Population- and sociogenetic structure of the leaf-cutter ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Atta colombica</Emphasis> (Formicidae,Myrmicinae) |
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Authors: | M Helmkampf J Gadau H Feldhaar |
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Institution: | (1) Zoological Museum of the University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany;(2) School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ 85287–4501, USA;(3) Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter of the University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany |
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Abstract: | Relatedness and genetic variability in colonies of social insects are strongly influenced by the number of queens present
and the number of matings per queen, but also by the genetic variability in the population. Thus, multiple paternity will
enhance within-colony genetic variability more strongly when the males a queen mates with are unrelated. To study the kin-structure
within colonies of the leaf-cutter ant Atta colombica and the population structure of this species around Barro Colorado Island, Panama, we developed five polymorphic microsatellite
loci with a range of three to 17 alleles in At. colombica, all of which cross-amplify in other higher attines as well. The average effective mating frequency calculated from four-locus
microsatellite genotypes was 1.89 ± 0.12 (harmonic mean ± SE) and thus slightly lower than the average observed mating frequency
of 2.50 ± 0.11 (arithmetic mean ± SE) over the 55 colonies studied, confirming former studies that utilized fewer loci. The
discrepancy between observed mating frequency and effective mating frequency is most probably due to paternity skew within
colonies. The study population proved to be genetically diverse and in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, suggesting random mating
within the study area. No population substructure was observed, neither considering nuclear (global F
ST = 0.011 ± 0.003 SE) nor mitochondrial markers (mean ΦST = 0.008). Consequently, gene flow is obviously promoted by both sexes across the range investigated here. Thus, multiple
mating and long-distance dispersal appear to be two interconnected behavioural mechanisms to create and maintain genetic diversity
in At. colombica. The advantages of this system are partly offset by paternity skew and the non-zero relatedness among colony fathers found
in the study population.
Received 18 March 2008; revised 14 July 2008; accepted 18 July 2008. |
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Keywords: | :" target="_blank">: Ants Attini multiple mating microsatellites polyandry population genetics |
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