Neutral lipid fatty acid composition as trait and constraint in Collembola evolution.

ABSTRACT: Functional traits determine the occurrence of species along environmental gradients and their coexistence with other species. Understanding how traits evolved among coexisting species helps to infer community assembly processes. We propose fatty acid composition in consumer tissue as a functional trait related to both food resources and physiological functions of species. We measured phylogenetic signal in fatty acid profiles of 13 field-sampled Collembola (springtail) species and then combined the data with published fatty acid profiles of another 24 species. Collembola fatty acid profiles generally showed phylogenetic signal, with related species resembling each other. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, related to physiological functions, demonstrated phylogenetic signal. In contras

SUBMITTER: Chen TW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5696395 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature