Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e47243. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047243. Epub 2012 Oct 11.
Understanding the ecology and evolutionary history of symbionts and their hosts requires accurate taxonomic knowledge, including clear species boundaries and phylogenies. Tortoise mites (Mesostigmata: Uropodoidea) are among the most diverse arthropod associates of bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), but their taxonomy and host associations are largely unstudied. We tested the hypotheses that (1) morphologically defined species are supported by molecular data, and that (2) bark beetle uropodoids with a broad host range comprise cryptic species. To do so, we assessed the species boundaries of uropodoid mites collected from 51 host species, across 11 countries and 103 sites, using morphometric data as well as partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (28S). Overall, morphologically defined species were confirmed by molecular datasets, with a few exceptions. Twenty-nine of the 36 uropodoid species (Trichouropoda, Nenteria and Uroobovella) collected in this study had narrow host ranges, while seven species had putative broad host ranges. In all but one species, U. orri, our data supported the existence of these host generalists, which contrasts with the typical finding that widespread generalists are actually complexes of cryptic specialists.
理解共生体及其宿主的生态学和进化历史需要准确的分类学知识,包括明确的物种界限和系统发育关系。龟形螨(Mesostigmata:Uropodoidea)是树皮甲虫(Curculionidae:Scolytinae)最具多样性的节肢动物伴生物之一,但它们的分类学和宿主关系在很大程度上尚未得到研究。我们检验了以下假设:(1)形态定义的物种得到分子数据的支持,以及(2)具有广泛宿主范围的树皮甲虫 Uropodoid 包含隐种。为此,我们使用形态计量学数据以及部分细胞色素氧化酶 I(COI)和核大亚基核糖体 DNA(28S)评估了从 51 个宿主物种、11 个国家和 103 个地点收集的 Uropodoid 螨的物种界限。总体而言,分子数据集证实了形态定义的物种的存在,但也有一些例外。在本研究中收集的 36 种 Uropodoid 物种(Trichouropoda、Nenteria 和 Uroobovella)中有 29 种具有狭窄的宿主范围,而 7 种具有潜在的广泛宿主范围。除了一个物种 U. orri 之外,我们的数据都支持这些宿主广食者的存在,这与广泛的广食者实际上是隐种专家复合体的典型发现形成对比。