scholarly journals Diversity and Divergence: Evolution of defense chemistry in the tropical tree genus Inga

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale L Forrister ◽  
Maria-Jose Endara ◽  
Abrianna J Soule ◽  
Gordon C Younkin ◽  
Anthony G Mills ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Chemical Profile ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Deep Homology ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Defense Chemistry ◽  
Unique Chemical

Plants are widely recognized as chemical factories, with each species producing dozens to hundreds of unique secondary metabolites. These compounds shape the interactions between plants and their natural enemies. Here we explore how plants generate chemical diversity, and what evolutionary processes have led to novel compounds and unique chemical profiles. We comprehensively characterized the chemical profile of one-third of the species of tropical rainforest trees in the genus Inga (~ 100, Fabaceae) and applied phylogenetic comparative methods to understand the mode of chemical defense evolution. We show that: 1) Each Inga species produces exceptionally high levels of phytochemical diversity, despite costs, tradeoffs and biosynthetic constraints. 2) Closely related species have highly divergent defense profiles, with individual compounds, major compound classes and complete profiles showing little to no phylogenetic signal. 3) We show that the evolution of a species' chemical profile shows a signature of divergent adaptation, implying that it is advantageous for a species to have distinct chemistry from close relatives to avoid shared natural enemies. 4) Finally, we hypothesize a model where deep homology of biosynthetic pathways and rapid changes in regulatory mechanisms may better explain the observed large shifts in defense chemicals between closely related taxa.

Yellow Brazilian Pepper-tree Leaf Galler (suggested common name) Calophya latiforceps Burckhardt (Insecta: Hemiptera: Calophyidae: Calophyinae)

EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Cuda ◽  
Patricia Prade ◽  
Carey R. Minteer-Killian
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
North America ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Biological Control Agents ◽  
Pepper Tree ◽  
Brazilian Pepper ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Tree Leaf

In the late 1970s, Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae), was targeted for classical biological control in Florida because its invasive properties (see Host Plants) are consistent with escape from natural enemies (Williams 1954), and there are no native Schinus spp. in North America. The lack of native close relatives should minimize the risk of damage to non-target plants from introduced biological control agents (Pemberton 2000). [...]

scholarly journals Amaryllidaceae plants: a potential natural resource for the treatment of Chagas disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nieves Martínez-Peinado ◽  
Nuria Cortes-Serra ◽  
Luciana R. Tallini ◽  
Maria-Jesus Pinazo ◽  
Joaquim Gascon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Cell Toxicity ◽  
Chronic Stage ◽  
Highly Active ◽  
Amastigote Stage ◽  
Medical Need ◽  
Chemical Content ◽  
Unique Chemical

Abstract Background Chagas disease is a neglected zoonosis caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It affects over six million people, mostly in Latin America. Drugs available to treat T. cruzi infection have associated toxicity and questionable efficacy at the chronic stage. Hence, the discovery of more effective and safer drugs is an unmet medical need. For this, natural products represent a pool of unique chemical diversity that can serve as excellent templates for the synthesis of active molecules. Methods A collection of 79 extracts of Amaryllidaceae plants were screened against T. cruzi. Active extracts against the parasite were progressed through two cell toxicity assays based on Vero and HepG2 cells to determine their selectivity profile and discard those toxic to host cells. Anti-T. cruzi-specific extracts were further qualified by an anti-amastigote stage assay. Results Two extracts, respectively from Crinum erubescens and Rhodophiala andicola, were identified as highly active and specific against T. cruzi and its mammalian replicative form. Conclusions The results retrieved in this study encourage further exploration of the chemical content of these extracts in search of new anti-T. cruzi drug development starting points. Graphic abstract

scholarly journals What Is the Relationship between the Presence of Volatile Organic Compounds in Food and Drink Products and Multisensory Flavour Perception?

