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Cordonnier M, Felten D, Trindl A, Heinze J, Bernadou A. Absence of genetic isolation across highly fragmented landscape in the ant Temnothorax nigriceps. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:91. [PMID: 35840881 PMCID: PMC9284864 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02044-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Human activities, including changes in agricultural landscapes, often impact biodiversity through habitat fragmentation. This potentially reduces genetic exchange between previously connected populations. Using a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial markers, we investigated (i) genetic diversity and population structure at multiple spatial scales and (ii) colony genetic structure and queen mating frequency in the ant species Temnothorax nigriceps in a highly anthropized environment.
Results
Although the results highlighted genetic structure on a European spatial scale, they did not reveal an impact of fragmentation on a regional scale, and we did not observe any genetic population structure on a regional scale. Across all populations, regardless of their geographical location, colony structure suggested monogyny (a single queen per colony) and monandry (single mating). However, nestmates were more related than expected, indicating that large-scale dispersal does not fully prevent genetic isolation.
Conclusions
Despite living in fragmented patches of habitat, populations of Temnothorax nigriceps are apparently genetically not isolated at a regional scale. However, large-scale dispersal alone does not prevent genetic isolation. The ecological requirements of T. nigriceps may explain their resilience to habitat fragmentation by allowing them to survive in very small patches of suitable habitat. The deeper investigation of the diversity of functional habitats for this species should allow to appreciate better the mechanisms permitting this species to overcome the negative impacts of fragmentation.
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Masoni A, Coppi A, Balzani P, Frizzi F, Fani R, Zaccaroni M, Santini G. Assessing Molecular Diversity in Native and Introduced Populations of Red Wood Ant Formica paralugubris. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12. [PMID: 36428391 DOI: 10.3390/ani12223165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Formica rufa group comprises several ant species which are collectively referred to as "red wood ants" and play key roles in boreal forest ecosystems, where they are ecologically dominant and greatly influence habitat dynamics. Owing to their intense predatory activity, some of these species are used as biocontrol agents against several forest insect pests and for this aim in Italy, nearly 6000 ant nests were introduced from their native areas in the Alps to several Appeninic sites during the last century. In this work, we assessed and compared the genetic variability and structure of native and introduced populations of F. paralugubris, thus evaluating the extent of genetic drift that may have occurred since the time of introduction, using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. PCR amplification with a fam_EcoRI-TAC/MseI-ATG primers combination produced a total of 147 scorable bands, with 17 identified as outlier loci. The genetic variation was higher in the introduced population compared to the native ones that, on the other hand, showed a higher diversity between nests. AMOVA results clearly pointed out that the overall genetic structure was dominated by among-worker variation, considering all populations, the Alpine vs. Apennine groups and the comparison among native and related introduced populations (all ranging between 77.84% and 79.84%). Genetic analyses unveiled the existence of six main different groups that do not entirely mirror their geographic subdivision, pointing towards a wide admixture between populations, but, at the same time, rapid diversification of some Apennine populations. Future studies based on high-throughput genomic methods are needed to obtain a thorough understanding of the effects of environmental pressure on the genetic structure and mating system of these populations.
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Zakharov AA, Yanushev VV. Myrmecophilous Beetles in the Colonies of the Red Wood Ant Formica aquilonia Yarrow (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). BIOL BULL+ 2019. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359019050145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Molina-Venegas R, Llorente-Culebras S, Ruiz-Benito P, Rodríguez MA. Evolutionary history predicts the response of tree species to forest loss: A case study in peninsular Spain. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204365. [PMID: 30235313 PMCID: PMC6147707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary history can explain species resemblance to a large extent. Thus, if closely related species share combinations of traits that modulate their response to environmental changes, then phylogeny could predict species sensitivity to novel stressors such as increased levels of deforestation. To test this hypothesis, we used 66,949 plots (25-m-radius) of the Spanish National Forest Inventory and modelled the relationships between local (plot-level) stem density of 61 Holarctic tree species and forest canopy cover measured at local and landscape scales (concentric circles centred on the plots with radiuses of 1.6, 3.2 and 6.4 km, respectively). Then, we used the output model equations to estimate the probability of occurrence of the species as a function of forest canopy cover (i.e. response to forest loss), and quantified the phylogenetic signal in their responses using a molecular phylogeny. Most species showed a lower probability of occurrence when forest canopy cover in the plots (local scale) was low. However, the probability of occurrence of many species increased when forest canopy cover decreased across landscape scales. We detected a strong phylogenetic signal in species response to forest loss at local and small landscape (1.6 km) scales. However, phylogenetic signal was weak and non-significant at intermediate (3.2 km) and large (6.4 km) landscape scales. Our results suggest that phylogenetic information could be used to prioritize forested areas for conservation, since evolutionary history may largely determine species response to forest loss. As such, phylogenetically diverse forests might ensure contrasted responses to deforestation, and thus less abrupt reductions in the abundances of the constituent species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paloma Ruiz-Benito
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel A Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
