Non-congruent colonizations and diversification in a coevolving pollination mutualism on oceanic islands

Abstract

A challenge for coevolutionary theory is how different types of interaction influence the diversification of coevolving clades. Reciprocal specialization is characteristic of certain coevolving, mutualistic interactions, but whether this specialization seen in ecological time constrains changes in patterns of interaction over evolutionary time remains unclear. Here, we examine the co-radiation of Glochidion trees (Phyllanthaceae: Phyllanthus s. l.) and pollinating, seed-predatory Epicephala moths (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on young (mostly later than 5 Ma) oceanic islands in southeastern Polynesia. Epicephala are the sole known pollinators of Glochidion trees, and show extreme reciprocal specialization in continental Asia. We find that Glochidion and Epicephala diversified across these islands through repeated, non-congruent colonizations, and that one recently colonizing Epicephala lineage has spread across 12 host species in three archipelagos in less than 1 Myr. These results indicate that reciprocal specialization and coadaptation do not prevent dramatic changes in associations between intimately associated taxa over short evolutionary time scales. Not only are these host associations more dynamic than previously recognized, but these changes in patterns of interaction may play an important role in the diversification of coevolving taxa.