Brouat C, Garcia N, Andary C, McKey D
Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UPR 9056), CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Oct 22;268(1481):2131-41. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1763.
Although observations suggest pairwise coevolution in specific ant-plant symbioses, coevolutionary processes have rarely been demonstrated. We report on, what is to the authors' knowledge, the strongest evidence yet for reciprocal adaptation of morphological characters in a species-specific ant-plant mutualism. The plant character is the prostoma, which is a small unlignified organ at the apex of the domatia in which symbiotic ants excavate an entrance hole. Each myrmecophyte in the genus Leonardoxa has evolved a prostoma with a different shape. By performing precise measurements on the prostomata of three related myrmecophytes, on their specific associated ants and on the entrance holes excavated by symbiotic ants at the prostomata, we showed that correspondence of the plant and ant traits forms a morphological and behavioural filter. We have strong evidence for coevolution between the dimensions and shape of the symbiotic ants and the prostoma in one of the three ant-Leonardoxa associations.
尽管观察结果表明在特定的蚁 - 植物共生关系中存在成对的协同进化，但协同进化过程很少得到证实。据作者所知，我们报告了在一种物种特异性蚁 - 植物共生关系中，形态特征相互适应的迄今最有力证据。植物特征是前口，它是蚁巢顶端一个未木质化的小器官，共生蚂蚁在其中挖掘入口孔。Leonardoxa属的每一种蚁栖植物都进化出了形状各异的前口。通过对三种相关蚁栖植物的前口、它们特定的共生蚂蚁以及共生蚂蚁在前口挖掘的入口孔进行精确测量，我们表明植物和蚂蚁特征的对应形成了一种形态和行为筛选机制。在三种蚂蚁 - Leonardoxa共生关系中的一种里，我们有强有力的证据证明共生蚂蚁和前口的尺寸与形状之间存在协同进化。
