* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Mavs CEO holds firm on new arena, entertainment district in Dallas – Dallas News

    Mavs CEO Stands Strong on Vision for New Arena and Entertainment District in Dallas

    Entertainment: On Your Marks, Get Set, Beer Run! – Urban Milwaukee

    Get Ready to Race: The Ultimate Beer Run Experience Awaits!

    Rachel Guttman Launches Entertainment Law Firm Gutt Law, PLLC [Exclusive] – MusicRow.com

    Rachel Guttman Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Law Firm: Gutt Law, PLLC!

    HYBE Cashes In: Offloads Final Stake in K-Pop Rival SM Entertainment for $177 Million!

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Receives Expected Nasdaq Notice Regarding Delayed Quarterly Report – Business Wire

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Faces Nasdaq Notice Over Delayed Quarterly Report

    Weekly Entertainment Report May 29-June 1: Where to find lively arts, music, and shows – Manchester Ink Link

    Weekly Entertainment Report May 29-June 1: Where to find lively arts, music, and shows – Manchester Ink Link

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Drone technology demo in Cambria County showcases future of lifesaving medical deliveries – local21news.com

    Revolutionizing Healthcare: Drone Technology Takes Flight for Lifesaving Medical Deliveries in Cambria County

    Revolutionary Harvesting Technology Promises to Slash CAR-T Manufacturing Costs!

    Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism – International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – ICCT

    Unplugged: The Surge of Anti-Technology Extremism

    Finland to head EU’s quantum defense technology project – Latest news from Azerbaijan

    Finland Takes the Lead in Pioneering EU’s Quantum Defense Technology Initiative!

    i3D Robotics Unveils Breakthrough Glass Defect Detection Technology – USGlass Magazine

    Revolutionary Glass Defect Detection Technology Unveiled by i3D Robotics!

    4Liberty Announces Collaboration with Itron to Drive Innovation in Utility Technology Adoption and Optimization – FinancialContent

    4Liberty Partners with Itron to Revolutionize Utility Technology and Boost Innovation

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Mavs CEO holds firm on new arena, entertainment district in Dallas – Dallas News

    Mavs CEO Stands Strong on Vision for New Arena and Entertainment District in Dallas

    Entertainment: On Your Marks, Get Set, Beer Run! – Urban Milwaukee

    Get Ready to Race: The Ultimate Beer Run Experience Awaits!

    Rachel Guttman Launches Entertainment Law Firm Gutt Law, PLLC [Exclusive] – MusicRow.com

    Rachel Guttman Unveils Exciting New Entertainment Law Firm: Gutt Law, PLLC!

    HYBE Cashes In: Offloads Final Stake in K-Pop Rival SM Entertainment for $177 Million!

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Receives Expected Nasdaq Notice Regarding Delayed Quarterly Report – Business Wire

    Allied Gaming & Entertainment Faces Nasdaq Notice Over Delayed Quarterly Report

    Weekly Entertainment Report May 29-June 1: Where to find lively arts, music, and shows – Manchester Ink Link

    Weekly Entertainment Report May 29-June 1: Where to find lively arts, music, and shows – Manchester Ink Link

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Drone technology demo in Cambria County showcases future of lifesaving medical deliveries – local21news.com

    Revolutionizing Healthcare: Drone Technology Takes Flight for Lifesaving Medical Deliveries in Cambria County

    Revolutionary Harvesting Technology Promises to Slash CAR-T Manufacturing Costs!

    Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism – International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – ICCT

    Unplugged: The Surge of Anti-Technology Extremism

    Finland to head EU’s quantum defense technology project – Latest news from Azerbaijan

    Finland Takes the Lead in Pioneering EU’s Quantum Defense Technology Initiative!

    i3D Robotics Unveils Breakthrough Glass Defect Detection Technology – USGlass Magazine

    Revolutionary Glass Defect Detection Technology Unveiled by i3D Robotics!

    4Liberty Announces Collaboration with Itron to Drive Innovation in Utility Technology Adoption and Optimization – FinancialContent

    4Liberty Partners with Itron to Revolutionize Utility Technology and Boost Innovation

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Of ants and trees: ‘Evolutionary déjà vu’ in the tropical rainforest

July 19, 2024
in Science
Of ants and trees: ‘Evolutionary déjà vu’ in the tropical rainforest
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Of ants and trees: 'Evolutionary déjà' in the tropical rainforest

Myrmelachista ants, which excavate nesting cavities in living tree stems, keep understory leaves free of debris and pathogens. Credit: Rodolfo Probst, University of Utah

Ants are famous for their regimented and complex social behaviors. In the tropics, they are also famous for forming mutualisms with plants. Certain species of trees have conspicuous hollow swellings that house ants, often feeding the ants with specialized ant food. In return, the ants are pugnacious bodyguards, swarming out to aggressively defend the plant against enemies. Scientists have observed these mutualisms for centuries, but an enduring question is how these intriguing interactions evolved in the first place.

That remains a mystery, but new research led by University of Utah field biologist Rodolfo Probst offers insights that could broaden our understanding of ant-plant symbioses.

Published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, his research focused on an ant genus called Myrmelachista. Most Myrmelachista species nest in dead or live stems of plants, without any specialized mutualistic association. But one group of species in Central America was known to nest only in the live stems of certain species of small understory trees, in a specialized symbiosis similar to other ant-plant mutualisms. These tiny yellow ants hollow out the stems without harming the host plants, and can be found throughout Central America.

Such symbiosis requires complex and novel behaviors and morphology (physical characteristics such as color, shape and size), and is thought to occur infrequently. The Central American specialists were a cluster of nine species that all shared these complex traits and were only slightly different from each other. It was assumed that a single common ancestor must have evolved the symbiosis over a long period of time, and these were very young species that had emerged after the symbiosis had evolved.