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Berman M, Austin CM, Burridge CP, Miller AD. Social structure and landscape genetics of the endemic New Caledonian ant Leptomyrmex pallens Emery, 1883 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), in the context of fire-induced rainforest fragmentation. CONSERV GENET 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-016-0833-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Vanhala T, Watts K, A’hara S, Cottrell J. Population genetics of Formica aquilonia wood ants in Scotland: the effects of long-term forest fragmentation and recent reforestation. CONSERV GENET 2014; 15:853-68. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0584-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Sanllorente O, Hammond RL, Ruano F, Keller L, Tinaut A. Extreme population differentiation in a vulnerable slavemaking ant with a fragmented distribution. CONSERV GENET 2010; 11:1701-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-010-0063-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Abstract
Landscape genetics has seen rapid growth in number of publications since the term was coined in 2003. An extensive literature search from 1998 to 2008 using keywords associated with landscape genetics yielded 655 articles encompassing a vast array of study organisms, study designs and methodology. These publications were screened to identify 174 studies that explicitly incorporated at least one landscape variable with genetic data. We systematically reviewed this set of papers to assess taxonomic and temporal trends in: (i) geographic regions studied; (ii) types of questions addressed; (iii) molecular markers used; (iv) statistical analyses used; and (v) types and nature of spatial data used. Overall, studies have occurred in geographic regions proximal to developed countries and more commonly in terrestrial vs. aquatic habitats. Questions most often focused on effects of barriers and/or landscape variables on gene flow. The most commonly used molecular markers were microsatellites and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLPs), with AFLPs used more frequently in plants than animals. Analysis methods were dominated by Mantel and assignment tests. We also assessed differences among journals to evaluate the uniformity of reporting and publication standards. Few studies presented an explicit study design or explicit descriptions of spatial extent. While some landscape variables such as topographic relief affected most species studied, effects were not universal, and some species appeared unaffected by the landscape. Effects of habitat fragmentation were mixed, with some species altering movement paths and others unaffected. Taken together, although some generalities emerged regarding effects of specific landscape variables, results varied, thereby reinforcing the need for species-specific work. We conclude by: highlighting gaps in knowledge and methodology, providing guidelines to authors and reviewers of landscape genetics studies, and suggesting promising future directions of inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Storfer
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
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Abstract
Studies comparing dispersal in fragmented versus unfragmented landscapes show that habitat fragmentation alters the dispersal behavior of many species. We used two complementary approaches to explore Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) dispersal in relation to landscape fragmentation. First, we compared dispersal distances of color-marked individuals in intensively monitored continuous and fragmented landscapes. Second, we estimated effective dispersal relative to the degree of fragmentation (as inferred from two landscape indexes: proportion of study site covered with Florida Scrub-Jay habitat and mean distance to nearest habitat patch within each study site) by comparing genetic isolation-by-distance regressions among 13 study sites having a range of landscape structures. Among color-banded individuals, dispersal distances were greater in fragmented versus continuous landscapes, a result consistent with other studies. Nevertheless, genetic analyses revealed that effective dispersal decreases as the proportion of habitat in the landscape decreases. These results suggest that although individual Florida Scrub-Jays may disperse farther as fragmentation increases, those that do so are less successful as breeders than those that disperse short distances. Our study highlights the importance of combining observational data with genetic inferences when evaluating the complex biological and life-history implications of dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Coulon
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA.
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Seifert B, Kulmuni J, Pamilo P. Independent hybrid populations of Formica polyctena X rufa wood ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) abound under conditions of forest fragmentation. Evol Ecol 2010; 24:1219-37. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-010-9371-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Dimarco RD, Farji-Brener AG, Premoli AC. Dear enemy phenomenon in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis: behavioral and genetic evidence. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Weinstein P. Can human health outcomes be used as bioindicators of ecosystem function? Med Hypotheses 2010; 74:268-9. [PMID: 19800176 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2009.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2009] [Accepted: 09/07/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Bioindicators of ecosystem health, such as ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) diversity, reflect the ultimate (evolutionary) drivers of ecosystem function. Surveillance data on human population health, such as the frequency of ant stings, also provide a useful bioindicator of ecosystem health in so far as the presence of imported, stinging, pest species reflects the proximate (mechanistic) drivers of ecosystem function. The relationship between human health surveillance data and the ultimate drivers of ecosystem function has however not been studied at a research level. The possible integrated use of such apparently disparate data may offer a new tool to help manage our environment sustainably for the concurrent benefit of both ecosystem health and human health. Productive directions for research in this field are likely to lie in areas where disease outcomes are dependent on environmental intermediaries, such as vector borne or water borne infectious diseases, and the paper provides one worked example using allergy to ant stings as a case study.
