Nadir Alvarez's Publications List

Investigating the relationship between pollination strategies and the size-advantage model in zoophilous plants using the reproductive biology of Arum cylindraceum and other European Arum species as case studies

2011-11-28T13:21:34Z

The size-advantage model (SAM) explains the temporal variation of energetic investment on reproductive structures (i.e. male and female gametes and reproductive organs) in long-lived hermaphroditic plants and animals. It proposes that an increase in the resources available to an organism induces a higher relative investment on the most energetically costly sexual structures. In plants, pollination...

Revel N, Alvarez N, Gibernau M, Espíndola A (201x) Arthropod Plant Interactions : in press

Ecological and historical drivers of diversification in the fly genus Chiastocheta Pokorny

2012-02-10T14:00:40Z

A. Espíndola, S. Buerki, N. Alvarez (201x) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution :

From raw AFLP chromatograms to ready-to-use binary matrices using RawGeno 2.0, an user-friendly interface for automatized and semi-automatized bining and scoring of genotypes in the open-source R environment

2011-11-28T13:27:42Z

Arrigo N, Holderegger R, Alvarez N (201x) Population Genomics: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology Series :

Forecasting changes in population genetic structure of Alpine plants in response to global warming

2011-11-28T13:23:10Z

Jay F, Manel S, Alvarez N, Durand E, Thuiller W, Holderregger R, Taberlet P, Francois O (201x) Molecular Ecology : in press

Reconstructing the origin of high-alpine niches and cushion life form in the genus Androsace s.l. (Primulaceae)

2011-11-28T13:19:03Z

Relatively, few species have been able to colonize extremely cold alpine environments. We investigate the role played by the cushion life form in the evolution of climatic niches in the plant genus Androsace s.l., which spreads across the mountain ranges of the Northern Hemisphere. Using robust methods that account for phylogenetic uncertainty, intraspecific variability of climatic requirements an...

Boucher F, Thuiller W, Roquet C, Douzet R, Aubert S, Alvarez N, Lavergne S (201x) Evolution : in press

Gene flow among wild and domesticated almond species: insights from chloroplast and nuclear markers.

2012-01-22T20:18:29Z

Hybridization has played a central role in the evolutionary history of domesticated plants. Notably, several breeding programs relying on gene introgression from the wild compartment have been performed in fruit tree species within the genus Prunus but few studies investigated spontaneous gene flow among wild and domesticated Prunus species. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of genetic r...

Delplancke M., Alvarez N., Espíndola A., Joly H., Benoit L., Brouck E., Arrigo N. (201x) Evolutionary Applications : in press

Climate oscillations and species interactions: large scale congruence but regional differences in the phylogeographic structures of an alpine plant and its monophagous insect. Journal of Biogeography.

2012-02-07T22:00:58Z

Aim. To predict the fate of alpine interactions involving specialized species, using a monophagous beetle and its host-plant as a case study. Location. The Alps. Methods. We investigated genetic structuring of the herbivorous beetle Oreina gloriosa and its specific host-plant Peucedanum ostruthium. We used genome fingerprinting (in the insect and the plant) and sequence data (in the insec...

Borer M. , Arrigo N. , Buerki S. , Naisbit R.E. , Alvarez N. (201x) Journal of Biogeography :

Phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily Psychodinae (Diptera, Psychodidae)

2012-02-07T22:28:19Z

Espíndola A., Buerki S., Jacquier A., Jezek J., Alvarez N. (201x) Zoologica Scripta :

The altitudinal niche breadth hypothesis in plant-insect interaction

2011-11-28T13:26:43Z

Rasmann S, Alvarez N, Pellissier L (201x) Plant Insect Interactions. Annual Plant Reviews Series

Break zones in the distributions of alleles and species in alpine plants

2011-05-01T23:31:56Z

Aim We test for the congruence between allele-based range boundaries (break zones) in silicicolous alpine plants and species-based break zones in the silicicolous flora of the European Alps. We also ask whether such break zones coincide with areas of large elevational variation. Location The European Alps. Methods On a regular grid laid across the entire Alps, we determined areas of allele- a...

