RESUMO
Invasive species are a global threat to biodiversity, and understanding their history and biology is a major goal of invasion biology. Population-genetic approaches allow insights into these features, as population structure is shaped by factors such as invasion history (number, origin and age of introductions) and life-history traits (e.g., mating system, dispersal capability). We compared the relative importance of these factors by investigating two closely related ants, Tetramorium immigrans and Tetramorium tsushimae, that differ in their social structure and invasion history in North America. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite alleles to estimate the source and number of introduction events of the two species, and compared genetic structure among native and introduced populations. Genetic diversity of both species was strongly reduced in introduced populations, which also differed genetically from native populations. Genetic differentiation between ranges and the reduction in microsatellite diversity were more severe in the more recently introduced and supercolonial T. tsushimae. However, the loss of mitochondrial haplotype diversity was more pronounced in T. immigrans, which has single-queen colonies and was introduced earlier. Tetramorium immigrans was introduced at least twice from Western Europe to North America and once independently to South America. Its monogyny might have limited genetic diversity per introduction, but new mutations and successive introductions over a long time may have added to the gene pool in the introduced range. Polygyny in T. tsushimae probably facilitated the simultaneous introduction of several queens from a Japanese population to St. Louis, USA. In addition to identifying introduction pathways, our results reveal how social structure can influence the population-genetic consequences of founder events.
Assuntos
Variação Genética , Genética Populacional , Europa (Continente) , Espécies Introduzidas , Repetições de Microssatélites , América do Norte , América do SulRESUMO
In social insects, the maintenance of genetic colony integrity requires resident workers to recognize any intruder with a reproductive potential and to behave appropriately to minimize fitness costs. In this study, our objective was to identify the relative contribution of the behavioral patterns and chemical cues of intruders with different fertility status on their likelihood of being accepted in monogynous colonies. Using the ponerine ant Odontomachus hastatus as a model organism, we introduced non-nestmate workers, founding queens and heterospecific workers on intact nests in the field. We demonstrated that resident workers were more aggressive toward founding queens than toward non-nestmates workers originating from the same or a distant population. Lab experiments showed that the patterns of aggression did not differ substantially between chilled and live ants, which suggests that chemical cues alone allow caste discrimination. However, the absence of behavioral cues produced more variable results in the outcome of interactions. We also showed that resident workers readily accepted non-nestmate mature queens. The analysis of cuticular profiles revealed that individuals belonging to different castes and fertility status have contrasted chemical signatures. Overall, our study revealed that workers exhibit a graded behavioral response depending on the reproductive status of intruders. We discussed the observed variation in the extent of aggression in relation to the potential fitness costs associated with acceptance or rejection error of individuals differing in fertility status.