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Plant feeding promotes diversification in the Crustacea
Alistair G B Poore1, Shane T Ahyong2, James K Lowry2
1Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; a.poore@unsw.edu.au.
Summary
Plant-feeding crustaceans, numbering 31 lineages, show a 21-fold increase in species diversity compared to non-plant-feeding relatives. This dietary shift highlights a key driver of diversification in arthropods.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Zoology
- Ecology
Background:
- Arthropods associated with plants represent about half of all animal species.
- Plant consumption is a proposed driver of insect diversification.
- Crustacea is another major arthropod group that commonly consumes plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the phylogenetic distribution of plant feeding in Crustacea.
- To estimate the frequency of plant-feeding origins in crustaceans.
- To test if dietary shifts to plants correlate with increased species numbers.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of plant feeding across Crustacea.
- Comparative analysis of species richness in plant-feeding vs. non-plant-feeding clades.
- Examination of dietary breadth in herbivorous crustaceans.
Main Results:
- At least 31 crustacean lineages (64 families, 185 genera) independently evolved plant feeding.
- Plant-feeding crustacean clades are, on average, 21-fold more speciose than sister taxa.
- Crustacean herbivory likely stems from accessing novel resources, unlike insect host-associated divergence.
Conclusions:
- Dietary shifts to plant material significantly increase diversification rates in crustaceans.
- Independent evolution of herbivory is a recurring theme in crustacean evolution.
- Access to novel food resources, rather than host specificity, drives crustacean speciation.
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