Head and mandible shapes are highly integrated yet represent two distinct modules within and among worker subcastes of the ant genus Pheidole
| Autor: | Alexandre Casadei-Ferreira, Nicholas R. Friedman, Evan P. Economo, Marcio R. Pie, Rodrigo M. Feitosa |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Mandible (arthropod mouthpart) 03 medical and health sciences Pheidole ant geometric morphometrics Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics QH540-549.5 Original Research 030304 developmental biology Nature and Landscape Conservation Morphometrics 0303 health sciences microCT Ecology Flexibility (personality) New World biology.organism_classification Brood Sexual dimorphism Evolutionary biology Allometry Adaptation 3D |
| Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution, Vol 11, Iss 11, Pp 6104-6118 (2021) Ecology and Evolution |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ece3.7422 |
| Popis: | Ants use their mandibles for a wide variety of tasks related to substrate manipulation, brood transport, food processing, and colony defense. Due to constraints involved in colony upkeep, ants evolved a remarkable diversity of mandibular forms, often related to specific roles such as specialized hunting and seed milling. Considering these varied functional demands, we focused on understanding how the mandible and head shape vary within and between Pheidole subcastes. Using x‐ray microtomography and 3D geometric morphometrics, we tested whether these structures are integrated and modular, and how ecological predictors influenced these features. Our results showed that mandible and head shape of majors and minor workers tend to vary from robust to slender, with some more complex changes related to the mandibular base. Additionally, we found that head and mandible shapes are characterized by a high degree of integration, but with little correlation with feeding and nesting habits. Our results suggest that a combination of structural (allometric) constraints and the behavioral flexibility conferred by subcaste dimorphism might largely buffer selective pressures that would otherwise lead to a fine‐tuning between ecological conditions and morphological adaptation. In this manuscript, we used X‐ray microtomography and 3D geometric morphometrics, to test whether head and mandibles in workers of the ant genus Pheidole are integrated and modular, and how ecological predictors influenced these features. Our results suggest that a combination of structural (allometric) constraints and the behavioral flexibility conferred by subcaste dimorphism might largely buffer selective pressures that would otherwise lead to a fine‐tuning between ecological conditions and morphological adaptation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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