Biology subjects

Homziak, N. T.

Publications and source records attributed to Homziak, N. T..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Diversification is correlated with temperature in white and sulfur butterflies

Temperature is thought to be a key variable explaining global patterns of species richness. However, to investigate this relationship carefully, it is necessary to study clades with broad geographic ranges that are comprised of species inhabiting diverse biomes with well- characterized species ranges. In the present study, we investigate the link between temperature and diversification in the butterfly family Pieridae (sulfurs and whites) by combining Next Generation sequences and published molecular data with fine-grained distribution information. After building the most comprehensive phylogeny of the group, with almost 600 species and all higher taxa (subfamilies, tribes and subtribes), we found strong support for the following relationships within the family: Dismorphiinae + (Coliadinae + (Pseudopontiinae + Pierinae)). With a curated distribution dataset of over 800,000 occurrences, we conducted multiple comparative phylogenetic analyses that provided strong evidence that species in environments with more stable daily temperatures or with cooler maximum temperatures in the warm seasons have higher diversification rates. We also found a positive correlation between speciation and extinction with paleotemperature: as global temperature decreased through geological time, so did diversification rates. Although many studies demonstrate higher diversity in the tropics, we have been able to identify specific climate variables associated with changes in diversification, while also inferring the most robust and well sampled phylogenomic framework for Pieridae to date.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Evolution and diversification dynamics of butterflies

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have diversified via coevolution with plants and in response to dispersals following key geological events. These hypotheses have been poorly tested at the macroevolutionary scale because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets on global distributions and larval hosts of butterflies are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,000 butterfly species to construct a new, phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all genera and aggregated global distribution records and larval host datasets. We found that butterflies likely originated in what is now the Americas, [~]100 Ma, shortly before the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, then crossed Beringia and diversified in the Paleotropics. The ancestor of modern butterflies likely fed on Fabaceae, and most extant families were present before the K/Pg extinction. The majority of butterfly dispersals occurred from the tropics (especially the Neotropics) to temperate zones, largely supporting a "cradle" pattern of diversification. Surprisingly, host breadth changes and shifts to novel host plants had only modest impacts.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Anti-Bat Ultrasound Production in Moths is Globally and Phylogenetically Widespread

Warning signals are well known in the visual system, but rare in other modalities. Some moths produce ultrasonic sounds to warn bats of noxious taste or to mimic unpalatable models. Here we report results from a long-term study across the globe, assaying moth response to playback of bat echolocation. We tested 252 genera, spanning most families of large-bodied moths, and outline anti-bat ultrasound production in 52 genera, with eight new subfamily origins described. Based on acoustic analysis of ultrasonic emissions and palatability experiments with bats, it seems that acoustic warning and mimicry are the raison detre for sound production in most moths. However, some moths use high-density ultrasound capable of jamming bat sonar. In fact, we find preliminary evidence of independent origins of sonar jamming in at least six subfamilies. Palatability data indicates that jamming and warning are not mutually exclusive strategies. To explore the possible organization of anti-bat warning sounds into acoustic mimicry rings, we intensively studied a community of moths in Ecuador and found five distinct acoustic clusters using machine learning algorithms. While these data represent an early understanding of acoustic aposematism and mimicry across this megadiverse insect order, it is likely that ultrasonically-signaling moths comprise one of the largest mimicry complexes on earth.

evolutionary biology↗