Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida Nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Ecol Lett. 2010 Mar;13(3):321-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01425.x. Epub 2010 Jan 26.
The evolutionary stability of mutualisms is enhanced when partners possess mechanisms to prevent overexploitation by one another. In obligate pollination-seed consumption mutualisms, selective abortion of flowers containing excessive eggs represents one such mechanism, but empirical tests have long been limited to the yucca-yucca moth mutualism. We present evidence for selective abortion in the recently discovered mutualism between Glochidion trees and Epicephala moths. In Glochidion acuminatum, proportion of aborted flowers progressively increased both with higher egg load and increased ovule damage. Selective abortion resulted in a 16% seed production increase compared with expectations under random abortion, and moths suffered fitness losses as high as 62% when ovipositing into pre-infested flowers. Moth eggs were laid singly more often than expected under random oviposition, thus avoiding potential disadvantages from multiple infestations. As new pollination mutualisms are being discovered, selective abortion mechanisms may prove to be more widespread than previously thought.
当合作伙伴拥有防止彼此过度开发的机制时，互利共生的进化稳定性会增强。在强制性传粉-种子消耗互利共生关系中，选择性流产含有过多卵子的花朵就是这样一种机制，但实证研究长期以来一直局限于丝兰-丝兰蛾共生关系。我们提出了在最近发现的 Glochidion 树和 Epicephala 蛾之间的互利共生关系中存在选择性流产的证据。在 Glochidion acuminatum 中，随着卵负荷的增加和胚珠损伤的增加，流产花朵的比例逐渐增加。与随机流产相比，选择性流产导致种子产量增加了 16%，而当蛾将卵产在预先感染的花朵中时，其适应度损失高达 62%。与随机产卵相比，蛾产卵时通常会单次产卵，从而避免了多次感染带来的潜在不利影响。随着新的传粉互利共生关系的发现，选择性流产机制可能比之前认为的更为普遍。
