Nestmate recognition in the unicolonial ant Formica paralugubris

Chapuisat, Michel; Bernasconi, Christian; Hoehn, Sophie; Reuter, Max

doi:10.1093/beheco/arh128

Cited by 55 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Moreover the nestmate relatedness values are often indistinguishable from zero and unicoloniality is often associated with low overall genetic variability. Elsewhere in Europe, Formica species which follow a sessile life history in a stable habitat, indeed have the potential to develop unicoloniality as was confirmed by Chapuisat et al (2005) and Elias et al (2005). Our study suggests that F. rufa has the potential to do so when a population is hosted in a isolated forest complex without Serviformica in the near environment.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…In ant species that have a unicolonial population structure, each nest contains numerous queens, are interconnected and individuals move freely between nests (Chapuisat et al 2005, Holzer et al 2009). Moreover the nestmate relatedness values are often indistinguishable from zero and unicoloniality is often associated with low overall genetic variability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some extreme cases, even "unicolonial" populations or supercolonies (Helanterä et al 2009), where boundaries between populations are virtually absent, have been observed within the genus Formica (Chapuisat et al 2005, Holzer et al 2006, Bezděčková and Bezděčka 2011.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Polygyny and strong genetic structuring within an isolated population of the wood ant Formica rufa

Dekoninck¹,

Maebe²,

Breyne³

et al. 2014

JHR

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Social structuring of populations within some Formica species exhibits considerable variation going from monodomous and monogynous populations to polydomous, polygynous populations. The wood ant species Formica rufa appears to be mainly monodomous and monogynous throughout most of its distribution area in central and northern Europe. Only occasionally it was mentioned that F. rufa can have both polygynous and monogynous colonies in the same geographical region. We studied an isolated polydomous F. rufa population in a deciduous mixed forest in the north-west of Belgium. The level of polydomy within the colonies varied from monodomous to 11 nests per colony. Our genetic analysis of eight variable microsatellites suggest an oligo-to polygynous structure for at least the major part of the sampled nests. Relatedness amongst nest mate workers varies considerable within the population and colonies but confirms in general a polygynous structure. Additionally high genetic diversity (e.g. up to 8 out of 11 alleles per nest for the most variable locus) and high within nest genetic variance (93%) indicate that multiple queens contribute to the gene pool of workers of the same nest. Moreover significant genetic structuring among colonies indicates that gene flow between colonies is restricted and that exchange of workers between colonies is very limited. Finally we explain how possible factors as budding and the absence of Serviformica can explain the differences in genetic structure within this polygynous F. rufa population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Polygyny and strong genetic structuring within an isolated population of the wood ant Formica rufa

Dekoninck¹,

Maebe²,

Breyne³

et al. 2014

JHR

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“…In most social insects, the individuals recognize their relatives in the nest, and reject the conespecifi c intruders, maintaining the integrity of the colony and ensuring that altruism is directed toward the relatives (Chapuizat et al 2004). Discrimination between the members of a nest versus intruders occurs by comparing the phenotype of the olfactory signature of each individual that is met by an ant, with a custom olfactory reference, or template, the chemical signature of the ant that initiates the recognition of the intruder.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recognition of the members of the nest is a comparison of the signatures of other individuals with that of their nest (Boulay & Lenoir 2001). The standard method to study this process in ants is through aggression bioassays (Chapuizat et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hermetism between Camponotus morosus Smith and Linepithema humile Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

