Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment
Host specialization is considered a primary driver of the enormous diversity of herbivorous insects. Trade-offs in host use are hypothesized to promote this specialization, but they have mostly been studied in generalist herbivores. We conducted a multi-generation selection experiment to examine the...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
PLOS
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/271725 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000271725 |
id |
ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/271725 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/271725 2023-07-23T04:18:49+02:00 Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment Laukkanen, Liisa Kalske, Aino Muola, Anne Leimu, Roosa Mutikainen, Pia 2018 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/271725 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000271725 en eng PLOS info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198869 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000435030900032 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/271725 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000271725 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International PLoS ONE, 13 (6) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2018 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/27172510.3929/ethz-b-00027172510.1371/journal.pone.0198869 2023-07-02T23:46:54Z Host specialization is considered a primary driver of the enormous diversity of herbivorous insects. Trade-offs in host use are hypothesized to promote this specialization, but they have mostly been studied in generalist herbivores. We conducted a multi-generation selection experiment to examine the adaptation of the specialist seed-feeding bug, Lygaeus equestris, to three novel host plants (Helianthus annuus, Verbascum thapsus and Centaurea phrygia) and to test whether trade-offs promote specialization. During the selection experiment, body size of L. equestris increased more on the novel host plant H. annuus compared to the primary host plant, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, but this effect was not observed in other fitness related traits. In addition to selection, genetic drift caused variation among the experimental herbivore populations in their ability to exploit the host plants. Microsatellite data indicated that the level of within-population genetic variation decreased and population differentiation increased more in the selection line feeding on H. annuus compared to V. hirundinaria. We found a negative correlation between genetic differentiation and heterozygosity at the end of the experiment, suggesting that differentiation was significantly affected by genetic drift. We did not find fitness trade-offs between L. equestris feeding on the four hosts. Thus, trade-offs do not seem to promote specialization in L. equestris. Our results suggest that this insect herbivore is not likely to adapt to a novel host species in a time-scale of 20 generations despite sufficient genetic variation and that genetic drift disrupted the response to selection. ISSN:1932-6203 Article in Journal/Newspaper Centaurea phrygia ETH Zürich Research Collection |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
description |
Host specialization is considered a primary driver of the enormous diversity of herbivorous insects. Trade-offs in host use are hypothesized to promote this specialization, but they have mostly been studied in generalist herbivores. We conducted a multi-generation selection experiment to examine the adaptation of the specialist seed-feeding bug, Lygaeus equestris, to three novel host plants (Helianthus annuus, Verbascum thapsus and Centaurea phrygia) and to test whether trade-offs promote specialization. During the selection experiment, body size of L. equestris increased more on the novel host plant H. annuus compared to the primary host plant, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, but this effect was not observed in other fitness related traits. In addition to selection, genetic drift caused variation among the experimental herbivore populations in their ability to exploit the host plants. Microsatellite data indicated that the level of within-population genetic variation decreased and population differentiation increased more in the selection line feeding on H. annuus compared to V. hirundinaria. We found a negative correlation between genetic differentiation and heterozygosity at the end of the experiment, suggesting that differentiation was significantly affected by genetic drift. We did not find fitness trade-offs between L. equestris feeding on the four hosts. Thus, trade-offs do not seem to promote specialization in L. equestris. Our results suggest that this insect herbivore is not likely to adapt to a novel host species in a time-scale of 20 generations despite sufficient genetic variation and that genetic drift disrupted the response to selection. ISSN:1932-6203 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Laukkanen, Liisa Kalske, Aino Muola, Anne Leimu, Roosa Mutikainen, Pia |
spellingShingle |
Laukkanen, Liisa Kalske, Aino Muola, Anne Leimu, Roosa Mutikainen, Pia Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
author_facet |
Laukkanen, Liisa Kalske, Aino Muola, Anne Leimu, Roosa Mutikainen, Pia |
author_sort |
Laukkanen, Liisa |
title |
Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
title_short |
Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
title_full |
Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
title_fullStr |
Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
title_sort |
genetic drift precluded adaptation of an insect seed predator to a novel host plant in a long-term selection experiment |
publisher |
PLOS |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/271725 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000271725 |
genre |
Centaurea phrygia |
genre_facet |
Centaurea phrygia |
op_source |
PLoS ONE, 13 (6) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198869 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000435030900032 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/271725 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000271725 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/27172510.3929/ethz-b-00027172510.1371/journal.pone.0198869 |
_version_ |
1772181466980024320 |