Zoological Institute, Evolutionary Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
J Evol Biol. 2011 Dec;24(12):2721-30. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02397.x. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
The genetic structure of social insect populations is influenced by their social organization and dispersal modes. The ant Hypoponera opacior shows diverse reproductive behaviours with regular cycles of outbreeding via winged sexuals and inbreeding via within-nest mating wingless sexuals that reproduce by budding. This unusual life cycle should be reflected in the genetic population structure, and we studied this on different scales using microsatellites. On a macrogeographic scale, populations were considerably structured and migration rates within the Chiricahuas were higher than those in between mountain ranges. On a local scale, our analyses revealed population viscosity through dependent colony foundation and a high genetic diversity with a multicolonial structure. The latter was also evident from recognition trials revealing consistent aggression between non-nestmates. Within-nest matings led to high inbreeding coefficients. Finally, the observed seasonal changes in relatedness can be explained by variation in queen number and differential dispersal of the two reproductive morphs.
群居昆虫的种群遗传结构受其社会组织和扩散模式的影响。蚂蚁 Hypoponera opacior 表现出多种生殖行为，有规律的杂交通过有翼的性成熟个体进行，而近亲繁殖则通过无翼的性成熟个体进行芽殖。这种不寻常的生命周期应该反映在遗传种群结构中，我们使用微卫星在不同的尺度上对此进行了研究。在宏观地理尺度上，种群结构明显，奇里卡瓦山脉内部的迁徙率高于山脉之间的迁徙率。在局部尺度上，我们的分析通过依赖殖民地建立揭示了种群粘性，以及具有多殖民地结构的高遗传多样性。通过识别试验也发现了非巢伴之间的一致性攻击，证明了后者的存在。巢内交配导致高近交系数。最后，观察到的亲缘关系季节性变化可以通过蜂王数量的变化和两种生殖形态的差异扩散来解释。
