Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Matthews, Alix E.
• Kellner, Katrin
• Seal, Jon N.

Titel

Male‐biased dispersal in a fungus‐gardening ant symbiosis

Ist Teil von

• Ecology and evolution, 2021-03, Vol.11 (5), p.2307-2320

Ort / Verlag

England: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Free E-Journal (出版社公開部分のみ）

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• For nearly all organisms, dispersal is a fundamental life‐history trait that can shape their ecology and evolution. Variation in dispersal capabilities within a species exists and can influence population genetic structure and ecological interactions. In fungus‐gardening (attine) ants, co‐dispersal of ants and mutualistic fungi is crucial to the success of this obligate symbiosis. Female‐biased dispersal (and gene flow) may be favored in attines because virgin queens carry the responsibility of dispersing the fungi, but a paucity of research has made this conclusion difficult. Here, we investigate dispersal of the fungus‐gardening ant Trachymyrmex septentrionalis using a combination of maternally (mitochondrial DNA) and biparentally inherited (microsatellites) markers. We found three distinct, spatially isolated mitochondrial DNA haplotypes; two were found in the Florida panhandle and the other in the Florida peninsula. In contrast, biparental markers illustrated significant gene flow across this region and minimal spatial structure. The differential patterns uncovered from mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers suggest that most long‐distance ant dispersal is male‐biased and that females (and concomitantly the fungus) have more limited dispersal capabilities. Consequently, the limited female dispersal is likely an important bottleneck for the fungal symbiont. This bottleneck could slow fungal genetic diversification, which has significant implications for both ant hosts and fungal symbionts regarding population genetics, species distributions, adaptive responses to environmental change, and coevolutionary patterns. A TCS haplotype network for Trachymyrmex septentrionalis constructed with COI DNA sequences. Populations of T. septentrionalis in Northern Florida are characterized by two haplotypes found in the panhandle and another found in the peninsula. These clusters are largely nonoverlapping since only two sequences clustering with the panhandle were found in the peninsula.