Increased genetic diversity as a defence against parasites is undermined by social parasites:Microdon mutabilishoverflies infestingFormica lemaniant colonies
| Autor: | Karsten Schönrogge, Graham W. Elmes, Michael G. Gardner, Jeremy A. Thomas |
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| Rok vydání: | 2006 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Zoology Monogyny Biology medicine.disease_cause General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Host-Parasite Interactions Sexual Behavior Animal Infestation Genetic variation medicine Animals Parasite hosting Social Behavior Polygyny General Environmental Science Genetic diversity General Immunology and Microbiology Ants Ecology Diptera Genetic Variation General Medicine Ant colony Immunity Innate Myrmecophily Female General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Microsatellite Repeats Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 274:103-110 |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 0962-8452 |
| Popis: | Genetic diversity can benefit social insects by providing variability in immune defences against parasites and pathogens. However, social parasites of ants infest colonies and not individuals, and for them a different relationship between genetic diversity and resistance may exist. Here, we investigate the genetic variation, assessed using up to 12 microsatellite loci, of workers in 91Formica lemanicolonies in relation to their infestation by the specialist social parasiteMicrodon mutabilis. At the main study site, workers in infested colonies exhibited lower relatedness and higher estimated queen numbers, on average, than uninfested ones. Additionally, estimated queen numbers were negatively correlated with estimated average numbers of mates per queen within infested colonies. At another site, infested colonies also exhibited significantly lower worker relatedness, and estimated queen numbers were comparable in trend. In contrast, in two populations ofF. lemaniwhereM. mutabiliswas absent, relatedness within colonies was high (40 and 90% withR>0.6). While high genetic variation can benefit social insects by increasing their resistance to pathogens, there may be a cost in the increased likelihood of infiltration by social parasites owing to greater variation in nestmate recognition cues. This study provides the first empirical test of this hypothesis. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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