Thiel-Egenter C, Alvarez N, Holderegger R, Tribsch A, Englisch T, Wohlgemuth T, Colli L, Gaudeul M, Gielly L, Jogan N, Linder HP, Negrini R, Niklfeld H, Pellecchia M, Rioux D, Schönswetter P, Taberlet P, Van Loo M, Winkler M, INTRABIODIV_CONSORTIUM, Gugerli F (2011) Journal of Biogeography 38: 772-782

Insights into the biogeographical history of the Lower Guinea Forest Domain : evidence for the role of refugia in the intraspecific differentiation of Aucoumea klaineana

2011-05-01T23:03:58Z

Determining the biogeographical histories of rainforests is central to our understanding of the present distribution of tropical biodiversity. Ice age fragmentation of central African rainforests strongly influenced species distributions. Elevated areas characterized by higher species richness and endemism have been postulated to be Pleistocene forest refugia. However, it is often difficult to sep...

Born C., Alvarez N., McKey D., Ossari S., Wickings E.J., Hossaert-McKey M., Chevallier M.H. (2011) Molecular Ecology ISI:000285396000013 20: 131-142

Variation in the proportion of flower visitors of Arum maculatum along its distributional range in relation with community-based climatic niche analyses

2011-05-01T22:54:54Z

Because species–specific interactions between plants and insects require considerable physiological adaptations to establish and be maintained through time and space, highly specialized interactions are rare in nature. Consequently, even if some one-to-one interactions might appear locally specialized, additional partners may be involved at a wider scale. Here, we investigate the geographical...

Espíndola A., Pellissier L., Alvarez N. (2011) Oikos 120: 728-734

An evaluation of new parsimony-based versus parametric inference methods in biogeography : a case study using the globally distributed plant family Sapindaceae

2011-05-01T23:00:49Z

Aim Recently developed parametric methods in historical biogeography allow researchers to integrate temporal and palaeogeographical information into the reconstruction of biogeographical scenarios, thus overcoming a known bias of parsimony-based approaches. Here, we compare a parametric method, dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC), against a parsimony-based method, dispersal-vicariance analysi...

Buerki S, Forest F, Alvarez N, Nylander JAA, Arrigo N, Sanmartín I (2011) Journal of Biogeography 38: 531-550

Ecological niche overlap in sister species : how do oil-collecting bees Macropis europaea and M. fulvipes (Hymenoptera: Melittidae) avoid competition and hybridization?

2011-08-31T17:22:00Z

Oil-collecting bees are found worldwide and always in association with particular oil-producing flowers. In the Western Palearctic, three oil-collecting bee species within the genus Macropis (Hymenoptera, Melittidae) interact in a tight pollination mutualism with species of the only European oil-producing plant genus Lysimachia L. (Myrsinaceae). Two of these oil-collecting bees (Macropis europaea ...

Bassin L, Alvarez N, Pellissier L, Triponez Y. (2011) Apidologie 42: 5 579-595

Comparative performance of supertree algorithms in large data sets using the soapberry family (Sapindaceae) as a case study.

2011-05-01T22:51:58Z

For the last 2 decades, supertree reconstruction has been an active field of research and has seen the development of a large number of major algorithms. Because of the growing popularity of the supertree methods, it has become necessary to evaluate the performance of these algorithms to determine which are the best options (especially with regard to the supermatrix approach that is widely used). ...

Buerki S., Forest F., Salamin N., Alvarez N. (2011) Systematic Biology PM:21068445 60: 32-44

Discordances between phylogenetic and morphological patterns in alpine leaf beetles attest to an intricate biogeographic history of lineages in postglacial Europe

2011-05-18T19:37:02Z

Pleistocene glacial and interglacial periods have moulded the evolutionary history of European cold-adapted organisms. The role of the different mountain massifs has, however, not been accurately investigated in the case of high-altitude insect species. Here, we focus on three closely related species of non-flying leaf beetles of the genus Oreina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), which are often found ...

Triponez Y, Buerki S, Borer M, Naisbit RE, Rahier M, Alvarez N (2011) Molecular Ecology 20: 2442–2463

Does a shift in host plants trigger the speciation in the Alpine leaf beetle Oreina speciosissima (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)?

2011-11-28T13:17:32Z

Background Within the Coleoptera, the largest order in the animal kingdom, the exclusively herbivorous Chrysomelidae are recognized as one of the most species rich beetle families. The evolutionary processes that have fueled radiation into the more than thirty-five thousand currently recognized leaf beetle species remain partly unresolved. The prominent role of leaf beetles in the insect world, t...

Borer M, van Noort T, Arrigo N, Buerki S, Alvarez N (2011) BMC Evolutionary Biology 11: 310

Pollinators as drivers of plant distribution and assemblage into communities

2012-01-06T11:53:55Z

Pellissier L, Alvarez N., Guisan A. (2011) Evolution of the Plant-Pollinator Relationships : 392-413

Comparative phylogeography in a specific and obligate pollination antagonism

2012-01-05T10:37:25Z

In specific and obligate interactions the nature and abundance of a given species can have important effects on the survival and population dynamics of associated organisms. In a phylogeographic framework, we therefore expect that the fates of organisms interacting specifically are also tightly interrelated. Here we investigate such a scenario by analyzing the genetic structures of species interac...

Espíndola A, Alvarez N (2011) PLoS ONE 6: 12 e28662

Cleaning wrasse species vary with respect to dependency on the mutualism and behavioural adaptations in interactions

2011-11-28T13:08:24Z

Interspecific mutualisms are an essential feature of life on earth, yet we know little about their evolution and stability. In many mutualisms several species are available as partners, raising questions about the similarity in function and behavioural repertoire depending on the partner species. Furthermore, variation between species in the quantity and quality of interactions resulting in variat...

L Barbu, C Guinand, R Bergmüller, N Alvarez, R Bshary (2011) Animal Behaviour 82: 1067-1074

New insights into the phylogenetics and biogeography of Arum (Araceae): unravelling its evolutionary history.

2010-09-02T22:25:53Z

The heat- and odour-producing genus Arum (Araceae) has interested scientists for centuries. This long-term interest has allowed a deep knowledge of some complex processes, such as the physiology and dynamics of its characteristic lure-and-trap pollination system, to be built up. However, mainly because of its large distributional range and high degree of morphological variation, species' limits an...

Espíndola A, Buerki S, Bedalov M, Küpfer P, Alvarez N (2010) Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 163: 14-32

Population genetic structure of two primary parasitoids of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera), Chelonus insularis and Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera): to what extent is the host plant important?

2010-09-02T23:38:48Z

Plant chemistry can strongly influence interactions between herbivores and their natural enemies, either by providing volatile compounds that serve as foraging cues for parasitoids or predators, or by affecting the quality of herbivores as hosts or prey. Through these effects plants may influence parasitoid population genetic structure. We tested for a possible specialization on specific crop plan...

Jourdie V, Alvarez N, Molina-Ochoa J, Williams T, Bergvinson D, Benrey B, Turlings T, Franck P (2010) Molecular Ecology 19: 2168-2179

Origin and expansion of the allotetraploid Aegilops geniculata Roth, a wild relative of wheat.

2010-09-02T22:38:28Z

This study reconstructs the phylogeography of Aegilops geniculata, an allotetraploid relative of wheat, to discuss the impact of past climate changes and recent human activities (e.g. the early expansion of agriculture) on the genetic diversity of ruderal plant species. We combined chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequencing, analysed using statistical parsimony network, with nonhierarchical K-means clu...

Arrigo N, Felber F, Parisod C, Buerki S, Alvarez N, David J, Guadagnuolo R (2010) New Phytologist 187: 1170-1180

The effect of host plant and isolation on the genetic structure of phytophagous insects: A preliminary study on a bruchid beetle.

2010-09-02T22:30:00Z

Genetic differentiation is a consequence of the combination of drift and restriction in gene flow between populations due to barriers to dispersal, or selection against individuals resulting from inter-population matings. In phytophagous insects, local adaptation to different kinds of host plants can sometimes lead to reproductive isolation and thus to genetic structuring, or even to speciation. A...

