Convergent community structure of passion vine specialist insect assemblages across a latitudinal gradient

Phytochemical variation acts as a mechanism governing food webs and is a product of dynamic ecological interactions between plants and animals. Moreover, phytochemistry interacts with other plant defensive traits to produce numerous combinations that emerge to govern herbivorous insect host usage in a multi-dimensional trait space. Indeed, we have observed such multi-dimensional combinations of plant defensive traits governing host usage patterns by parallel structured passion vine (Passiflora) specialized assemblages of caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) and flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticini) in a lowland wet forest in Costa Rica. In that system we found that metabolomic variation acts in concert with other suites of physical and biotic Passiflora defensive traits to predict similarity of beetle and caterpillar assemblages among host species. Exemplar results of that investigation are showcased here. However, the primary goal of this presentation is to make a comparative extension on that work. We present detailed visualizations on the structure of three distinct communities of Passiflora and the assemblages of caterpillars and flea beetles that coexist among them. These communities span a latitudinal gradient from Costa Rica to semi-arid ecosystems of South Texas and deciduous hardwood forests of the Southeastern United States. Hypotheses on proximate and ultimate reasons for emergence of convergent Passiflora - herbivore community structure across latitude are presented.