Amancio Guadalupe, Hernández-Ortiz Vicente, Aguirre-Jaimes Armando, Guevara Roger, Quesada Mauricio
Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología AC, Xalapa, Veracruz, México.
Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología AC, Xalapa, Veracruz, México.
J Insect Sci. 2019 May 1;19(3). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/iez065.
Evolution and radiation between insects and flowering plants are both opportunistic and obligatory when the former feeds on the reproductive structures of the latter, whereas direct and indirect effects can influence the fitness of individuals, populations, and plant communities. The Araceae family constitutes an important element of the tropical rainforest of the Neotropics, and its morphology and floral biology provide a remarkable system for studying trophic interactions with insects, including the Richardiidae flies (Diptera). We studied the trophic interactions of the aroid-fly system, assessing infestation rates under natural conditions over an annual cycle. In the Neotropical region, we discovered for the first time that seven aroid species became infested by four richardiid species: Beebeomyia tuxtlaensis Hernández-Ortiz and Aguirre with Dieffenbachia oerstedii Schott and D. wendlandii Schott; B. palposa (Cresson) with Xanthosoma robustum Schott; Beebeomyia sp.3. in association with Philodendron radiatum Schott, P. tripartitum (Jacq.) Schott, and P. sagittifolium Liebm.; while Sepsisoma sp. only infested Rhodospatha wendlandii Schott. Infestation rates differed significantly among hosts, but comparisons with morphological traits did not provide evidence of a causal factor of the infestation. In contrast, larval density and time of development both exhibited significant differences between hosts. The findings suggest the high specialization of the flies, and that intrinsic factors of the plants, such as the presence of secondary metabolites and their maturation periods, may influence their infestation rates.
当昆虫取食开花植物的繁殖结构时，昆虫与开花植物之间的进化和辐射既是机会主义的，也是必然的，而直接和间接影响会影响个体、种群和植物群落的适合度。天南星科是新热带地区热带雨林的重要组成部分，其形态和花生物学为研究与昆虫的营养相互作用提供了一个显著的系统，包括里氏蝇（双翅目）。我们研究了天南星科植物与蝇类系统的营养相互作用，评估了一年周期内自然条件下的侵染率。在新热带地区，我们首次发现七种天南星科植物被四种里氏蝇侵染：图斯特拉里氏蝇（Beebeomyia tuxtlaensis Hernández-Ortiz和Aguirre）侵染奥氏花叶万年青（Dieffenbachia oerstedii Schott）和温氏花叶万年青（D. wendlandii Schott）；触须里氏蝇（B. palposa (Cresson)）侵染粗壮黄肉芋（Xanthosoma robustum Schott）；里氏蝇Beebeomyia sp.3与辐射喜林芋（Philodendron radiatum Schott）、三裂喜林芋（P. tripartitum (Jacq.) Schott）和箭叶喜林芋（P. sagittifolium Liebm.）相伴；而Sepsisoma sp.仅侵染温氏红苞喜林芋（Rhodospatha wendlandii Schott）。不同寄主的侵染率差异显著，但与形态特征的比较并未提供侵染因果因素的证据。相反，幼虫密度和发育时间在不同寄主之间均表现出显著差异。这些发现表明蝇类具有高度的专一性，并且植物的内在因素，如次生代谢物的存在及其成熟期，可能会影响它们的侵染率。
