Outnumbered: a new dominant ant species with genetically diverse supercolonies in Ethiopia
| Autor: | Margaret D. Lowman, Daniela Magdalena Sorger, Warren Booth, Mark W. Moffett, A. Wassie Eshete |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Entomology Ecology computer.file_format Hymenoptera Biology Formicinae biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Invasive species 03 medical and health sciences 030104 developmental biology Population bottleneck Lepisiota Insect Science Genetic variation RDFa computer Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Insectes Sociaux. 64:141-147 |
| ISSN: | 1420-9098 0020-1812 |
| Popis: | A Lepisiota (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) species in Ethiopia has been observed forming supercolonies spanning up to 38 km. L. canescens occurs at very high densities where there is sufficient moisture or herbaceous cover and dominates the local ant community, traits reminiscent of an invasive species. The supercolonies are genetically diverse, however, indicating they have not gone through the population bottleneck usually characteristic of species invasions. We conclude that the species is native to this region, though expanding its range locally into areas of human disturbance, where it is exploding in numbers. The lack of aggression across a genetically diverse population suggests that mitochondrial genetic variation is decoupled from variation relating to colony recognition cues like cuticular hydrocarbons. All in all, L. canescens could have the makings of an invasive species at an international scale and may represent a novel system to study the evolution and spread of supercolonies in ants. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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