Ellis S, Procter D S, Buckham-Bonnett P, Robinson E J H
Department of Biology and York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, University of York, York, UK.
Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Insectes Soc. 2017;64(1):19-37. doi: 10.1007/s00040-016-0534-7. Epub 2016 Dec 5.
Identifying the boundaries of a social insect colony is vital for properly understanding its ecological function and evolution. Many species of ants are polydomous: colonies inhabit multiple, spatially separated, nests. Ascertaining which nests are parts of the same colony is an important consideration when studying polydomous populations. In this paper, we review the methods that are used to identify which nests are parts of the same polydomous colony and to determine the boundaries of colonies. Specifically, we define and discuss three broad categories of approach: identifying nests sharing resources, identifying nests sharing space, and identifying nests sharing genes. For each of these approaches, we review the theoretical basis, the limitations of the approach and the methods that can be used to implement it. We argue that all three broad approaches have merits and weaknesses, and provide a methodological comparison to help researchers select the tool appropriate for the biological question they are investigating.
确定社会性昆虫群落的边界对于正确理解其生态功能和进化至关重要。许多蚂蚁种类是多巢型的：群落栖息在多个空间分离的巢穴中。在研究多巢型种群时，确定哪些巢穴属于同一群落是一个重要的考量因素。在本文中，我们回顾了用于识别哪些巢穴属于同一多巢型群落以及确定群落边界的方法。具体来说，我们定义并讨论了三大类方法：识别共享资源的巢穴、识别共享空间的巢穴以及识别共享基因的巢穴。对于每一种方法，我们都回顾了其理论基础、方法的局限性以及可用于实施该方法的手段。我们认为这三大类方法都各有优缺点，并进行了方法学比较，以帮助研究人员选择适合他们所研究生物学问题的工具。
