1
|
Pequeno PACL. Resource adaptation drives the size-complexity rule in termites. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232363. [PMID: 38196360 PMCID: PMC10777143 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The size-complexity rule posits that the evolution of larger cooperative groups should favour more division of labour. Examples include more cell types in larger multicellular organisms, and more polymorphic castes in larger eusocial colonies. However, a correlation between division of labour and group size may reflect a shared response of both traits to resource availability and/or profitability. Here, this possibility was addressed by investigating the evolution of sterile caste number (worker and soldier morphotypes) in termites, a major clade of eusocial insects in which the drivers of caste polymorphism are poorly understood. A novel dataset on 90 termite species was compiled from the published literature. The analysis showed that sterile caste number did increase markedly with colony size. However, after controlling for resource adaptations and phylogeny, there was no evidence for this relationship. Rather, sterile caste number increased with increasing nest-food separation and decreased with soil-feeding, through changes in worker (but not soldier) morphotype number. Further, colony size increased with nest-food separation, thus driving the false correlation between sterile caste number and colony size. These findings support adaptation to higher energy acquisition as key to the rise of complex insect societies, with larger size being a by-product.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A. C. L. Pequeno
- Natural Resources Program, Federal University of Roraima, Av. Nova Iorque, Aeroporto, Boa Vista – RR, CEP: 69.304-000, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pequeno PACL, Franklin E, Norton RA. Modelling selection, drift, dispersal and their interactions in the community assembly of Amazonian soil mites. Oecologia 2021; 196:805-814. [PMID: 34085106 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04954-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Three processes can explain contemporary community assembly: natural selection, ecological drift and dispersal. However, quantifying their effects has been complicated by confusion between different processes and neglect of expected interactions among them. One possible solution is to simultaneously model the expected effects of each process within species, across communities and across species, thus providing more integrative tests of ecological theory. Here, we used generalized linear mixed models to assess the effects of selection, drift and dispersal on the occurrence probability of 135 soil oribatid mite species across 55 sites over an Amazonian rainforest landscape (64 km2). We tested for interactions between process-related factors and partitioned the explained variation among them. We found that occurrence probability (1) responded to soil P content and litter mass depending on body size and reproductive mode (sexual or parthenogenetic), respectively (selection); (2) increased with community size (drift); and (3) decreased with distance to the nearest source population, and more so in rare species (dispersal limitation). Processes did not interact significantly, and our best model explained 67% of the overall variation in species occurrence probability. However, most of the variation was attributable to dispersal limitation (55%). Our results challenge the seldom-tested theoretical prediction that ecological processes should interact. Rather, they suggest that dispersal limitation overrides the signatures of drift and selection at the landscape level, thus rendering soil microarthropod species ecologically equivalent and possibly contributing to the maintenance of metacommunity diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A C L Pequeno
- Natural Resources Program, Federal University of Roraima, Boa Vista, Brazil.
| | - Elizabeth Franklin
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonia Research, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Roy A Norton
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
|
4
|
Pequeno PACL, Graça MB, Oliveira JR, Šobotník J, Acioli ANS. Can shifts in metabolic scaling predict coevolution between diet quality and body size? Evolution 2020; 75:141-148. [PMID: 33196103 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Larger species tend to feed on abundant resources, which nonetheless have lower quality or degradability, the so-called Jarman-Bell principle. The "eat more" hypothesis posits that larger animals compensate for lower quality diets through higher consumption rates. If so, evolutionary shifts in metabolic scaling should affect the scope for this compensation, but whether this has happened is unknown. Here, we investigated this issue using termites, major tropical detritivores that feed along a humification gradient ranging from dead plant tissue to mineral soil. Metabolic scaling is shallower in termites with pounding mandibles adapted to soil-like substrates than in termites with grinding mandibles adapted to fibrous plant tissue. Accordingly, we predicted that only larger species of the former group should have more humified, lower quality diets, given their higher scope to compensate for such a diet. Using literature data on 65 termite species, we show that diet humification does increase with body size in termites with pounding mandibles, but is weakly related to size in termites with grinding mandibles. Our findings suggest that evolution of metabolic scaling may shape the strength of the Jarman-Bell principle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A C L Pequeno
- Roraima Research Nucleus, National Institute for Amazonia Research, R. Cel. Pinto, 315, Centro, Boa Vista - RR, CEP:, 69301-150, Brazil
| | - Márlon B Graça
- Federal Institute for Education, Science and Technology of Amazonas, Estr. Coari Itapeua, s/n - Itamarati, Coari - AM, CEP:, 69460-000, Brazil
| | - João R Oliveira
- Entomology Program, National Institute for Amazonia Research, Av. André Araújo, 2.936, Petrópolis, Manaus - AM, CEP: 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Agno N S Acioli
