Convergence in carnivorous pitcher plants reveals a mechanism for composite trait evolution

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Chomicki, Guillaume; Burin, Gustavo; Busta, Lucas; Gozdzik, Jedrzej; Jetter, Reinhard; Mortimer, Beth; Bauer, Ulrike
• 署名单位: Durham University; Natural History Museum London; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Duluth; University of British Columbia; University of British Columbia; University of Oxford; University of Bristol; University of Exeter
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-13873
• DOI: 10.1126/science.ade0529
• 发表日期: 2024-01-05
• 页码: 108-113
• 关键词: nepenthes-alata; diversity; SURFACES; cost

摘要

Composite traits involve multiple components that, only when combined, gain a new synergistic function. Thus, how they evolve remains a puzzle. We combined field experiments, microscopy, chemical analyses, and laser Doppler vibrometry with comparative phylogenetic analyses to show that two carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant species independently evolved similar adaptations in three distinct traits to acquire a new, composite trapping mechanism. Comparative analyses suggest that this new trait arose convergently through spontaneous coincidence of the required trait combination, rather than directional selection in the component traits. Our results indicate a plausible mechanism for composite trait evolution and highlight the importance of stochastic phenotypic variation as a facilitator of evolutionary novelty.