Data from: Host conservatism, geography, and elevation in the evolution of a Neotropical moth radiation

The origins of evolutionary radiations are often traced to the colonization of novel adaptive zones, including unoccupied habitats or unutilized resources. For herbivorous insects, the predominant mechanism of diversification is typically assumed to be a shift onto a novel lineage of host plants. However, other drivers of diversification are important in shaping evolutionary history, especially for groups residing in regions with complex geological histories. We evaluated the contributions of shifts in host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation to diversification in Eois (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a hyper-diverse genus of moths found throughout the Neotropics. Relationships among 107 taxa were reconstructed using one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. In addition, we used a genotyping-by-sequencing approach to generate 4,641 SNPs for 137 taxa. Both data sets yielded similar phylogenetic histories, with relationships structured by host plant clade, bioregion, and elevation. While diversification of basal lineages often coincided with host clade shifts, more recent speciation events were more typically associated with shifts across bioregions or elevational gradients. Overall, patterns of diversification in Eois are consistent with the perspective that shifts across multiple adaptive zones synergistically drive diversification in hyper-diverse lineages.

演化辐射的起源通常可追溯至对全新适应区（adaptive zone）的定殖，包括未被占据的生境或未被利用的资源。对于植食性昆虫而言，物种多样化的主要驱动机制通常被认为是寄主植物演化支的转变，即转移至全新的寄主植物类群。然而，其他多样化驱动因素在塑造类群演化历史中同样发挥着关键作用，对于栖息于地质历史复杂区域的类群而言尤为如此。本研究针对Eois（鳞翅目：尺蛾科）——一类分布于新热带区（Neotropics）的超多样化蛾属——评估了寄主植物演化支、生物地理区以及海拔梯度的转变对其物种多样化的贡献。研究基于1个线粒体基因与2个核基因，重构了107个分类单元的系统发育关系。此外，本研究采用测序基因分型（genotyping-by-sequencing）技术，为137个分类单元生成了4641个单核苷酸多态性（Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNPs）位点。两组数据集均得到了相似的系统发育拓扑结构，其分类单元间的亲缘关系均由寄主植物演化支、生物地理区以及海拔梯度所塑造。尽管基部类群的物种多样化通常与寄主植物演化支的转变相契合，但较晚发生的物种形成事件则更多与跨生物地理区或海拔梯度的转变相关联。总体而言，Eois的物种多样化模式与“跨多个适应区的转变可协同驱动超多样化类群的物种形成”这一学术观点相一致。