Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift
Summary: Insects are important pollinators, and entomophilous pollination of gymnosperms occurred long before the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms, but most extant pollination systems involve angiosperms. We studied four thrips of the extinct genus Tethysthrips present in Albian (Early Cretaceous...
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003682 |
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| author | Enrique Peñalver Constanza Peña-Kairath Eduardo Barrón Patricia Nel André Nel Xavier Delclòs David Peris Mónica M. Solórzano-Kraemer Ana Rodrigo |
| author_facet | Enrique Peñalver Constanza Peña-Kairath Eduardo Barrón Patricia Nel André Nel Xavier Delclòs David Peris Mónica M. Solórzano-Kraemer Ana Rodrigo |
| author_sort | Enrique Peñalver |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Insects are important pollinators, and entomophilous pollination of gymnosperms occurred long before the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms, but most extant pollination systems involve angiosperms. We studied four thrips of the extinct genus Tethysthrips present in Albian (Early Cretaceous) Spanish amber, one of which carried a patch of gymnosperm Cycadopites pollen grains, some of them attached around the mouthparts, providing direct fossil evidence of pollinivory and pollination. We describe the new species Tethysthrips attenboroughi, which belongs to the extant family Thripidae (suborder Terebrantia). In addition, we studied a Cycadopites pollen load in one specimen belonging to stem group Phlaeothripidae (suborder Tubulifera), from Cenomanian Burmese amber. This illustrates an ancient stage of gymnosperm plant host that most likely favored the later stage involving angiosperms. The absence of extant pollinators of gymnosperms in Thripidae and Phlaeothripidae, and in the terebrantian family Melanthripidae, which contain Cretaceous pollinators of gymnosperms, indicates impoverishment in their gymnosperm relationship. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b59fa325d36446fb5da97bfbbcb693b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-3b59fa325d36446fb5da97bfbbcb693b2025-08-20T02:16:44ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-04-0128411210810.1016/j.isci.2025.112108Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shiftEnrique Peñalver0Constanza Peña-Kairath1Eduardo Barrón2Patricia Nel3André Nel4Xavier Delclòs5David Peris6Mónica M. Solórzano-Kraemer7Ana Rodrigo8Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain; Corresponding authorDepartament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, SpainInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, SpainInstitut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, FranceInstitut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, FranceDepartament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, SpainInstitut Botànic de Barcelona (CSIC–CMCNB), 08038 Barcelona, SpainSenckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt Am Main, GermanyInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, SpainSummary: Insects are important pollinators, and entomophilous pollination of gymnosperms occurred long before the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms, but most extant pollination systems involve angiosperms. We studied four thrips of the extinct genus Tethysthrips present in Albian (Early Cretaceous) Spanish amber, one of which carried a patch of gymnosperm Cycadopites pollen grains, some of them attached around the mouthparts, providing direct fossil evidence of pollinivory and pollination. We describe the new species Tethysthrips attenboroughi, which belongs to the extant family Thripidae (suborder Terebrantia). In addition, we studied a Cycadopites pollen load in one specimen belonging to stem group Phlaeothripidae (suborder Tubulifera), from Cenomanian Burmese amber. This illustrates an ancient stage of gymnosperm plant host that most likely favored the later stage involving angiosperms. The absence of extant pollinators of gymnosperms in Thripidae and Phlaeothripidae, and in the terebrantian family Melanthripidae, which contain Cretaceous pollinators of gymnosperms, indicates impoverishment in their gymnosperm relationship.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003682PaleontologyEvolutionary processesEvolutionary history |
| spellingShingle | Enrique Peñalver Constanza Peña-Kairath Eduardo Barrón Patricia Nel André Nel Xavier Delclòs David Peris Mónica M. Solórzano-Kraemer Ana Rodrigo Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift iScience Paleontology Evolutionary processes Evolutionary history |
| title | Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift |
| title_full | Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift |
| title_fullStr | Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift |
| title_short | Diverse Mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm-to-angiosperm plant-host ecological shift |
| title_sort | diverse mesozoic thrips carrying pollen during the gymnosperm to angiosperm plant host ecological shift |
| topic | Paleontology Evolutionary processes Evolutionary history |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003682 |
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