Molecular phylogeny of bark and ambrosia beetles reveals multiple origins of fungus farming during periods of global warming.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fungus farming is an unusual life style in insects that has evolved many times in the wood boring weevils named 'ambrosia beetles'. Multiple occurrences of this behaviour allow for a detailed comparison of the different origins of fungus farming through time, its directionality, and possible ancestral states. We tested these hypotheses with a phylogeny representing the largest data set to date, nearly 4 kb of nucleotides from COI, EF-1α, CAD, ArgK, 28S, and 200 scolytine taxa.

Results

Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian or parsimony approaches placed the root of Scolytinae close to the tribe Scolytini and Microborus, but otherwise indicated low resolution at older nodes. More recent clades were well resolved, including ten origins of fungus farming. There were no

SUBMITTER: Jordal BH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3514184 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature