Diversification and trophic specialization in phytophagous insects

Abstract

Trophic specialization is among the most important concepts in ecological theory. By measuring the range of food resources, it is intimately related to the diversity of species and interactions in communities. Advances in ecophylogenetics and interaction networks provided a new toolset to the study of communities, although without integrating ecological interactions and phylogenetic constraints in a single framework. We have recently proposed a concept of trophic specialization based on resource similarity and availability that bridges this gap. Our objective in this project is to produce a new approach to the study of resource specialization in communities, and apply it to solve new problems at different spatial and phylogenetic scales. We have two specific objectives: 1) Develop a new metric of specialization in communities, with a new approach to partition the specialization and diversity among species and communities, and produce a comprehensive package with a toolset for the analysis of ecological specialzition; 2) Apply this set of concepts and tools to some of the best datasets on interactions between herbivores and plants available, that will allow us to address some highly relevant and novel questions. As products of the project, a methodological paper that defines a new metric for the specialization of communities will be published, as well as a package with routines for the analysis of ecological specialization. Moreover, two papers will apply these methods to investigate the spatial variation in specialization in different herbivore insect guilds and the role of resource relatedness and trophic specializaton in global patterns of the diversity of insects and interactions. (AU)