Rapid Evolution of Host Repertoire and Geographic Range in a Young and Diverse Genus of Montane Butterflies
(2025) In Systematic Biology 74(1). p.141-157- Abstract
Evolutionary changes in geographic distribution and larval host plants may promote the rapid diversification of montane insects, but this scenario has been rarely investigated. We studied the rapid radiation of the butterfly genus Colias, which has diversified in mountain ecosystems in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Based on a data set of 150 nuclear protein-coding genetic loci and mitochondrial genomes, we constructed a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Colias species with broad taxon sampling. We then inferred their ancestral geographic ranges, historical diversification rates, and the evolution of host use. We found that the most recent common ancestor of Colias was likely geographically widespread and originated ~3.5 Ma. The... (More)
Evolutionary changes in geographic distribution and larval host plants may promote the rapid diversification of montane insects, but this scenario has been rarely investigated. We studied the rapid radiation of the butterfly genus Colias, which has diversified in mountain ecosystems in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Based on a data set of 150 nuclear protein-coding genetic loci and mitochondrial genomes, we constructed a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Colias species with broad taxon sampling. We then inferred their ancestral geographic ranges, historical diversification rates, and the evolution of host use. We found that the most recent common ancestor of Colias was likely geographically widespread and originated ~3.5 Ma. The group subsequently diversified in different regions across the world, often in tandem with geographic expansion events. No aspect of elevation was found to have a direct effect on diversification. The genus underwent a burst of diversification soon after the divergence of the Neotropical lineage, followed by an exponential decline in diversification rate toward the present. The ancestral host repertoire included the legume genera Astragalus and Trifolium but later expanded to include a wide range of Fabaceae genera and plants in more distantly related families, punctuated with periods of host range expansion and contraction. We suggest that the widespread distribution of the ancestor of all extant Colias lineages set the stage for diversification by isolation of populations that locally adapted to the various different environments they encountered, including different host plants. In this scenario, elevation is not the main driver but might have accelerated diversification by isolating populations.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Biogeography, host use, montane species, rapid diversification, target capture
- in
- Systematic Biology
- volume
- 74
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 17 pages
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39484941
- scopus:85217931568
- ISSN
- 1063-5157
- DOI
- 10.1093/sysbio/syae061
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- b28b4266-7e58-4126-bcba-2865ca516060
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-04 12:25:07
- date last changed
- 2025-07-05 03:00:03
@article{b28b4266-7e58-4126-bcba-2865ca516060,
abstract = {{<p>Evolutionary changes in geographic distribution and larval host plants may promote the rapid diversification of montane insects, but this scenario has been rarely investigated. We studied the rapid radiation of the butterfly genus Colias, which has diversified in mountain ecosystems in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Based on a data set of 150 nuclear protein-coding genetic loci and mitochondrial genomes, we constructed a time-calibrated phylogenetic tree of Colias species with broad taxon sampling. We then inferred their ancestral geographic ranges, historical diversification rates, and the evolution of host use. We found that the most recent common ancestor of Colias was likely geographically widespread and originated ~3.5 Ma. The group subsequently diversified in different regions across the world, often in tandem with geographic expansion events. No aspect of elevation was found to have a direct effect on diversification. The genus underwent a burst of diversification soon after the divergence of the Neotropical lineage, followed by an exponential decline in diversification rate toward the present. The ancestral host repertoire included the legume genera Astragalus and Trifolium but later expanded to include a wide range of Fabaceae genera and plants in more distantly related families, punctuated with periods of host range expansion and contraction. We suggest that the widespread distribution of the ancestor of all extant Colias lineages set the stage for diversification by isolation of populations that locally adapted to the various different environments they encountered, including different host plants. In this scenario, elevation is not the main driver but might have accelerated diversification by isolating populations.</p>}},
author = {{Mo, Shifang and Zhu, Yaowei and Braga, Mariana P. and Lohman, David J. and Nylin, Sören and Moumou, Ashraf and Wheat, Christopher W. and Wahlberg, Niklas and Wang, Min and Ma, Fangzhou and Zhang, Peng and Wang, Houshuai}},
issn = {{1063-5157}},
keywords = {{Biogeography; host use; montane species; rapid diversification; target capture}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{141--157}},
publisher = {{Oxford University Press}},
series = {{Systematic Biology}},
title = {{Rapid Evolution of Host Repertoire and Geographic Range in a Young and Diverse Genus of Montane Butterflies}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syae061}},
doi = {{10.1093/sysbio/syae061}},
volume = {{74}},
year = {{2025}},
}