Aphid herbivory on macrophytes drives adaptive evolution in an aquatic community via indirect effects

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Schaefer, Martin; Malacrino, Antonino; Walcher, Christoph; Spaak, Piet; Sarazova, Marie Serwaty -; Kaeser, Silvana; Bulas, Thea; Dambone-Boesch, Christine; Dexter, Eric; Hottinger, Juergen; Boettner, Laura; Vorburger, Christoph; Ebert, Dieter; Xu, Shuqing
• 署名单位: Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz; University of Munster; Clemson University; Universita Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (EAWAG); University of Basel; Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8441
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2502742122
• 发表日期: 2025-08-26
• 关键词: spirodela-polyrhiza; rapid evolution; daphnia-magna; CONSEQUENCES; populations; adaptation; selection; DYNAMICS

摘要

Indirect ecological effects occur when the impact of one species on another is mediated by a third species or the shared environment. Although indirect effects are ubiquitous in nature, we know remarkably little about how they may drive ecoevolutionary processes across community boundaries. Here, we show that insect (aphid) herbivory on macrophytes (duckweed) drove the adaptive evolution of a planktonic crustacean (Daphnia magna) in large outdoor aquatic mesocosms via indirect ecological effects. Aphid herbivory reduced duckweed growth and increased the nutrient and light availability in the water column, which promoted phytoplankton growth and boosted the abundance of D. magna that feed on phytoplankton. Whole-genome pool-sequencing and phenotypic assays revealed aphid-herbivory-mediated evolutionary changes to Daphnia population. Transplant experiments indicated that these evolutionary changes were adaptive. Furthermore, aphid-herbivory-mediated biotic and abiotic changes in the aquatic community increased the performance of the macrophytes and aphids. These results demonstrate that indirect ecological effects can shape ecoevolutionary interactions between seemingly independent species in natural communities.