Evolution of biodiversity in a six-party insect-plant symbiosis mediated by ant-plant Macaranga in Southeast Asian tropics

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22255001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: ITINO Takao 信州大学, 学術研究院理学系, 教授 (20176291)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): UEDA Shouhei 信州大学, 理学部, 研究員 (30553028) ; INUI Yoko 大阪教育大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (10343261) ; HIRAO Akira 筑波大学, 菅平実験センター, 助教 (20447048) ; SAKAMOTO Hironori 玉川大学, 脳科学研究所, 研究員 (70573624)
• Research Collaborator: KOMATSU Takashi 九州大学, 熱帯農学研究センター, 学振特別研究員 ; MARUYAMA Munetoshi 九州大学, 総合研究博物館, 助教 (80512186) ; ITIOKA Takao 京都大学, 大学院人間環境学研究科, 教授 (40252283) ; SHIMIZU Kaya 京都大学, 大学院人間環境学研究科, 研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 種間関係 / 共生 / 寄生 / 共進化 / 東南アジア熱帯雨林 / アリ植物 / シジミチョウ / カメムシ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Ant plant Macaranga has a close interaction with various symbionts (ants and scale insects) and parasites (butterflies, bugs, gall midges, and stick insects). In this study, the hypothesis that the species diversity of this system has been brought about by the co-evolution between parasites and symbionts was verified by using phylogenetic analyses of the 7 parties. It was shown that the ant-plant symbiosis was founded about 20 million years ago, and then the other members of the system sequentially took part in the system. Additionally, the species specificities among the parasites and the symbionts proved to be high. These results suggest that the counter adaptation and co-evolution among parasites and symbionts promoted the diversification of the overall system.

Free Research Field

生態・環境