Antonino Cusumano, Serge Urbach, Veronique Jouan, Heiko Vogel, Marcel Dicke, Anne-Nathalie Volkoff, Erik H. Poelman
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Convergent evolution arises when unrelated species develop similar traits without a shared ancestral origin possessing those characteristics. While typically observed at the organismal level, it can also occur at higher levels of biological organisation. Polydnaviruses represent a striking example of convergent evolution. These viruses, divided into bracoviruses and ichnoviruses, were independently acquired by braconid and ichneumonid parasitoid wasps respectively, to deliver pathogenic genes to caterpillar hosts. Here we show convergent patterns across trophic levels, demonstrating that both bracoviruses and ichnoviruses induce changes in plant-phenotypic traits that specifically benefit their parasitoid partners, facilitating plant-mediated host discrimination. This is achieved through an interaction network triggered by changes in the polydnavirus-infected herbivore (via alteration in regurgitant composition) which eventually affected parasitoids' foraging decisions. Our findings unveil a novel ecological benefit that polydnaviruses offer to their parasitoid partners through intricate, plant-mediated effects, providing evidence of convergence in symbiont-induced responses in terrestrial trophic systems.
期刊介绍:
Ecology Letters serves as a platform for the rapid publication of innovative research in ecology. It considers manuscripts across all taxa, biomes, and geographic regions, prioritizing papers that investigate clearly stated hypotheses. The journal publishes concise papers of high originality and general interest, contributing to new developments in ecology. Purely descriptive papers and those that only confirm or extend previous results are discouraged.