throughout the Neotropics. Amoimyrmex Cristiano, Cardoso, & Sandoval, 2020 is the sister clade of the remaining leaf-cutting ants from the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. Amoimyrmex striatus was the only species cytogenetically studied within the genus and shares the same chromosomal number as Atta, bearing 22 chromosomes, whereas Acromyrmex bears 38 chromosomes, with the exception of the social parasite Acromyrmex ameliae (2n = 36). Our objective here was to cytogenetically analyze the species of Amoimyrmex bruchi and Amoimyrmex silvestrii, as well as to describe the karyotype of these sister species, using an integrative approach using classical and molecular cytogenetics. We aimed to characterize the cytogenetic markers that contribute to the systematics and taxonomy of the genus. Our results showed that the karyotypes of these two species are very similar, with an identical chromosome number (2n = 22), chromosome morphology (2K = 20m + 2sm), and location of 18S rDNA and telomeric repeat TTAGG on the chromosomes. However, the microsatellite probe GA(15) showed variation across the species and populations studied. We suggest that both species diverged relatively recently and are unmistakably sisters because of the many shared characteristics, including the highly conserved karyotypes.

Ant diversity in Neotropical savannas: Hierarchical processes acting at multiple spatial scales

Understanding what creates and maintains macroscale biodiversity gradients is a central focus of ecological and evolutionary research. Spatial patterns in diversity are driven by a hierarchy of factors operating at multiple scales. Historical and climatic factors drive large-scale patterns of diversity by affecting the size of regional species pools, while habitat heterogeneity or microhabitat characteristics further influence species coexistence at small scales. We tested the degree to which the species-energy, historical factors, habitat heterogeneity and local environment hypotheses explain observed patterns of ant diversity across hierarchical spatial scales. We sampled ground-dwelling ants at 29 sites within a Neotropical savanna region, the Brazilian Cerrado. We measured species density - an abundance-dependent diversity metric - and rarefied species richness - an abundance-independent metric - at spatial scales with varying grain sizes. For each hypothesis, two correlates were used to predict ant diversity patterns: (a) species-energy: rainfall and productivity; (b) historical factors: historical variation in rainfall and refugial areas; (c) habitat heterogeneity: heterogeneity in greenness and diversity of land cover; and (d) local factors: contents of sand and coarse fragments in the soil. Ant diversity patterns correlated to net primary productivity and to the proportion of coarse fragments in the soil, corroborating the species-energy and local environment hypotheses, respectively. Soil negatively influenced species density, but not rarefied species richness, which was positively influenced by productivity. We found scale dependencies in the effects of soil/productivity on species density; productivity best predicted species density patterns at large scales, since sampling completeness offset the abundance-driven effects of soil. Considering abundance differences may help to discern the mechanisms underlying the relationship between macroscale diversity patterns and its ecological drivers. Plant productivity affected ant diversity independently of abundance, possibly by limiting the size of regional species pools. On the other hand, soil properties had an abundance-dependent effect on ant diversity, indicating a sampling mechanism. Our findings are consistent with predictions of the hierarchical theory of diversity. Large-scale patterns of productivity limit regional diversity, an effect that cascades down to finer spatial scales, where soil properties influence the number of coexisting species.

Genetic divergence, population differentiation and phylogeography of the cicada Subpsaltria yangi based on molecular and acoustic data: an example of the early stage of speciation?

Background

Geographical isolation combined with historical climatic fluctuations have been identified as two major factors that contribute to the formation of new species. On the other hand, biotic factors such as competition and predation are also able to drive the evolution and diversification of organisms. To determine whether geographical barriers contributed to population divergence or speciation in the rare endemic cicada Subpsaltria yangi the population differentiation, genetic structure and phylogeography of the species were investigated in the Loess Plateau and adjacent areas of northwestern China by analysing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA and comparing the calling song structure of 161 male individuals.

Results

The results reveal a low level of genetic differentiation and relatively simple phylogeographic structure for this species, but two independent clades corresponding to geographically isolated populations were recognised. Genetic and geographical distances were significantly correlated among lineages. Results of divergence-time estimation are consistent with a scenario of isolation due to glacial refugia and interglacial climate oscillation in northwestern China. Significant genetic divergence was found between the population occurring in the Helan Mountains and other populations, and recent population expansion has occurred in the Helan Mountains and/or adjacent areas. This population is also significantly different in calling song structure from other populations.

Conclusions

Geographical barriers (i.e., the deserts and semi-deserts surrounding the Helan Mountains), possibly coupled with related ecological differences, may have driven population divergence and allopatric speciation. This provides a possible example of incipient speciation in Cicadidae, improves understanding of population differentiation, acoustic signal diversification and phylogeographic relationships of this rare cicada species of conservation concern, and informs future studies on population differentiation, speciation and phylogeography of other insects with a high degree of endemism in the Helan Mountains and adjacent areas.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1317-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Phylogenetic patterns of ant-fungus associations indicate that farming strategies, not only a superior fungal cultivar, explain the ecological success of leafcutter ants

To elucidate fungicultural specializations contributing to ecological dominance of leafcutter ants, we estimate the phylogeny of fungi cultivated by fungus-growing (attine) ants, including fungal cultivars from (i) the entire leafcutter range from southern South America to southern North America, (ii) all higher-attine ant lineages (leafcutting genera Atta, Acromyrmex; nonleafcutting genera Trachymyrmex, Sericomyrmex) and (iii) all lower-attine lineages. Higher-attine fungi form two clades, Clade-A fungi (Leucocoprinus gongylophorus, formerly Attamyces) previously thought to be cultivated only by leafcutter ants, and a sister clade, Clade-B fungi, previously thought to be cultivated only by Trachymyrmex and Sericomyrmex ants. Contradicting this traditional view, we find that (i) leafcutter ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-A fungi because some leafcutter species ranging across South America cultivate Clade-B fungi; (ii) Trachymyrmex ants are not specialized to cultivate only Clade-B fungi because some Trachymyrmex species cultivate Clade-A fungi and other Trachymyrmex species cultivate fungi known so far only from lower-attine ants; (iii) in some locations, single higher-attine ant species or closely related cryptic species cultivate both Clade-A and Clade-B fungi; and (iv) ant-fungus co-evolution among higher-attine mutualisms is therefore less specialized than previously thought. Sympatric leafcutter ants can be ecologically dominant when cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi, sustaining with either cultivar-type huge nests that command large foraging territories; conversely, sympatric Trachymyrmex ants cultivating either Clade-A or Clade-B fungi can be locally abundant without achieving the ecological dominance of leafcutter ants. Ecological dominance of leafcutter ants therefore does not depend primarily on specialized fungiculture of L. gongylophorus (Clade-A), but must derive from ant-fungus synergisms and unique ant adaptations.

Biogeography of mutualistic fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants

Leafcutter ants propagate co-evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the United States, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA sequence and microsatellite-marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade-A and Clade-B). The dominant and widespread Clade-A cultivars form three genotype clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, Central and North America. Admixture between Clade-A populations supports genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade-B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade-A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcutter species occurs frequently such that cultivars of Atta are not distinct from those of Acromyrmex. Leafcutters specialized on Clade-B fungi occur only in South America. Diversity of Clade-A fungi is greatest in South America, but minimal in Central and North America. Maximum cultivar diversity in South America is predicted by the Kusnezov-Fowler hypothesis that leafcutter ants originated in subtropical South America and only dicot-specialized leafcutter ants migrated out of South America, but the cultivar diversity becomes also compatible with a recently proposed hypothesis of a Central American origin by postulating that leafcutter ants acquired novel cultivars many times from other nonleafcutter fungus-growing ants during their migrations from Central America across South America. We evaluate these biogeographic hypotheses in the light of estimated dates for the origins of leafcutter ants and their cultivars.

Pleistocene climatic oscillations in Neotropical open areas: Refuge isolation in the rodent Oxymycterus nasutus endemic to grasslands

Pleistocene climatic oscillations favoured the expansion of grassland ecosystems and open vegetation landscapes throughout the Neotropics, and influenced the evolutionary history of species adapted to such environments. In this study, we sampled populations of the rodent Oxymycterus nasutus endemic to open areas in the Pampas and Atlantic Forest biomes to assess the tempo and mode of population divergence using an integrative approach, including coalescence theory, ecological niche models, and morphometry. Our results indicated that these O. nasutus populations exhibited high levels of genetic structure. Six major mtDNA clades were found, structuring these biomes into distinct groups. Estimates of their divergence times was indicated to be 0.571 myr. The high degree of genetic structure is reflected in the analyses of geometric morphometric; skull differences between lineages in the two ecoregions were detected. During the last glacial maximum, there was a strong increase in suitable abiotic conditions for O. nasutus. Distinct molecular markers revealed a population expansion over time, with a possible demographic retraction during the post-glacial period. Considering that all clades coalesce with the last interglacial maximum, our results indicated that reduction in suitable conditions during this period may have resulted in a possible vicariance associated with refuge isolation.

Geographical Distribution Patterns and Niche Modeling of the Iconic Leafcutter Ant Acromyrmex striatus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Ants are considered one of the most successful groups in the planet's evolutionary history. Among them highlights the fungus-farming ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex that occur throughout most of the Americas. Within the Acromyrmex genus, the species A. striatus distinguishes from other Acromyrmex species as its morphology and karyotype differ from its congeners. This species is found in open environments of dry climate in the southern States of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay; however, little is known about the current distribution of the species. This article aimed to investigate the current distribution of the species by compiling its known distribution and discussing its distributional range. To achieve this, published and unpublished data obtained through a literature search and active collections in various locations were compiled. Published and unpublished data revealed that 386 colonies were recorded, distributed across four countries where its occurrence is known. Environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, soil type and vegetation, as well as historical geological and climate events that have modified Earth's surface may have influenced species distribution patterns. In the Neotropics, the environmental factors that most impacted the distribution of species were the glaciation periods that occurred in the Quaternary, leading to a great migratory process. These factors may have contributed to the current geographical distribution of A. striatus.