Restoux G, Hossaert-McKey M, Benrey B, Alvarez N (2010) European Journal of Entomology 107: 299-304

Phylogeny and circumscription of Sapindaceae revisited: molecular sequence data, morphology and biogeography support recognition of a new family, Xanthoceraceae.

2010-09-02T23:37:15Z

Background and aims - Recent studies have adopted a broad definition of Sapindaceae that includes taxa traditionally placed in Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae, achieving monophyly but yielding a family difficult to characterize and for which no obvious morphological synapomorphy exists. This expanded circumscription was necessitated by the finding that the monotypic, temperate Asian genus Xanthocer...

Buerki S, Callmander MW, Alvarez N, Razafimandimbison SG, Küpfer P, Lowry II PP (2010) Plant Ecology and Evolution 143: 1-20

Molecular phylogeography of Chelonus insularis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), two primary parasitoids of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

2010-09-06T23:27:57Z

In a previous study, we observed no spatial genetic structure in Mexican populations of the parasitoids Chelonus insularis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Campoletis sonorensis Cameron (Hymenoptera: Ichneumomdae) by using microsatellite markers. In the current study, we investigated whether for these important parasitoids of the fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) there is any genetic str...

Jourdie V , Virla E , Murillo H , Bento JMS , Turlings TCJ , Alvarez N (2010) Annals of the Entomological Society of America 103: 742-749

The phylogeography of an alpine leaf beetle : divergence within Oreina elongata spans several ice ages.

2011-05-01T23:19:58Z

The genetic landscape of the European flora and fauna was shaped by the ebb and flow of populations with the shifting ice during Quaternary climate cycles. While this has been well demonstrated for lowland species, less is known about high altitude taxa. Here we analyze the phylogeography of the leaf beetle Oreina elongata from 20 populations across the Alps and Apennines. Three mitochondrial and ...

Borer M., Alvarez N., Buerki S., Margraf N., Rahier M., Naisbit R.E. (2010) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution ISI:000284176800019 57: 703-709

Phylogeography and historical biogeography of obligate specific mutualisms.

2011-11-28T13:28:46Z

Alvarez N, Kjellberg F, McKey D, Hossaert-McKey M (2010) The Geography of Host-Parasite Interactions : 31-39

Phylogeny of subtribe Gentianinae (Gentianaceae): biogeographic inferences despite limitations in temporal calibration points

2011-05-01T23:11:53Z

The subtribe Gentianinae comprises ca. 425 species, most of them within the well-studied genus Gentiana and mainly distributed over the Eurasian continent. Phylogenetic relationships between Gentiana and its closest relatives, the climbing gentians (Crawfurdia, Tripterospermum) and the new genus Metagentiana, remain unclear. All three genera were recently found to be polyphyletic, possibly because...

Favre A., Yuan Y.M., Küpfer P., Alvarez N. (2010) Taxon ISI:000285566000005 59: 1701-1711

History or ecology? Substrate type as a major driver of spatial genetic structure in Alpine plants.

2009-08-21T21:03:01Z

Climatic history and ecology are considered the most important factors moulding the spatial pattern of genetic diversity. With the advent of molecular markers, species’ historical fates have been widely explored. However, it has remained speculative what role ecological factors have played in shaping spatial genetic structures within species. With an unprecedented, dense large-scale sampling and...

N Alvarez, Thiel-Egenter C, Tribsch A, Holderegger R, Manel S, Schönswetter P, Taberlet P, Küpfer P, Brodbeck S, Gaudeul M, Gielly L, Mansion G, Negrini R, Paun O, Pellecchia M, Rioux D, Schüpfer F, M van Loo, Winkler M, Gugerli F, INTRABIODIV_CONSORTIUM (2009) Ecology Letters 12: 632-640

Malagasy Dracaena Vand. ex L. (Ruscaceae): an investigation of discrepancies between morphological features and spatial genetic structure at a small evolutionary scale

2009-07-16T21:31:15Z

Malagasy Dracaena (Ruscaceae) are divided into four species and 14 varieties, all of them showing a high level of morphological diversity and a putatively artefactual circumscription. In order to reveal relationships between those entangled entities, a span of Malagasy Dracaena were sampled and analyzed using cpDNA sequences and AFLP. The cpDNA analyses resolved three biogeographic clades that are...