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SEPPÄ PERTTU, HELANTERÄ HEIKKI, CHERNENKO ANTON, TRONTTI KALEVI, PUNTTILA PEKKA, SUNDSTRÖM LISELOTTE. Population genetics of the black ant Formica lemani (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2009.01192.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Rees SD, Orledge GM, Bruford MW, Bourke AFG. Genetic structure of the Black Bog Ant (Formica picea Nylander) in the United Kingdom. CONSERV GENET 2010; 11:823-34. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-009-9915-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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BERGHOFF SM, KRONAUER DJC, EDWARDS KJ, FRANKS NR. Dispersal and population structure of a New World predator, the army antEciton burchellii. J Evol Biol 2008; 21:1125-32. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2008.01531.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Keyghobadi N. The genetic implications of habitat fragmentation for animalsThis review is one of a series dealing with some aspects of the impact of habitat fragmentation on animals and plants. This series is one of several virtual symposia focussing on ecological topics that will be published in the Journal from time to time. CAN J ZOOL 2007. [DOI: 10.1139/z07-095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of studies dealing with the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation, in large part because of the increasing accessibility of techniques for assessing molecular genetic variation in wild populations. This body of work is extremely diverse and encompasses a variety of approaches that define and measure both habitat fragmentation and its potential genetic impacts. Here, I summarize the main questions that are being addressed, and approaches being taken, in empirical studies of the genetic impacts of habitat fragmentation in animals. Considerable effort has been spent in documenting how levels of genetic diversity, and the spatial distribution of that diversity, are altered by habitat fragmentation. However, proportionately less effort has been invested in directly examining specific genetic and evolutionary processes that may affect the persistence of populations inhabiting fragmented landscapes: inbreeding depression, the loss of adaptive potential, and the accumulation of deleterious mutations. One area in which considerable progress has been made over the past decade is in the development and application of novel methods for inferring demographic and landscape ecological characteristics of animals, particularly dispersal patterns, using genetic tools. In this area, a significant integration of genetic and ecological approaches in the study of fragmented populations is occurring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nusha Keyghobadi
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, BGS 234a, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada (e-mail: )
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Lada H, Mac Nally R, Taylor AC. Distinguishing past from present gene flow along and across a river: the case of the carnivorous marsupial (Antechinus flavipes) on southern Australian floodplains. CONSERV GENET 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-007-9372-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Dalecky A, Debout G, Estoup A, McKey DB, Kjellberg F. Changes in mating system and social structure of the ant Petalomyrmex phylax are associated with range expansion in Cameroon. Evolution 2007; 61:579-95. [PMID: 17348921 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00044.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Past climate shifts have led to major oscillations in species distributions. Hence historical contingencies and selective processes occurring during such phases may be determinants for understanding the forces that have shaped extant phenotypes. In the plant-ant Petalomyrmex phylax (Formicinae), we observed spatial variation in number of queens in mature colonies, from several queens (high polygyny) in the median part of its distribution to a moderate number of queens (weak polygyny) or even only a single queen (monogyny) in the southwesternmost populations. This variation did not correlate with indicators of variation in current nest site availability and colony turnover, the supposedly determinant selective forces acting on gyny in ants. We show here that the variation in social structure correlates with a historical process corresponding to a progressive colonization of coastal southern Cameroon by the ant. Using microsatellite markers, we observed a clear pattern of isolation by distance except for the southernmost populations. Measures of genetic variability that do not take into account allele size were at equilibrium in all except the southernmost populations, suggesting recent foundation of the latter. Measures of genetic diversity taking into account allele size showed a clinal north-south decrease in variance of allele size. We propose that southern populations have yet to regain allele size variance after bottlenecks associated with the foundation of new populations, and that this variance is regained over time. Hence variation in social structure mirrors an old but still active southward colonization process or metapopulation dynamics, possibly in association with an expansion of the rain forest habitat during the late Holocene. A low number of queens in ant colonies is typically associated with strong dispersal capacity. We therefore suggest that the initial founders of new populations belong to the monogynous to weakly polygynous phenotype, and that queen number progressively increases in older populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambroise Dalecky
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
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Abstract
Owing to habitat loss populations of many organisms have declined and become fragmented. Vertebrate conservation strategies routinely consider genetic factors, but their importance in invertebrate populations is poorly understood. Bumblebees are important pollinators, and many species have undergone dramatic declines. As monoandrous social hymenopterans they may be particularly susceptible to inbreeding due to low effective population sizes. We study fragmented populations of a bumblebee species, on a model island system, and on mainland Great Britain where it is rare and declining. We use microsatellites to study: population genetic structuring and gene flow; the relationships between genetic diversity, population size and isolation; and frequencies of (sterile) diploid males - an indicator of inbreeding. We find significant genetic structuring (theta = 0.12) and isolation by distance. Populations > 10 km apart are all significantly differentiated, both on oceanic islands and on the mainland. Genetic diversity is reduced relative to closely related common species, and isolated populations exhibit further reductions. Of 16 populations, 10 show recent bottlenecking, and 3 show diploid male production. These results suggest that surviving populations of this rare insect suffer from inbreeding as a result of geographical isolation. Implications for the conservation of social hymenopterans are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Darvill
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Biomedical Sciences Building, Basset Crescent East, UK.
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