EVOLUTION OF POLLINATION AND MUTUALISM IN THE YUCCA MOTH LINEAGE

The obligate pollination mutualisms between yucca moths and yuccas are some of the most obvious cases of coevolution, but the phylogenetic o rigins and extent of coevolution in these interactions are little unde rstood. Ecological and phylogenetic information from the yucca moth fa mily, Prodoxidae, shows that pollination has evolved at least three ti mes from separate moth behaviors. Passive pollination occurs in Greya during nectaring by one species and during oviposition by two other sp ecies. Active pollination among prodoxids has evolved only once, in th e yucca moths. Several life-history traits necessary for the evolution of obligate mutualism are common traits within the Prodoxidae, and on ly active pollination and modified mouthparts appear to have been nove l traits in the yucca moths. We use moth and host biology in a phyloge netic framework to establish hypotheses for the evolution of active po llination and reciprocal specialization in the form of functional nect arlessness in yuccas.