研究人员将野外实验、显微镜、化学分析、激光多普勒测振仪与系统演化比较分析相结合，证明两个食肉的猪笼草属物种在三个不同的性状上独立地演化出类似的适应性，从而获得了一种新的复合诱捕机制。
比较分析表明，这种新的性状是通过所需性状组合的“自发巧合”而趋同产生的，而不是在各组成性状中进行定向选择。这些研究结果表明了复合性状演化的合理机制，并强调了随机表型变异作为演化新颖性促进因素的重要性。
据了解，复合性状涉及多个成分，只有当这些成分组合在一起时，才能获得新的协同功能。因此，它们是如何演化的仍然是一个谜。
附：英文原文
Title: Convergence in carnivorous pitcher plants reveals a mechanism for composite trait evolution
Author: Guillaume Chomicki, Gustavo Burin, Lucas Busta, Jedrzej Gozdzik, Reinhard Jetter, Beth Mortimer, Ulrike Bauer
Issue&Volume: 2024-01-05
Abstract: Composite traits involve multiple components that, only when combined, gain a new synergistic function. Thus, how they evolve remains a puzzle. We combined field experiments, microscopy, chemical analyses, and laser Doppler vibrometry with comparative phylogenetic analyses to show that two carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant species independently evolved similar adaptations in three distinct traits to acquire a new, composite trapping mechanism. Comparative analyses suggest that this new trait arose convergently through “spontaneous coincidence” of the required trait combination, rather than directional selection in the component traits. Our results indicate a plausible mechanism for composite trait evolution and highlight the importance of stochastic phenotypic variation as a facilitator of evolutionary novelty.
DOI: ade0529
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade0529