Contemporary Ecological Interactions Improve Models of Past Trait Evolution

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Ecology
• Trait evolution

Background:

• Natural selection drives trait and interaction evolution.
• Ecological interactions can influence trait evolution, but are often omitted in models.
• Hawkmoth-plant pollination systems offer a model for studying trait-environment interdependence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the interdependence of ecological interactions and functional traits in hawkmoth-plant pollination.
• To adapt the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model to assess the influence of plant traits and hawkmoth-plant interactions on hawkmoth proboscis length evolution.
• To determine if contemporary ecological interactions improve models of past trait evolution.

Main Methods:

• Developed an adapted Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model for trait evolution.
• Incorporated plant corolla depth and hawkmoth-plant interaction data.
• Analyzed trait evolution across various modeling scenarios and hawkmoth group scales.

Main Results:

• Including contemporary ecological interactions provided a better description of trait evolution than null models.
• Pollination interactions yielded more likely models of hawkmoth trait evolution when analyzed at finer scales.
• Best-fit models implicitly supported the association between interactions and trait evolution.

Conclusions:

• Contemporary ecological interactions offer valuable insights into historical trait evolution.
• Incorporating ecological information into evolutionary models enhances their explanatory power.
• This approach highlights the significant role of pollination interactions in shaping hawkmoth proboscis length evolution.