Buerki S, Callmander MW, Schüpfer F, Ravokatra M, Alvarez N (2009) Plant Systematics and Evolution 280: 15-28

Evaluating the impact of scoring parameters on the structure of intra-specific genetic variation using RawGeno, an R package for automating AFLP scoring.

2009-04-06T21:14:07Z

Background. Since the transfer and application of modern sequencing technologies to the analysis of amplified fragment-length polymorphisms (AFLP), evolutionary biologists have included an increasing number of samples and markers in their studies. Although justified in this context, the use of automated scoring procedures may result in technical biases that weaken the power and reliability of fur...

Arrigo N, Ehrich D, Tuszynski J, Gerdes T, Alvarez N (2009) BMC Bioinformatics 10: 33

Plastid and nuclear DNA markers reveal intricate relationships at subfamilial and tribal levels in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae)

2010-09-02T23:36:38Z

The economically important soapberry family (Sapindaceae) comprises about 1900 species mainly found in the tropical regions of the world, with only a few genera being restricted to temperate areas. The infrafamilial classification of the Sapindaceae and its relationships to the closely related Aceraceae and Hippocastanaceae – which have now been included in an expanded definition of Sapindaceae ...

S Buerki, F Forest, P Acevedo-Rodríguez, M. W. Callmander, J.A.A. Nylander, M Harrington, I Sanmartín, P Küpfer, N Alvarez (2009) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51: 238-258

Effects of species traits on the genetic diversity of high-mountain plants: a multi-species study across the Alps and the Carpathians.

2009-04-23T09:35:46Z

Aim. To test the influence of various species traits, elevation and phylogeographical history on the genetic diversity of high-mountain plants in the Alps and Carpathians. Location. The regular sampling grid comprised the whole range of the European Alps and the Carpathians. Methods. Twenty-two high-mountain plant species were exhaustively sampled and their genetic diversity was assessed wit...

C Thiel-Egenter, F Gugerli, N Alvarez, S Brodbeck, E Cieślak, L Colli, T Englisch, M Gaudeul, L Gielly, G Korbecka, R Negrini, O Paun, M Pellecchia, D Rioux, M Ronikier, P Schönswetter, F Schüpfer, P Taberlet, A Tribsch, M van Loo, M Winkler, R Holderegger, INTRABIODIV_CONSORTIUM (2009) Global Ecology and Biogeography 18: 78-87

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in two primary parasitoids of the noctuid Spodoptera frugiperda: Chelonus insularis and Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera).

2010-03-16T12:41:48Z

Fifteen and 13 microsatellite loci were isolated, respectively, from Campoletis sonorensis Cameron and from Chelonus insularis Cresson. These two parasitic Hymenoptera are primary parasitoids of Lepidoptera in North, Central and South America, including the important agricultural pest Spodoptera frugiperda. Allelic diversity and heterozygosity were quantified in samples from Mexico. Each locus was...

V Jourdie, N Alvarez, T Turlings, P Franck (2009) Molecular Ecology Resources 9: 171-173

Genetic structure and evolution of Alpine polyploid complexes : Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae) as a case study

2010-05-04T09:40:29Z

The alpine white-flowered buttercup, Ranunculus kuepferi Greuter & Burdet, is a polyploid complex with diploids endemic to the southwestern Alps and polyploids - which have been previously described as apomictic - widespread throughout European mountains. Due to the polymorphic status of both its ploidy level and its reproductive mode, R. kuepferi represents a key species for understanding the evo...

