Evolutionary diversification of Japanese Stomaphis aphids (Aphididae, Lachninae) in relation to their host plant use and ant association.

ABSTRACT: Phytophagous insects are among the most diverse of the earth's organisms, and their diversification patterns and the driving forces behind these have attracted considerable research interest. Host shifting to closely related plant species is thought to play an important role in phytophagous insect diversification, but the extent to which other interactions such as mutualistic associations affect diversification is not yet known. In this study, we reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of Japanese Stomaphis aphids and determined whether host shifting or mutualistic association with different ant species could explain diversification in this aphid genus. We analyzed 12 species of Stomaphis and grouped them into ten well-supported DNA lineages. Species in each lineage used a single or a few ho

SUBMITTER: Yamamoto T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7217810 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature