Phylogeny of the chewing louse genus Menacanthus (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) - host generalists and specialists emerging side by side

0437236 - ÚBO 2015 RO eng A - Abstract
Sychra, O. - Literák, I. - Čapek, Miroslav - Gustafsson, D. L. - Štefka, Jan - Martinů, Jana
Phylogeny of the chewing louse genus Menacanthus (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) - host generalists and specialists emerging side by side.
International Zoological Congress of "Grigore Antipa" Museum - book of abstracts. Bucharest: "Grigore Antipa" National Museum of Natural History, 2014 - (Popa, L.; Adam, C.; Chisamera, G.; Iorgu, E.; Murariu, D.; Popa, O.). s. 64. ISBN 978-606-92462-8-3.
[International Zoological Congress of "Grigore Antipa" Museum. 19.11.2014-22.11.2014, Bucharest]
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : host-specificity * specialist * generalist * population structure * geographic distribution * Menacanthus
Subject RIV: EG - Zoology

Parasites with wide host spectra provide opportunities to study the ecological parameters of speciation, as well as the process of the evolution of host specificity. The specious and cosmopolitan louse genus Menacanthus comprises both multihost and specialised species, allowing exploration of the ecological and historical factors affecting the evolution of parasites using a comparative approach. We used phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct evolutionary relationships in 14 species of Menacanthus based on the sequences of one mitochondrial and one nuclear gene. The results allowed us to validate species identification based on morphology, as well as to explore host distribution by assumed generalist and specialist species. Our analyses confirmed a narrow host use for several species, however in some cases, the supposed host specialists had a wider host spectrum than anticipated. In one case a host generalist (M. eurysternus) was clustered terminally on a clade almost exclusively containing host specialists. Such a clade topology indicates that the process of host specialisation is not irreversible in parasite evolution. Finally, we compared patterns of population genetic structure, geographic distribution and host spectra between two selected species, M. eurysternus and M. camelinus, using haplotype networks. Menacanthus camelinus showed limited geographical distribution in combination with monoxenous host use, whereas M. eurysternus showed a global distribution and lack of host specificity. It is suggested that frequent host switching maintains gene flow between M. eurysternus populations on unrelated hosts in local populations. However, gene flow between geographically distant localities was restricted, suggesting that geography rather than host-specificity is the main factor defining the global genetic diversity of M. eurysternus.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0240843