- Faculty of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Amazonas, Av. General Rodrigo Octavio Jordão Ramos, 1200, Coroado I, Manaus - AM, CEP: 69067-005, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Graça MB, Pequeno PACL, Franklin E, Morais JW. Coevolution between flight morphology, vertical stratification and sexual dimorphism: what can we learn from tropical butterflies? J Evol Biol 2017; 30:1862-1871. [PMID: 28714129 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Occurrence patterns are partly shaped by the affinity of species with habitat conditions. For winged organisms, flight-related attributes are vital for ecological performance. However, due to the different reproductive roles of each sex, we expect divergence in flight energy budget, and consequently different selection responses between sexes. We used tropical frugivorous butterflies as models to investigate coevolution between flight morphology, sex dimorphism and vertical stratification. We studied 94 species of Amazonian fruit-feeding butterflies sampled in seven sites across 3341 ha. We used wing-thorax ratio as a proxy for flight capacity and hierarchical Bayesian modelling to estimate stratum preference. We detected a strong phylogenetic signal in wing-thorax ratio in both sexes. Stouter fast-flying species preferred the canopy, whereas more slender slow-flying species preferred the understorey. However, this relationship was stronger in females than in males, suggesting that female phenotype associates more intimately with habitat conditions. Within species, males were stouter than females and sexual dimorphism was sharper in understorey species. Because trait-habitat relationships were independent from phylogeny, the matching between flight morphology and stratum preference is more likely to reflect adaptive radiation than shared ancestry. This study sheds light on the impact of flight and sexual dimorphism on the evolution and ecological adaptation of flying organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M B Graça
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - P A C L Pequeno
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - E Franklin
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - J W Morais
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
|
7
|
Graça MB, Morais JW, Franklin E, Pequeno PACL, Souza JLP, Bueno AS. Combining Taxonomic and Functional Approaches to Unravel the Spatial Distribution of an Amazonian Butterfly Community. Environ Entomol 2016; 45:301-309. [PMID: 26643123 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvv183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the spatial distribution of an Amazonian fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage by linking species taxonomic and functional approaches. We hypothesized that: 1) vegetation richness (i.e., resources) and abundance of insectivorous birds (i.e., predators) should drive changes in butterfly taxonomic composition, 2) larval diet breadth should decrease with increase of plant species richness, 3) small-sized adults should be favored by higher abundance of birds, and 4) communities with eyespot markings should be able to exploit areas with higher predation pressure. Fruit-feeding butterflies were sampled with bait traps and insect nets across 25 km(2) of an Amazonian ombrophilous forest in Brazil. We measured larval diet breadth, adult body size, and wing marking of all butterflies. Our results showed that plant species richness explained most of the variation in butterfly taxonomic turnover. Also, community average diet breadth decreased with increase of plant species richness, which supports our expectations. In contrast, community average body size increased with the abundance of birds, refuting our hypothesis. We detected no influence of environmental gradients on the occurrence of species with eyespot markings. The association between butterfly taxonomic and functional composition points to a mediator role of the functional traits in the environmental filtering of butterflies. The incorporation of the functional approach into the analyses allowed for the detection of relationships that were not observed using a strictly taxonomic perspective and provided an extra insight into comprehending the potential adaptive strategies of butterflies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Márlon B Graça
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; ), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil,
| | - José W Morais
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; )
| | - Elizabeth Franklin
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; ), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Pedro A C L Pequeno
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; ), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Jorge L P Souza
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; ), Center for Integrated Studies of Amazonian Biodiversity, CENBAM, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Anderson Saldanha Bueno
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research, INPA, Manaus, Brazil (; ; ; ; ; ), Campus Júlio de Castilhos, Farroupilha Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Tarli VD, Pequeno PACL, Franklin E, de Morais JW, Souza JLP, Oliveira AHC, Guilherme DR. Multiple Environmental Controls on Cockroach Assemblage Structure in a Tropical Rain Forest. Biotropica 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vitor D. Tarli
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia; INPA; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Pedro A. C. L. Pequeno
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; INPA; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Franklin
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA); Coordenação de Biodiversidade; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - José W. de Morais
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA); Coordenação de Biodiversidade; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Jorge L. P. Souza
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia; INPA; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Adriano H. C. Oliveira
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia; INPA; CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Diego R. Guilherme
- Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM); CP 2223 CEP 69080-971 Manaus AM Brazil
| |
Collapse
|