Do mutualistic interactions last longer than antagonistic interactions?

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Ecology
• Macroevolutionary Studies

Background:

• Species interactions are fundamental to life but their long-term persistence across macroevolutionary timescales is poorly understood.
• The influence of interaction type (mutualistic vs. antagonistic) on persistence duration remains an open question.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the ages of diverse species interactions across the Tree of Life.
• To determine if mutualistic interactions persist longer than antagonistic interactions.
• To investigate potential differences in interaction persistence between major taxa.

Main Methods:

• Utilized phylogenetic data from 60 diverse studies covering various life forms.
• Estimated the ages of numerous mutualistic and antagonistic species interactions.
• Compared persistence durations between interaction types and across different organism groups.

Main Results:

• Mutualistic interactions were significantly older than antagonistic ones across most studied groups (plants, fungi, bacteria, protists).
• A notable exception was observed in animals, where the oldest mutualisms were younger than the oldest antagonisms.
• Many mutualisms demonstrated remarkable longevity, persisting for hundreds of millions to over a billion years.

Conclusions:

• Mutualistic interactions exhibit significant long-term stability, often exceeding antagonistic interactions across macroevolutionary scales.
• Niche conservatism likely plays a role in the enduring nature of many species interactions.
• The contrasting pattern in animals suggests unique evolutionary dynamics may influence interaction persistence in this diverse kingdom.