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Macroevolutionary dynamics of nectar spurs, a key evolutionary innovation.
Mario Fernández-Mazuecos1,2, José Luis Blanco-Pastor2,3, Ana Juan4
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
The New Phytologist
|December 21, 2018
Summary
Nectar spurs, key floral traits, are loosely linked to plant diversification. While spurs influenced diversification in Antirrhineae, other factors also played a role.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Plant Sciences
- Ecology
Background:
- Floral nectar spurs are considered a major evolutionary innovation in angiosperms, driving diversification through pollinator interactions.
- The tribe Antirrhineae (Plantaginaceae) offers a model system to study nectar spur evolution, with 70-80% of its species possessing spurs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the macroevolutionary dynamics of nectar spurs in the Antirrhineae.
- To test the effect of nectar spurs on diversification rates, particularly within the genus Linaria.
- To explore the relationship between nectar spur evolution and speciation.
Main Methods:
- Construction of a comprehensive phylogeny for the Antirrhineae.
- Reconstruction of nectar spur evolution and identification of independent acquisitions.
- Application of trait-dependent and trait-independent diversification analyses.
- Examination of spur length evolution and its association with speciation in Linaria.
Main Results:
- Four independent origins of nectar spurs were identified within the Antirrhineae.
- Nectar spurs showed a loose association with increased diversification rates, with rate shifts occurring 5-15 million years after trait acquisition.
- Active evolution of spur length, consistent with pollinator-driven speciation, was inferred in Linaria.
Conclusions:
- Nectar spurs have contributed to the diversification of Antirrhineae.
- Diversification in this tribe is a complex outcome of nectar spurs interacting with multiple biotic and abiotic factors.
- Pollinator shifts likely played a role in the diversification of Linaria through the evolution of nectar spur length.
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