J Burnier, S Buerki, N Arrigo, P Küpfer, N Alvarez (2009) Molecular Ecology 18: 3730-3744

Les plantes voyagent aussi

2009-08-21T21:25:54Z

Sillig L (2009) Le Temps, June 15th 2009, p. 27

Jamais sans ma mouche! Certaines plantes nouent avec des insectes des relations indispensables à leur survie. Des interactions régulièrement menacées par les changements climatiques.

2010-03-16T13:02:45Z

O. Schipper (2009) Horizons Horizons (newsletter of the Swiss National Science Foundation), December 1st 2009 (n°83), pp. 18-19. 83:

Do Sebacinales commonly associate with plant roots as endophytes?

2010-05-04T09:40:22Z

Sebacinales are basal Hymenomycetes with diverse mycorrhizal abilities, ranging from ectomycorrhizae to ericoid and orchid mycorrhizae. Several previous PCR or isolation works raised the possibility that Sebacinales are endophytes in plant roots. We tested this hypothesis in an isolation-independent approach by using specific PCR primers for ribosomal DNA of Sebacinales on AM mycorrhizal or non-my...

Selosse M.-A., Dubois M.-P., Alvarez N. (2009) Mycological Research 113: 1062-1069

Le grand voyage de la végétation alpine

2009-08-21T21:25:26Z

L Sillig (2009) Courrier International, August 1st 2009 (n°978), p. 51

La migration des plantes alpines n’est pas due au hasard (trois questions à Nadir Alvarez)

2009-08-21T21:25:36Z

C Berbain (2009) Terre & Nature, May 28th 2009, p. 2

Assessing the phylogenetic usefulness of a previously neglected morphological structure through elliptic Fourier analyses: a case study in Bruchus seed-beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)

2009-04-24T18:07:39Z

We address the systematics of Bruchus seed-beetles through the use of a geometric morphometric outline approach, namely elliptic Fourier analysis. We found that a previously neglected genitalic structure, the ventral plate, provides new evidence in the discussion of taxonomic issues raised by recent molecular studies. Three methods of hierarchical clustering allow investigation of the phylogenetic...

GJ Kergoat, N Alvarez (2008) Systematic Entomology 33: 289-300

Identification of seven species of hymenopteran parasitoids of Spodoptera frugiperda, using polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction enzyme digestion

2010-03-16T12:42:08Z

1 The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda is a voracious pest of numerous crops of economic importance throughout the New World. In its native Mexico, larvae can be attacked by several species of parasitic wasps, which are candidate biological control agents against this and other lepidopteran pests. 2 We attempted to survey the parasitoid fauna on S. frugiperda in maize and sorghum fields thro...

V Jourdie, N Alvarez, TCJ Turlings (2008) Agricultural and Forest Entomology 10: 129-136

SIMIL: an r (CRAN) scripts collection for computing genetic structure similarities based on structure 2 outputs

2009-04-24T11:40:40Z

The emergence of comparative phylogeography requires tools that allow comparing quantitatively the genetic structures between species. Whereas numerous methods have been developed to compare trees inferred from two species, comparison methods involving population structures issued from Bayesian inferences or maximum likelihood criterion have been poorly investigated. Here, we present a method impl...

N Alvarez, N Arrigo, INTRABIODIV_CONSORTIUM (2008) Molecular Ecology Resources 8: 757-762

Identification of parasitoid species using PCR amplification and restriction enzyme digestion.

2009-04-24T18:07:59Z

Spodoptera frugiperda is a pest of great economic importance in the Americas. It is attacked by several species of parasitoids, which act as biological control agents. Parasitoids are morphologically identifiable as adults, but not as larvae. Laboratory rearing conditions are not always optimal to rear out parasitic wasps from S. frugiperda larvae collected from wild populations, and it frequently...

Jourdie V, Alvarez N, Turlings T (2007) Journal of Insect Science 7: 12-12

Genetic and environmental sources of variation in the autogenous chemical defense of a leaf beetle.

2009-04-24T18:07:49Z

Chemical defense plays a central role for many herbivorous insects in their interactions with predators and host plants. The leaf beetle genus Oreina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) includes species able to both sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids and autogenously produce cardenolides. Sequestered compounds are clearly related to patterns of host-plant use, but variation in de novo synthesized cardenoli...

