Yuccas, Yucca Moths, and Coevolution: A Review

yuccas (Agavaceae) and yucca moths (Lepidoptera.I'rodoy i.lar). in win r progeny I ■ classically < ■ 1872, our limit-islanding ol 1 1 1< -ecology and evolution of lliis ass( ha-increased dramatically in the past decade.Here I rc current information on organiamal diversity and genetic relationship-, ecological i olat ionshi|)s.origin and reversal ol the mutualism, and the |io|enlial lor an patterns of co-speciation and the historical role of coe n -pcilic trails in «lfi\ inii diversification in tin action.Majoi uo| de in recent voar-include the recognition ol a large species complej ol polli previously thought t ■cular clock to phylogenetic data s other pollinator -pocic-.This appeal-to have happened nol llnnMgli -election for cheating.I. lit rather of a phonological -lull to an iinexplnilod -eed resource, in which case pollination behavior became redui ol' parallel di\ ei si Ileal ion and charade) eoe\ olnl ion are 1 1a m p ).I>).Since first applied in pects of these groups appear to he important it plant-animal interactions as a hypothesis to explain driving diversification and speciation.This migh diversification among butterflies and flowering involve, for example, chemical, physiological.an< plants (Khrlich & Raven.1961).it has been ap-morphological arms races between the interactin plied successfully in comparative analyses to test organisms.rates of diversification in ecologically I Hod Our understanding of (revolutionary processes a groups, such as plant-feeding insects and parasil-population il ami species levels is still in its infanc oids (Mitter el al.. I(>i!«'»: \\ ieginann el al.. IWi; because identification of proximal factors of diver Becerra, 1997;Farrell, 1998; Becerra & Venable.sification relies on strong phylogenetic hypothese 1999).Several such studies show that plants and for the intera< >ars.They include