et al. 2017

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Hermetism, a behavior that isolates ant colonies, was studied in the laboratory between two ant species in Chile, Camponotus morosus Smith and Linepithema humile Mayr. Ants from fi ve nests of C. morosus and L. humile were used, transferring ten individuals per nest of one of the colonies to receiving nests of the other. Conducts, including antennal exploration (AE), mandible opening (MO), dorsal fl exion of the abdomen (DFA), biting (Bi), ventral fl exion of the abdomen (VFA), fi ght (Fi), transport of the intruder ant (TI), moving backwards (MB), and death (De) were recorded during ten min, with ten replicates. The times of occurrence ± SD of each event were analyzed with the Student t test. The events AE, MO, DFA, and MB had a short latency time in receiving L. humile, while C. morosus presented lesser latency for the events Bi, VFA, and Fi. When analyzing by χ 2 the frequency of occurrence of each event per species, AE and MO were similar in both species, and in aggression and rejection events like DFA, Bi, VFA, Fi, MB, TI, and De, there were greater frequencies of observations in C. morosus that in L. humile. From these results, C. morosus is a more hermetic ant than L. humile. KEYWORDS:Behavior events, artifi cial nests, Chile. RESUMENSe estudió en laboratorio el hermetismo, un comportamiento de aislación entre colonias entre dos especies de hormigas en Chile, Camponotus morosus Smith y Linepithema humile Mayr. Se utilizaron hormigas desde cinco nidos de C. morosus y L. humile, y se transfi rieron diez individuos por nido desde una de las colonias hacia nidos receptores de la otra. Las conductas se grabaron durante 10 min, incluyendo exploración con las antenas (EA), abertura mandibular (AM), fl exión dorsal del abdomen (FDA), mordedura (Mo), fl exión ventral of del abdomen (FVA), vuelo (Vu), transporte de la hormiga intrusa (TI), retroceso (Re) y muerte (Mu), con diez repeticiones El tiempo de desarrollo ± DS de cada evento se analizó con el test t de Student. Los eventos EA, AM, FDA y Re tuvieron un tiempo de latencia corto al recibir a L. humile, mientras que C. morosus presentó menor latencia en los eventos Mo, FVA y Vu. Al analizar mediante χ 2 la frecuencia de ocurrencia de cada evento, EA y AM fueron similares en ambas especies, y en los evento de agresión y rechazo como FDA, Mo, FVA, Vu, Re, TI y Mu hubo mayor frecuencia de observaciones en C. morosus que en L. humile. Con estos resultados, C. morosus es una hormiga más hermética que L. humile.

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The underdog invader: Breeding system and colony genetic structure of the dark rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr)

Eyer

Espinoza

Blumenfeld

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Ants are among the most successful species at invading new environments. Their success undeniably comes from their various modes of reproduction and colony breeding structures, which influence their dispersal ability, reproductive potential, and foraging strategies. Almost all invasive ant species studied so far form supercolonies, a dense network of interconnected nests comprising numerous queens, without aggression toward non-nestmates. This strategy results in invasive colonies that are able to grow extremely fast and large while avoiding intraspecific competition, allowing them to monopolize environmental resources and outcompete native species.Here, we developed and used 10 microsatellite markers to investigate the population structure and breeding system of the dark rover ant Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr in its introduced range. We determined whether this species exhibits a supercolonial structure by assessing whether different nests belonged to the same genetic colony. We inferred its dispersal ability by investigating isolation by distance and estimated the numbers of queens per colonies and mating per queen through parent-offspring inferences. We found that most of the colonies of B. patagonicus were comprised of a single nest, headed by a single queen. Each nest was distinct from one another, without isolation by distance, which suggests strong dispersal ability through nuptial flights. These features are commonly observed in noninvasive and native ant species, but they are surprising for a successful invasive ant, as they strongly differ from other invasive ants. Overall, we discuss how this seemingly unfavorable strategy for an invasive ant might favor the invasive success of the dark rover ant in the United States. K E Y W O R D Sants, colony breeding system, invasive species, monogyne, multicolonial structure

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Nestmate recognition in the unicolonial ant Formica paralugubris

Cited by 55 publications

References 30 publications

Polygyny and strong genetic structuring within an isolated population of the wood ant Formica rufa

Polygyny and strong genetic structuring within an isolated population of the wood ant Formica rufa

Hermetism between Camponotus morosus Smith and Linepithema humile Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The underdog invader: Breeding system and colony genetic structure of the dark rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr)

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