A mosaic of chemical coevolution in a large blue butterfly.

David R Nash; Thomas D Als; Roland Maile; Graeme R Jones; Jacobus J Boomsma

doi:10.1126/science.1149180

A mosaic of chemical coevolution in a large blue butterfly.

David R Nash, Thomas D Als, Roland Maile, Graeme R Jones, Jacobus J Boomsma

149 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mechanisms of recognition are essential to the evolution of mutualistic and parasitic interactions between species. One such example is the larval mimicry that Maculinea butterfly caterpillars use to parasitize Myrmica ant colonies. We found that the greater the match between the surface chemistry of Maculinea alcon and two of its host Myrmica species, the more easily ant colonies were exploited. The geographic patterns of surface chemistry indicate an ongoing coevolutionary arms race between the butterflies and Myrmica rubra, which has significant genetic differentiation between populations, but not between the butterflies and a second, sympatric host, Myrmica ruginodis, which has panmictic populations. Alternative hosts may therefore provide an evolutionary refuge for a parasite during periods of counteradaptation by their preferred hosts.
Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jan-4

Original language	English
Journal	Science
Volume	319
Issue number	5859
Pages (from-to)	88-90
Number of pages	2
ISSN	0036-8075
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1149180
Publication status	Published - 2008

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10.1126/science.1149180

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title = "A mosaic of chemical coevolution in a large blue butterfly.",

abstract = "Mechanisms of recognition are essential to the evolution of mutualistic and parasitic interactions between species. One such example is the larval mimicry that Maculinea butterfly caterpillars use to parasitize Myrmica ant colonies. We found that the greater the match between the surface chemistry of Maculinea alcon and two of its host Myrmica species, the more easily ant colonies were exploited. The geographic patterns of surface chemistry indicate an ongoing coevolutionary arms race between the butterflies and Myrmica rubra, which has significant genetic differentiation between populations, but not between the butterflies and a second, sympatric host, Myrmica ruginodis, which has panmictic populations. Alternative hosts may therefore provide an evolutionary refuge for a parasite during periods of counteradaptation by their preferred hosts. Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jan-4",

author = "Nash, {David R} and Als, {Thomas D} and Roland Maile and Jones, {Graeme R} and Boomsma, {Jacobus J}",

note = "Keywords: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Ants; Butterflies; Evolution; Hydrocarbons; Larva; Microsatellite Repeats; Molecular Mimicry",

year = "2008",

doi = "10.1126/science.1149180",

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T1 - A mosaic of chemical coevolution in a large blue butterfly.

AU - Nash, David R

AU - Als, Thomas D

AU - Maile, Roland

AU - Jones, Graeme R

AU - Boomsma, Jacobus J

N1 - Keywords: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Ants; Butterflies; Evolution; Hydrocarbons; Larva; Microsatellite Repeats; Molecular Mimicry

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - Mechanisms of recognition are essential to the evolution of mutualistic and parasitic interactions between species. One such example is the larval mimicry that Maculinea butterfly caterpillars use to parasitize Myrmica ant colonies. We found that the greater the match between the surface chemistry of Maculinea alcon and two of its host Myrmica species, the more easily ant colonies were exploited. The geographic patterns of surface chemistry indicate an ongoing coevolutionary arms race between the butterflies and Myrmica rubra, which has significant genetic differentiation between populations, but not between the butterflies and a second, sympatric host, Myrmica ruginodis, which has panmictic populations. Alternative hosts may therefore provide an evolutionary refuge for a parasite during periods of counteradaptation by their preferred hosts. Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jan-4

AB - Mechanisms of recognition are essential to the evolution of mutualistic and parasitic interactions between species. One such example is the larval mimicry that Maculinea butterfly caterpillars use to parasitize Myrmica ant colonies. We found that the greater the match between the surface chemistry of Maculinea alcon and two of its host Myrmica species, the more easily ant colonies were exploited. The geographic patterns of surface chemistry indicate an ongoing coevolutionary arms race between the butterflies and Myrmica rubra, which has significant genetic differentiation between populations, but not between the butterflies and a second, sympatric host, Myrmica ruginodis, which has panmictic populations. Alternative hosts may therefore provide an evolutionary refuge for a parasite during periods of counteradaptation by their preferred hosts. Udgivelsesdato: 2008-Jan-4

U2 - 10.1126/science.1149180

DO - 10.1126/science.1149180

M3 - Journal article

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