Abstract
Abstract Closely related and co-distributed species usually share a common phylogeographic history, but it is still largely unclear whether ecologically interacting species can respond synchronously to historical climate changes. Here, we focused on a fig-pollinator mutualism comprising Ficus pumila var. pumila and its obligate pollinators (morphospecies Wiebesia pumilae), and collected samples across most of their distribution ranges. We employed both cytoplasmic DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci to reveal the species composition within the pollinator and to test whether the two mutualists exhibited similar postglacial phylogeographic patterns. In the three cryptic pollinator species observed here, two dominant cryptic species were parapatric, covering the north and the south of the plant’s distribution range, respectively. Similar current spatial genetic structure was detected in the two dominant cryptic pollinator species and the plant, with an eastern and a western genetic cluster. Moreover, for these three species, evidence for postglacial expansion was found, and their potential refugia at the last glacial maximum were located in the east and the west of their distribution ranges. These results suggest their synchronous responses to historical climate changes. Our study therefore shows congruent phylogeographic patterns between obligate mutualists and highlight the role of biogeographic factors in shaping the current biodiversity across trophic levels.
Published Version
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