Unraveling climatic niche evolution: Insights into the geographical distribution of the neotropical social wasp genus Synoeca (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini).

ABSTRACT: Niche evolution refers to the process by which species undergo changes in ecological interactions, as well as their ability to disperse over time. Our study focuses on the widely distributed neotropical genus of social wasps, Synoeca (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini). We use ecological niche modeling to investigate the niche evolution of this insects, to explore how species have evolved within and across distinct environmental boundaries, as well as to explore the overlap, equivalence, and similarity between their niches. Our analysis of Predicted Niche Occupancy reveals that species occupy heterogeneous niches in relation to temperature, precipitation, and altitude, similar to the patterns observed in the analysis of the evolutionary history of climate tolerances, which shows that specie

SUBMITTER: Viana MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11213351 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature