Evolution of host plant use and diversification in a species complex of parasitic weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

ABSTRACT: Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) represent one of the most diverse groups of organisms on Earth; interactions with their host plants have been recognized to play a central role in their remarkable diversity, yet the exact mechanisms and factors still remain poorly understood. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, here we investigate the evolution of host use and its possible role in diversification processes of Rhinusa and Gymnetron, two closely related groups of weevils that feed and develop inside plant tissues of hosts within the families Scrophulariaceae and Plantaginaceae. We found strong evidence for phylogenetic conservatism of host use at the plant family level, most likely due to substantial differences in the chemical composition of hosts, reducing the probab

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Vera G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6431137 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature