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Convergent evolution of fern nectaries facilitated independent recruitment of ant-bodyguards from flowering plants

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  • Jacob S. Suissa

    (University of Tennessee Knoxville)

  • Fay-Wei Li

    (Boyce Thompson Institute
    Cornell University)

  • Corrie S. Moreau

    (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University
    Cornell University)

Abstract

Plant–herbivore interactions reciprocally influence species’ evolutionary trajectories. These interactions have led to many physical and chemical defenses across the plant kingdom. Some plants have even evolved indirect defense strategies to outsource their protection to ant bodyguards by bribing them with a sugary reward (nectar). Identifying the evolutionary processes underpinning these indirect defenses provide insight into the evolution of plant-animal interactions. Using a cross-kingdom, phylogenetic approach, we examined the convergent evolution of ant-guarding nectaries across ferns and flowering plants. Here, we discover that nectaries originated in ferns and flowering plants concurrently during the Cretaceous, coinciding with the rise of plant associations in ants. While nectaries in flowering plants evolved steadily through time, ferns showed a pronounced lag of nearly 100 My between their origin and subsequent diversification in the Cenozoic. Importantly, we find that as ferns transitioned from the forest floor into the canopy, they secondarily recruited ant bodyguards from existing ant-angiosperm relationships.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob S. Suissa & Fay-Wei Li & Corrie S. Moreau, 2024. "Convergent evolution of fern nectaries facilitated independent recruitment of ant-bodyguards from flowering plants," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48646-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48646-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Evan P. Economo & Nitish Narula & Nicholas R. Friedman & Michael D. Weiser & Benoit Guénard, 2018. "Macroecology and macroevolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient in ants," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-8, December.
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