Y Triponez, R E Naisbit, J B Jean-Denis, M Rahier, N Alvarez (2007) Journal of Chemical Ecology 33: 2011-2024

Anthropogenic effects on population genetics of phytophagous insects associated with domesticated plants.

2009-04-24T18:08:11Z

The hypothesis of isolation by distance (IBD) predicts that genetic differentiation between populations increases with geographic distance. However, gene flow is governed by numerous factors and the correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic distance is never simply linear. In this study, we analyze the interaction between the effects of geographic distance and of wild or domestica...

N Alvarez, M Hossaert-McKey, G Restoux, A Delgado-Salinas, B Benrey (2007) Evolution 61: 2986-2996

Phylogeographic support for horizontal gene transfer involving sympatric bruchid species.

2009-04-23T09:37:42Z

BACKGROUND: We report on the probable horizontal transfer of a mitochondrial gene, cytb, between species of Neotropical bruchid beetles, in a zone where these species are sympatric. The bruchid beetles Acanthoscelides obtectus, A. obvelatus, A. argillaceus and Zabrotes subfasciatus develop on various bean species in Mexico. Whereas A. obtectus and A. obvelatus develop on Phaseolus vulgaris in the ...

N Alvarez, B Benrey, M Hossaert-McKey, A Grill, D McKey, N Galtier (2006) Biology Direct 1: 21

Ecological distribution and niche segregation of sibling species: the case of bean beetles, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say and A. obvelatus Bridwell

2009-04-24T18:08:23Z

1. Molecular techniques have greatly added to the number of known sympatric cryptic species in insects. Ecological differences between these newly distinguished species are little explored, but niches often appear to overlap strongly. These cases are good models for exploring new ideas about species coexistence and community structure. 2. Acanthoscelides obtectus and A. obvelatus are two sister...

N Alvarez, L Mercier, M Hossaert-McKey, J Contreras-Garduño, G Kunstler, A Aebi, B Benrey (2006) Ecological Entomology 31: 582-590

Evolutionary history and patterns of differentiation among European Maniola butterflies (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae)

2009-04-24T18:10:54Z

Phylogenetic relationships of European Maniola butterflies are reconstructed using molecular sequences from two regions of the mitochondrial DNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb). A total of 988 base pairs (486 for Cytb, and 502 for COI) were aligned for 15 individuals of Maniola and an outgroup species. The phylogenetic tree obtained through Bayesian inference analysis o...

Grill A, Gkiokia E, Alvarez N (2006) European Journal of Entomology 103: 613-618

Phylogenetic relationships in the Neotropical bruchid genus Acanthoscelides (Bruchinae, Bruchidae, Coleoptera)

2009-04-24T18:10:44Z

Adaptation to host-plant defences through key innovations is a driving force of evolution in phytophagous insects. Species of the neotropical bruchid genus Acanthoscelides Schilsky are known to be associated with specific host plants. The speciation processes involved in such specialization pattern that have produced these specific associations may reflect radiations linked to particular kinds of ...

N Alvarez, J Romero Napoles, K-W Anton, B Benrey, M Hossaert-McKey (2006) Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 44: 63-74

Parallels in the evolution of the two largest New and Old World seed-beetle genera (Coleoptera, Bruchidae).

2009-04-24T18:11:06Z

This study provides the first phylogenetic analysis of a large sample of the two largest genera of seed-beetles, Acanthoscelides Schilsky and Bruchidius Schilsky, which mostly feed on legumes (Fabaceae). The goal of this study was to investigate evolutionary patterns in relation to biogeography and host-plant associations. We used three mitochondrial molecular markers and parsimony and Bayesian in...

G J Kergoat, N Alvarez, M Hossaert-McKey, N Faure, J-F Silvain (2005) Molecular Ecology 14: 4003-4021

Ancient and recent evolutionary history of the bruchid beetle, Acanthoscelides obtectus Say, a cosmopolitan pest of beans.