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1570
Author(s):  
Charles Spence
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Data ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Chemical Profile ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Flavour Perception ◽  
Food And Drink ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Unique Chemical

This narrative review examines the complex relationship that exists between the presence of specific configurations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in food and drink products and multisensory flavour perception. Advances in gas chromatography technology and mass spectrometry data analysis mean that it is easier than ever before to identify the unique chemical profile of a particular food or beverage item. Importantly, however, there is simply no one-to-one mapping between the presence of specific VOCs and the flavours that are perceived by the consumer. While the profile of VOCs in a particular product undoubtedly does tightly constrain the space of possible flavour experiences that a taster is likely to have, the gustatory and trigeminal components (i.e., sapid elements) in foods and beverages can also play a significant role in determining the actual flavour experience. Genetic differences add further variation to the range of multisensory flavour experiences that may be elicited by a given configuration of VOCs, while an individual’s prior tasting history has been shown to determine congruency relations (between olfaction and gustation) that, in turn, modulate the degree of oral referral, and ultimately flavour pleasantness, in the case of familiar foods and beverages.

scholarly journals Advanced Chemophenetic Analysis of Essential Oil from Leaves of Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth (Piperaceae) Using a New Reduction-Oxidation Index to Explore Seasonal and Circadian Rhythms

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2116
Author(s):  
Ygor Jessé Ramos ◽  
Claudete da Costa-Oliveira ◽  
Irene Candido-Fonseca ◽  
George Azevedo de Queiroz ◽  
Elsie Franklin Guimarães ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oils ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Terpene Biosynthesis ◽  
Phenological Stages ◽  
Compound C ◽  
A Value ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Aromatic Species ◽  
Piper Gaudichaudianum

The aromatic species Piper gaudichaudianum Kunth (Piperaceae) is widely used in Brazil for medicinal and ritualistic applications. In the current study, chemophenetic patterns were realized across season and circadian rhythm based on the chemical profile of essential oils (EOs) from leaves. Hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID, and a new calculation of metabolite oxidation level, averaged for each individual molecule component of the EO, was used to explore the patterns of metabolism/biosynthesis. This new index used an intermediate calculation, the ‘weighted average redox standard’ (SRO), to enable a value for mixtures of metabolites to be generated, the ‘general mixture redox index’ (GMOR). The indices were subjected to a proof-of-concept approach by making comparison to outcomes from multivariate analyses, i.e., PCA and HCA. Chemical analysis demonstrated that the essential oils were dominated by sesquiterpenes, constructed of 15 classes of compound (C-skeletons), and 4 C-skeletons were recognized in the monoterpene group, giving a total of 19. The variation of chemical profiles was distinct at different phenological stages, but stronger chemical variation was evident between day and night as compared to season. Furthermore, due to comprehensive sampling across different regions, nine chemotypes were recognized, including those previously reported. The SRO and GMRO indices demonstrate that phenological variation of chemistry is mainly an outcome of redox fluctuations in terpene biosynthesis, changing from day to night. These indices also corroborate that chemical diversity is increased with oxidative metabolism. Lastly, the current study demonstrates pronounced phenotypic plasticity in P. gaudichaudianum, which makes it a suitable candidate to help further our understanding of chemophenetics and chemical ecology.

scholarly journals The art of otolith chemistry: interpreting patterns by integrating perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin D. Walther
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Complex Structures ◽  
Chemical Profile ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Physiological Regulation ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Chemical Profiles ◽  
Dimensional Mapping ◽  
Direct Photograph ◽  
Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors

The ability to obtain high-resolution chemical profiles across otoliths has expanded with technological advancements that prompted an explosion of data from diverse taxa in coastal, marine and freshwater systems worldwide. The questions pursued by most otolith chemists fall broadly into six categories: identifying origins, tracking migration, reconstructing environments, quantifying growth or physiology, validating ages and assessing diets. Advances in instrumentation have widened the periodic table of otolith elements, and two-dimensional mapping has further illuminated spatial heterogeneity across these complex structures. Although environmental drivers of observed elemental signatures in otoliths are often assumed to be paramount, multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors can disrupt simple relationships between an element and a single environmental parameter. An otolith chemical profile is not a direct photograph of an environment, but rather an impressionistic image filtered through the multifaceted experiences of the fish itself. A ‘signal-to-noise’ approach that assesses the relative magnitudes of variation from intrinsic and extrinsic factors on chemical profiles may be a promising way to resolve the factor of interest against the ‘noise’ of others. A robust appreciation of environmental drivers, physiological regulation and calcification dynamics that affect the ability to effectively interpret otolith chemical patterns is necessary to drive the field forward.

