History proves that many close-interacting species in nature have the ability to influence the evolution of one another. Dr. Ramirez introduced the unique relationship existing between euglossine bees and varying orchid plants. In the process of uncovering the potential coevolutionary basis for their development, Dr. Ramirez discovers a cascade of information on the speciation and chemical ecology of the euglossine bees. Due to the absence of obvious floral rewards, a commensal relationship is the initial assumption. Dr. Ramirez reconstructs the evolutionary history of the euglossine bees by formatting their phylogenetic analysis within a mutualistic paradigm. It is apparent that the diversification of these orchid-bees parallel the evolving
