Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA.
Proc Biol Sci. 2022 Jun 8;289(1976):20220496. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0496.
Selection may favour traits throughout an individual's lifetime or at a particular life stage. In many species of social insects, established colonies that are more genetically diverse outperform less diverse colonies with respect to a variety of traits that contribute to fitness, but whether selection favours high diversity in small colonies is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that selection favours genetically diverse colonies during the juvenile period using a multi-year field experiment with the harvester ant, . We used controlled matings to generate colonies that varied in genetic diversity and transplanted them into the field. We monitored their survival for seven (the 2015 cohort, = 149) and six (the 2016 cohort, = 157) years. Genetically more diverse colonies had greater survival, resulting in significant viability selection. However, in both cohorts survival was not influenced by genetic diversity until colonies were three years old. We suggest that changes in their internal organization enabled colonies to use the benefits of multiple genotypes, and discuss possible mechanisms that can generate this pattern.
选择可能有利于个体一生中或特定生命阶段的特征。在许多社会性昆虫物种中，与遗传多样性较低的群体相比，遗传多样性更高的已建立群体在多种有助于适应度的特征方面表现更优，但选择是否有利于小群体的高度多样性尚不清楚。我们使用收获蚁（）的多年野外实验检验了选择在幼年期有利于遗传多样性群体的假设。我们使用控制交配来产生遗传多样性不同的群体，并将它们移植到野外。我们监测了它们七年（2015 年队列， = 149）和六年（2016 年队列， = 157）的生存情况。遗传多样性更高的群体具有更高的存活率，从而导致显著的生存力选择。然而，在两个队列中，直到群体三岁时，遗传多样性才对生存产生影响。我们认为，它们内部组织的变化使群体能够利用多种基因型的好处，并讨论可能产生这种模式的机制。