Niche conservatism predominates in adaptive radiation: comparing the diversification of Hawaiian arthropods using ecological niche modelling

2019 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E Hiller ◽  
Michelle S Koo ◽  
Kari R Goodman ◽  
Kerry L Shaw ◽  
Patrick M O’Grady ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Niche Conservatism ◽  
Environmental Niche ◽  
Niche Modelling ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Species Comparisons

Abstract The role of the environmental niche in fostering ecological divergence during adaptive radiation remains enigmatic. In this study, we examine the interplay between environmental niche divergence and conservatism in the context of adaptive radiation on oceanic islands, by characterizing the niche breadth of four Hawaiian arthropod radiations: Tetragnatha spiders (Tetragnathidae Latreille, 1804), Laupala crickets (Gryllidae Otte, 1994), a clade of Drosophila flies (Drosophilidae Fallén, 1823) and Nesosydne planthoppers (Delphacidae Kirkaldy, 1907). We assembled occurrence datasets for the four lineages, modelled their distributions and quantified niche overlap. All four groups occupy the islands in distinct ways, highlighting the contrasting axes of diversification for different lineages. Laupala and Nesosydne have opposite environmental niche extents (broad and narrow, respectively), whereas Tetragnatha and Drosophila share relatively intermediate tolerances. Temperature constrains the distributions of all four radiations. Tests of phylogenetic signal suggest that, for Tetragnatha and Drosophila, closely related species exhibit similar environmental niches; thus, diversification is associated with niche conservatism. Sister species comparisons also show that populations often retain similar environmental tolerances, although exceptions do occur. Results imply that diversification does not occur through ecological speciation; instead, adaptive radiation occurs largely within a single environment.

Genetic variation for monomer–dimer equilibria of esterase-5 in Drosophila pseudoobscura, Drosophila persimilis, and Drosophila miranda

1984 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Townsend ◽  
Rama S. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Electrophoretic Mobility ◽  
Enzyme Stability ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
The Other ◽  
Drosophila Pseudoobscura ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Speciation Event ◽  
Population Polymorphism ◽  
Drosophila Persimilis ◽  
Close Relatives

Esterase-5 is a highly polymorphic enzyme in Drosophila pseudoobscura and its close relatives. Numerous alleles have been identified by employing a number of physicochemical properties of the enzyme (e.g. electrophoretic mobility, enzyme stability, subunit dimerization, and variation in monomer–dimer equilibrium). Variation in the monomer–dimer equilibrium of esterase-5 leads to differences in electrophoretic mobility of monomers produced by dimers all of which have the same mobility. In this report we have used this criterion to study variation within, as well as between, four closely related species: D. pseudoobscura pseudoobscura, D. pseudoobscura bogotana. D. persimilis, and D. miranda. All lines were characterized for esterase-5 monomer and dimer mobility at a number of gel concentrations and the comparison was made by plotting log10 monomer – dimer mobility as a function of gel concentration. No variation was found within D. p. pseudoobscura or D. p. bogotana but some variation (two distinct alleles) did occur in D. persimilis. Drosophila miranda is segregating for two alleles, one of which is fixed in D. pseudoobscura and the other one is common in D. persimilis. Thus it seems that the variation in monomer–dimer equilibrium is a rather conservative criterion and that the variation in D. miranda is a good deal older than the speciation event(s) which gave rise to D. miranda and the lineage leading to D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis.Key words: esterase-5, Drosophila pseudoobscura, monomer–dimer equilibrium, population, polymorphism, speciation, electrophoresis.

scholarly journals Ant and mite diversity drives toxin variation in the Little Devil poison frog

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna R McGugan ◽  
Gary D Byrd ◽  
Alexandre B Roland ◽  
Stephanie N Caty ◽  
Nisha Kabir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Frog Skin ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Chemical Defenses ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Poison Frog ◽  
Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Chemical Profiles

Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from arthropod prey, although the details of how arthropod diversity contributes to variation in poison frog toxins remains unclear. We characterized skin alkaloid profiles in the Little Devil frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Dendrobatidae), across three populations in northwestern Ecuador. Using gas chromatography mass spectrometry, we identified histrionicotoxins, 3,5- and 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines, decahydroquinolines, and lehmizidines as the primary alkaloid toxins in these O. sylvatica populations. Frog skin alkaloid composition varied along a latitudinal gradient across populations in a principal component analysis. We also characterized diversity in arthropods isolated from frog stomach contents and confirmed O. sylvatica specialize on ants and mites. To test the hypothesis that poison frog toxin diversity reflects species and chemical diversity in arthropod prey, we (1) used liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to chemically profile consumed ants and mites, and (2) used sequencing of cytochrome oxidase 1 to identify individual prey specimens. We show that chemical profiles of consumed ants and mites cluster by frog population, suggesting different frog populations have access to chemically distinct prey. We identified 45 ants and 9 mites isolated from frog stomachs, finding several undescribed species. Finally, by comparing chemical profiles of frog skin and isolated prey items, we were able to trace the arthropod source of four poison frog alkaloids, including 3,5- and 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines and a lehmizidine alkaloid. Together, our data shows the diversity of alkaloid toxins found in O. sylvatica can be traced to chemical diversity in arthropod prey.