2009-04-24T18:09:03Z

Acanthoscelides obtectus Say is a bruchid species of Neotropical origin, and is specialized on beans of the Phaseolus vulgaris L. group. Since the domestication and diffusion of beans, A. obtectus has become cosmopolitan through human-mediated migrations and is now a major pest in bean granaries. Using phylogeographic methods applied to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellite molecula...

N Alvarez, D McKey, M Hossaert-McKey, C Born, L Mercier, B Benrey (2005) Molecular Ecology 14: 1015-1024

Farmers' practices, metapopulation dynamics, and conservation of agricultural biodiversity on-farm: a case study of sorghum among the Duupa in sub-sahelian Cameroon

2009-04-24T18:08:52Z

In many traditionally managed agroecosystems, populations of domesticated plants maintain high levels of genetic diversity. The threat of erosion of this diversity is a current conservation concern, motivating studies of how diversity can be maintained by in situ conservation measures. Precisely how the biological traits of plants and the cultural practices of farmers act on fundamental evolutiona...

N Alvarez, E Garine, C Khasah, E Dounias, M Hossaert-McKey, D McKey (2005) Biological Conservation 121: 533-543

Sibling species of bean bruchids: a morphological and phylogenetic study of Acanthoscelides obtectus Say and Acanthoscelides obvelatus Bridwell

2009-04-24T18:08:32Z

Acanthoscelides Schilsky is a large genus of neotropical bruchid beetles, in which most species show host plant specialization. Acanthoscelides obtectus and Acanthoscelides obvelatus are two sibling species specialized on Phaseolus beans, and are therefore considered pests. Up to now, the status of these two taxa has remained unclear, the few studies conducted having failed to elucidate whether th...

N Alvarez, M Hossaert-McKey, J-Y Rasplus, D McKey, L Mercier, L Soldati, A Aebi, T Shani, B Benrey (2005) Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 43: 29-37

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in Acanthoscelides obtectus Say

2010-03-16T12:54:15Z

Six microsatellite loci were isolated from the bruchid Acanthoscelides obtectus Say (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Each locus was polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from 3 to 18. We found high levels of within-population variation at most loci, with heterozygosities ranging from 0 to 0.75. Cross-species amplification of these loci was tested in two other species of the genus Acanthoscelides...

N Alvarez, C Born, A -M Risterucci, P Sourrouille, B Benrey, M Hossaert-McKey (2004) Molecular Ecology Notes 4: 683-685

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

2010-09-06T23:42:10Z

Bruchid beetles of the genus Zabrotes (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) are important worldwide pests of legume seeds. Samples of Zabrotes subfasciatus and Z. sylvestris were collected from seeds of two Phaseolus species throughout Mexico to assess the role of host plant variation and plant domestication on the evolution of host use in this species. For this purpose six polymorphic microsatellite loci were ...

A Aebi, T Shani, R D J Butcher, N Alvarez, A M Risterucci, B Benrey (2004) Molecular Ecology Notes 4: 752-754

Microsatellite markers in a complex of Horismenus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitoids of bruchid beetles

2010-09-06T23:42:29Z

Parasitoids of the genus Horismenus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) are the main natural enemies of bruchid beetles that feed on several species of Phaseolus beans. Samples of Horismenus depressus, H. missouriensis and H. butcheri were collected from seeds of three Phaseolus species throughout Mexico to examine the impact of plant variability on the genetic structure of parasitoid populations. For this ...

A Aebi, N Alvarez, R D J Butcher, C Hansson, A M Risterucci, B Benrey (2004) Molecular Ecology Notes 4: 707-709

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in Acanthoscelides obvelatus Bridwell (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

2010-03-16T12:53:46Z

Five microsatellite loci were isolated from the bruchid Acanthoscelides obvelatus Bridwell (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Each locus was polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from two to 15. We found high levels of within-population variation at most loci, with heterozygosity ranging from 0.182 to 0.900. Cross-species amplification of these loci was tested in two other species of the genus Aca...

N. Alvarez, A. Aebi, A.-M. Risterucci, M. Hossaert-McKey, B. Benrey (2003) Molecular Ecology Notes 3: 12-14