Hartke Juliane, Sprenger Philipp P, Sahm Jacqueline, Winterberg Helena, Orivel Jérôme, Baur Hannes, Beuerle Till, Schmitt Thomas, Feldmeyer Barbara, Menzel Florian
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main Germany.
Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz Mainz Germany.
Ecol Evol. 2019 Jul 21;9(16):9160-9176. doi: 10.1002/ece3.5464. eCollection 2019 Aug.
Upon advances in sequencing techniques, more and more morphologically identical organisms are identified as cryptic species. Often, mutualistic interactions are proposed as drivers of diversification. Species of the neotropical parabiotic ant association between and are known for highly diverse cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles, which in insects serve as desiccation barrier but also as communication cues. In the present study, we investigated the association of the ants' CHC profiles with genotypes and morphological traits, and discovered cryptic species pairs in both genera. To assess putative niche differentiation between the cryptic species, we conducted an environmental association study that included various climate variables, canopy cover, and mutualistic plant species. Although mostly sympatric, the two species seem to prefer different climate niches. However in the two species, we could not detect any differences in niche preference. The strong differentiation in the CHC profiles may thus suggest a possible role during speciation itself either by inducing assortative mating or by reinforcing sexual selection after the speciation event. We did not detect any further niche differences in the environmental parameters tested. Thus, it remains open how the cryptic species avoid competitive exclusion, with scope for further investigations.
随着测序技术的进步，越来越多形态相同的生物被鉴定为隐存种。通常，互利共生相互作用被认为是物种多样化的驱动因素。新热带地区 与 之间的共生蚂蚁组合的物种以高度多样的表皮碳氢化合物（CHC）谱而闻名，在昆虫中，CHC既作为干燥屏障，也作为通讯信号。在本研究中，我们调查了蚂蚁的CHC谱与基因型和形态特征之间的关联，并在两个属中发现了隐存种对。为了评估隐存种之间假定的生态位分化，我们进行了一项环境关联研究，其中包括各种气候变量、树冠覆盖率和共生植物物种。尽管这两个 物种大多同域分布，但它们似乎更喜欢不同的气候生态位。然而，在两个 物种中，我们没有检测到生态位偏好的任何差异。因此，CHC谱的强烈分化可能表明其在物种形成过程中本身可能通过诱导选型交配或在物种形成事件后加强性选择而发挥作用。在测试的环境参数中，我们没有检测到任何进一步的生态位差异。因此，隐存种如何避免竞争排斥仍未可知，有待进一步研究。
