Population genetics of Formica ants

Autor: Pekka Pamilo, Bohdan Pisarski, Kari Vepsäläinen, Rainer Rosengren, Sirkka-Liisa Varvio-Aho
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Hereditas. 89:233-248
ISSN: 0018-0661
Popis: Enzyme gene variability was studied in European populations of 13 Formica ant species. Average gene diversity within nests ranged in different species from 0 to 0.047 and within populations from 0 to 0.078, the averages being 0.015 and 0.043, respectively. The results are consistent with earlier studies and theoretical models, which predict reduced genic variation in haplodiploid species. The evolutionary strategies of aculeate Hymenoptera may deviate the genetic structure of populations to the same direction as haplodiploidy, either by stabilizing environmental conditions or splitting the population into small groups with increasing ability to inbreeding. The results indicate genotype-environment interaction, as the average gene diversity was lower in nests and populations of mound-building species with stable and permanent nests, than in ground-nesting species. This was partly due to the social structure of the populations, as such a difference was not observed among the monogynous species. The amount of variation increased with increasing degree of polygyny and polycaly among the ground-nesting species, but not in the mound-building species. Geographic differences between conspecific populations were small. Differentiation was remarkable only between disjunct populations of F. aquilonia from Finland and Scotland.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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