Dataset Information

Biogeographic origin and phylogenetic relationships of Mepraia (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) on islands of northern Chile.

ABSTRACT: Chagas disease is one of the main zoonoses mediated by vectors in America. The etiological agent is the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted mainly by hematophagous insects of the subfamily Triatominae. Mepraia species are triatomines endemic to Chile that play an important role in T. cruzi transmission in the wild cycle and are potential vectors for humans. In addition to the continental distribution, populations of Mepraia genus have been reported inhabiting islands of northern Chile. The presence of individuals of Mepraia in insular areas might be explained through passive dispersion by marine birds or by vicariance of an ancestral widespread population. To clarify the biogeographic origin and phylogenetic relationships of island individuals of Mepraia, mitochondrial COI and cyt b genes were sequenced in individuals from island and continental areas. Gene sequences were used to estimate phylogenetic relationships, divergence dates and migration rates between insular and continental populations. The dates of divergence estimates are congruent with sea level and tectonic changes that originated the islands during Pleistocene. Migration rates suggest symmetric historical island-continent gene flow. We suggest that the origin of island triatomines can be explained by both vicariance and dispersion. Phylogenetic relationships show that individuals from Santa María Island and the continent clustered in a clade different from those previously reported, indicating a new lineage of Mepraia genus. This study will contribute to understand the origin of the T. cruzi infection in coastal islands of northern Chile.

SUBMITTER: Campos-Soto R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7289421 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biogeographic origin and phylogenetic relationships of Mepraia (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) on islands of northern Chile.

Campos-Soto Ricardo R Díaz-Campusano Gabriel G Rives-Blanchard Ninette N Cianferoni Franco F Torres-Pérez Fernando F

PloS one 20200611 6

Chagas disease is one of the main zoonoses mediated by vectors in America. The etiological agent is the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted mainly by hematophagous insects of the subfamily Triatominae. Mepraia species are triatomines endemic to Chile that play an important role in T. cruzi transmission in the wild cycle and are potential vectors for humans. In addition to the continental distribution, populations of Mepraia genus have been reported inhabiting islands of northern Chile. The ...[more]

PMID: 32525913

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Project description:BackgroundThe evolutionary history of biodiversity in South America has been poorly studied in the seasonal dry tropical forest (SDTF). Species diversification in this ecosystem may have a twofold explanation. First, intermittent connections in the middle and late Pleistocene promoted species dispersal and/or genetic connectivity between lineages isolated in disjunct patches of forest. Second, allopatric speciation proceeded immediately after the formation and colonization of the SDTF in the Neogene. Here we studied the diversification of Psammolestes, a genus endemic of the SDTF and naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (agent of Chagas disease), using a combination of phylogenetic, population genetics and niche model methods, and evaluated the reliability of the three morphospecies currently recognized.ResultsOur multilocus analyses recovered P. coreodes and P. tertius in a monophyletic clade sister to P. arthuri. Species delimitation tests recovered these lineages as different species despite the shared genetic variation observed between P. coreodes and P. tertius in five genes. Also, genetic variation of the genus clustered in three groups that were consistent with the three morphospecies. Our demographic model predicted a scenario of divergence in absence of gene flow, suggesting that mixed haplotypes may be the result of shared ancestral variation since the divergence of the subtropical-temperate species P. coreodes and P. tertius. In contrast, the tropical species P. arthuri was highly differentiated from the other two in all tests of genetic structure, and consistently, the Monmonier's algorithm identified a clear geographical barrier that separates this species from P. coreodes and P. tertius.ConclusionsWe found three genetically structured lineages within Psammolestes that diverged in absence of gene flow in the late Miocene. This result supports a scenario of species formation driven by geographical isolation rather than by divergence in the face of gene flow associated with climatic oscillations in the Pleistocene. Also, we identified the Amazon basin as a climatic barrier that separates tropical from subtropical-temperate species, thus promoting allopatric speciation after long range dispersion. Finally, each species of Psammolestes occupies different climatic niches suggesting that niche conservatism is not crucial for species differentiation. These findings influence the current vector surveillance programs of Chagas disease in the region.

Dataset Information

Biogeographic origin and phylogenetic relationships of Mepraia (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) on islands of northern Chile.

Publications

Biogeographic origin and phylogenetic relationships of Mepraia (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) on islands of northern Chile.

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