Extreme population differentiation in a vulnerable slavemaking ant with a fragmented distribution |
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Authors: | O Sanllorente R L Hammond F Ruano L Keller A Tinaut |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Biology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;(2) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK;(3) Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland |
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Abstract: | Understanding levels of population differentiation and inbreeding are important issues in conservation biology, especially
for social Hymenoptera with fragmented and small population sizes. Isolated populations are more vulnerable to genetic loss
and extinction than those with extended continuous distributions. However, small populations are not always a consequence
of a recent reduction of their habitat. Thus, determining the history of population isolation and current patterns of genetic
variation of a species is crucial for its conservation. Rossomyrmex minuchae is a slave-making ant with patchy distribution in South Eastern Spain and is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. In contrast,
the other three known species of the genus are presumed to show more uniform distributions. Here we investigate the genetic
diversity and population structure of R. minuchae and compare it with that found in two other species of the genus: R. anatolicus and R. quandratinodum. We conclude that although genetic diversity of R. minuchae is low, there is no evidence of a recent bottleneck, suggesting a gradual and natural fragmentation process. We also show
extreme population differentiation at nuclear and mitochondrial markers, and isolation by distance at a local scale. Despite
some evidence for inbreeding and low genetic variation within populations, we found almost no diploid males, a finding which
contrasts with that expected in inbred Hymenoptera with single locus complementary sex determination. This could mean that
sex is determined by another mechanism. We argue that continued low population size means that detrimental effects of inbreeding
and low genetic variation are likely in the future. We suggest that a policy of artificial gene flow aimed at increasing within
population variation is considered as a management option. |
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