scholarly journals Convergent evolution of karst habitat preference and its ecomorphological correlation in three species of Bent-toed Geckos (Cyrtodactylus) from Peninsular Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 367-386
Author(s):  
Amanda Kaatz ◽  
Jesse L. Grismer ◽  
L. Lee Grismer
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Head Width ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Morphometric Characters ◽  
Group A ◽  
Associated Species ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Abstract By studying ecomorophology in the context of phylogeny, researchers can parse out similarity due to common ancestry versus that due to convergence. This is especially true among relatively closely related species where both phylogenetic and environmental constraints may be operating simultaneously. We explored these issues among three karst-associated species from two lineages of Cyrtodactylus—the sworderi group from Peninsular Malaysia and the swamp clade from Peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia of the agamensis group. A stochastic character mapping analysis using five different habitat preferences corroborated a larger previous analysis in recovering a general habitat preference as an ancestral condition for all habitat preferences and a karst habitat preference in C. guakanthanensis and C. gunungsenyumensis of the sworderi group and C. metropolis of the swamp clade as convergently evolved. Multivariate and univariate analyses of 10 morphometric characters revealed that the ecomorphological similarity between C. guakanthanensis and C. gunungsenyumensis of the sworderi group was also convergent. The ecomorphology of C. metropolis of the swamp clade was intermediate between a karst-adapted ecomorphology and a swamp-generalists ecomorphology. Of the 10 morphometric characters employed in this analysis, only three—head length, head width, and forelimb width—showed any signs of phylogenetic signal. Cyrtodactylus metropolis is hypothesized to be a recently refuged swamp-dwelling species that frequented the Batu Caves environments prior to urbanization of the surrounding swamp habitat to which it is now confined.

scholarly journals Palaeobiological inferences based on long bone epiphyseal and diaphyseal structure - the forelimb of xenarthrans (Mammalia)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Amson ◽  
John A Nyakatura
Keyword(s):  
Bone Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Great Accuracy ◽  
Long Bone ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
High Resolution Computed Tomography ◽  
3D Architecture ◽  
Bone Trabeculae ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Ground Sloths

ABSTRACTTrabecular architecture (i.e., the main orientation of the bone trabeculae, their number, mean thickness, spacing, etc.) has been shown experimentally to adapt with great accuracy and sensitivity to the loadings applied to the bone during life. However, the potential of trabecular parameters used as a proxy for the mechanical environment of an organism’s organ to help reconstruct the lifestyle of extinct taxa has only recently started to be exploited. Furthermore, these parameters are rarely combined to the long-used mid-diaphyseal parameters to inform such reconstructions. Here we investigate xenarthrans, for which functional and ecological reconstructions of extinct forms are particularly important in order to improve our macroevolutionary understanding of their main constitutive clades, i.e., the Tardigrada (sloths), Vermilingua (anteaters), and Cingulata (armadillos and extinct close relatives). The lifestyles of modern xenarthrans can be classified as fully terrestrial and highly fossorial (armadillos), arboreal (partly to fully) and hook-and-pull digging (anteaters), or suspensory (fully arboreal) and non-fossorial (sloths). The degree of arboreality and fossoriality of some extinct forms, “ground sloths” in particular, is highly debated. We used high-resolution computed tomography to compare the epiphyseal 3D architecture and mid-diaphyseal structure of the forelimb bones of extant and extinct xenarthrans. The comparative approach employed aims at inferring the most probable lifestyle of extinct taxa, using phylogenetically informed discriminant analyses. Several challenges preventing the attribution of one of the extant xenarthran lifestyles to the sampled extinct sloths were identified. Differing from that of the larger “ground sloths”, the bone structure of the small-sized Hapalops (Miocene of Argentina), however, was found as significantly more similar to that of extant sloths, even when accounting for the phylogenetic signal.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document