Pairwise genetic comparisons of an emergent plant-antagonist interaction

The emergence of interactions between plants and antagonist insects often drive community assembly and evolutionary diversification processes.  However, the relative roles of intrinsic, extrinsic, and stochastic variation in shaping these antagonistic interactions is poorly understood.  A recently emergent interaction between the invasive Chinese Tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) and a specialist gracillariid herbivore, Caloptilia triadicae, provides a natural laboratory for examining the evolution and maintenance of antagonistic interactions.  Here, I examine phylogeographic patterns of this association using pairwise comparisons between caterpillar mitochondrial sequence (CO1) data and chloroplast sequences (Tab C-F) from the Chinese Tallow tree, as well as microsatellite data for both caterpillars and host trees to assess the roles of deterministic (intrinsic and extrinsic) and stochastic variables.