Habitat-related microgeographic variation of worker size and colony size in the ant Cataglyphis cursor |
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Authors: | Johanna Clémencet Claudie Doums |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire Fonctionnement et Evolution des Systèmes Ecologiques, UMR 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Bat A, 7ème étage, CC 237, 7 quai Saint-Bernard, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France |
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Abstract: | In social insects, colony size is a crucial life-history trait thought to have major implications for the evolution of social
complexity, especially in relation to worker size polymorphism. Yet, little is known about how ecological factors can affect
and constrain colony. Here, we explored the pattern of colony-size and worker-size variation in the Mediterranean ant Cataglyphis cursor, in relation to the type of habitats colonized (seaside vs. vineyard). The high level of the water table in the seaside habitat
could constrain the depth of C. cursor underground nests and directly constrain its colony size. If worker size increases with colony size, as observed in other
ant species, larger colony size and larger workers should be found in the vineyard populations. By comparing worker size among
16 populations, we verified that workers were significantly larger in the vineyard populations. We further determined that
the morphological similarities detected among populations from the same habitat type were not due to geographic or genetic
proximity. In two populations from each habitat type, the depth of nests was positively correlated with colony size and colony
size with worker size. Using a type II regression approach, we further showed that the difference between the two populations
in the depth of nest was sufficient to explain the difference in colony size, and similarly, variation in colony size was
sufficient to explain variation in worker size. Our results suggest that a single proximate ecological factor could lead to
significant variation in major life-history parameters. |
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Keywords: | Worker size Colony size Nest structure Dependent colony foundation Social insect |
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