Probst made a remarkable discovery. Using DNA sequence data to unravel their evolutionary history, he found that these nine species occurred as two clusters in different parts of the evolutionary tree. That means that this complex relationship, with all its distinctive characteristics, evolved twice from non-specialist ancestors. Not only that, but they also evolved in close proximity, and at about the same time, around 3 million years ago.

“I wish I could just take a time machine and see it,” Probst said. “Maybe it was the ecology or plant availability that helped those friendships evolve in the first place.”

Of ants and trees: 'Evolutionary déjà' in the tropical rainforest

Biologist Rodolfo Probst leads University of Utah students on field research trip in Costa Rica. Credit: University of Utah

He argues this is a case of convergent evolution, where unlike species evolve to be more similar, often because they occupy similar specialized ecological niches. Think whales and fish. Somehow, these ants developed the same behavior in what Probst dubbed “evolutionary déjà vu.”

“They look so similar that the parsimonious assumption was that this mutualism might have evolved once,” Probst said. “The coolest part of our paper is that we’re showing that these types of ant-plant friendships evolve multiple times independently. Is that evolutionary déjà vu? It’s like if it happens, it might happen again if you’re given the appropriate ecological conditions.”

His two co-authors are renowned entomologist Jack Longino, better known among U students as The Astonishing Ant Man for his expertise and vast personal collection of ant specimens kept on campus, and former U School of Biological Sciences’ postdoctoral researcher Michael Branstetter, now with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pollinating Insect Research Unit at Utah State University.

“The main story in this paper is the unexpected part. Rodolfo’s work revealed two independent evolutions of a complex relationship with plants. It suggests that the developmental building blocks for very distinctive or complex features are readily at hand, and can quickly evolve among different sets of species when the conditions arise,” said Longino, a U professor of biology who has spent more than four decades studying ants, mostly in tropical regions.

“Morphology alone has never been good at revealing relationships among species, the evolutionary pageant that is how life has diversified on the planet.”

With continuing help from the university’s Science Research Initiative undergraduates, Probst is looking to conduct whole genomic sequencing to tease out the genes involved in ant-plant associations, looking “under the hood” of a phenomenon that has intrigued naturalists for centuries.

More information:
Rodolfo S. Probst et al, Evolutionary déjà vu? A case of convergent evolution in an ant–plant association, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1214

Citation:
Of ants and trees: ‘Evolutionary déjà vu’ in the tropical rainforest (2024, July 18)
retrieved 19 July 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ants-trees-evolutionary-dj-vu.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Phys.org – https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ants-trees-evolutionary-dj-vu.html

Tags: evolutionarysciencetrees
Previous Post

Tackling racism in teacher education and in the science curricula

Next Post

Early riser: The sun is already starting its next solar cycle—despite being halfway through its current one

Science lab incident at George Washington Carver Middle School triggers hazmat response; at least 8 people treated – abc7.com

Hazmat Alert: George Washington Carver Middle School Science Lab Incident Sends 8 to Treatment

May 31, 2025
The World’s Most Destructive Termites Are Taking Over Florida: How You Can Protect Your Home, According to Exterminators – Yahoo

Florida Under Siege: How to Safeguard Your Home from the Most Destructive Termites!

May 31, 2025
Oregon vs. Ole Miss: 2025 Women’s College World Series Game 6 | Extended highlights – NCAA.com

Thrilling Showdown: Oregon vs. Ole Miss in Game 6 of the 2025 Women’s College World Series!

May 31, 2025
Charting the Global Economy: US GDP Falls on Larger Trade Hit – Bloomberg

US GDP Takes a Hit: Unpacking the Impact of Global Trade Dynamics

May 31, 2025
Mavs CEO holds firm on new arena, entertainment district in Dallas – Dallas News

Mavs CEO Stands Strong on Vision for New Arena and Entertainment District in Dallas

May 31, 2025
The #1 Snack for Better Gut Health, Recommended by a Gastroenterologist – EatingWell

Unlock Better Gut Health: Discover the Top Snack Recommended by Experts!

May 31, 2025
Hegseth Warns of ‘Devastating Consequences’ Should China Seek to ‘Conquer’ Taiwan – WSJ

Dire Warning: The Potential Fallout of China’s Ambitions to Conquer Taiwan

May 31, 2025
Drone technology demo in Cambria County showcases future of lifesaving medical deliveries – local21news.com

Revolutionizing Healthcare: Drone Technology Takes Flight for Lifesaving Medical Deliveries in Cambria County

May 31, 2025
Saturday Sports: Stanley cup final rematch, OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals – NPR

Epic Showdown: Stanley Cup Final Rematch and OKC Thunder Take on the NBA Finals!

May 31, 2025
Predicting invasion costs from sparse data – Nature

Unlocking the Secrets of Invasion Costs: Insights from Sparse Data

May 31, 2025

Categories

Archives

May 2025
MTWTFSS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« Apr    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (653)
  • Economy (669)
  • Entertainment (21,575)
  • General (15,252)
  • Health (9,711)
  • Lifestyle (671)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (670)
  • Politics (677)
  • Science (15,891)
  • Sports (21,173)
  • Technology (15,656)
  • World (657)

Recent News

Science lab incident at George Washington Carver Middle School triggers hazmat response; at least 8 people treated – abc7.com

Hazmat Alert: George Washington Carver Middle School Science Lab Incident Sends 8 to Treatment

May 31, 2025
The World’s Most Destructive Termites Are Taking Over Florida: How You Can Protect Your Home, According to Exterminators – Yahoo

Florida Under Siege: How to Safeguard Your Home from the Most Destructive Termites!

May 31, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version