Fine-scale cospeciation between Brachycaudus and Buchnera aphidicola: bacterial genome helps define species and evolutionary relationships in aphids.

ABSTRACT: Aphids harbour an obligatory symbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, providing essential amino acids not supplied by their diet. These bacteria are transmitted vertically and phylogenic analyses suggest that they have 'cospeciated' with their hosts. We investigated this cospeciation phenomenon at a fine taxonomic level, within the aphid genus Brachycaudus. We used DNA-based methods of species delimitation in both organisms, to avoid biases in the definition of aphid and Buchnera species and to infer association patterns without the presumption of a specific interaction. Our results call into question certain 'taxonomic' species of Brachycaudus and suggest that B. aphidicola has diversified into independently evolving entities, each specific to a 'phylogenetic' Brachycaudus species. We also found th

SUBMITTER: Jousselin E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2614242 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature