Arboreal Ant Colonies as ‘Hot-Points’ of Cryptic Diversity for Myrmecophiles: The Weaver Ant Camponotus sp. aff. textor and Its Interaction Network with Its Associates

Abstract

IntroductionSystematic surveys of macrofaunal diversity within ant colonies are lacking, particularly for ants nesting in microhabitats that are difficult to sample. Species associated with ants are generally small and rarely collected organisms, which makes them more likely to be unnoticed. We assumed that this tendency is greater for arthropod communities in microhabitats with low accessibility, such as those found in the nests of arboreal ants that may constitute a source of cryptic biodiversity.Materials and MethodsWe investigated the invertebrate diversity associated with an undescribed, but already threatened, Neotropical Camponotus weaver ant. As most of the common sampling methods used in studies of ant diversity are not suited for evaluating myrmecophile diversity within ant nests, we evaluated the macrofauna within ant nests through exhaustive colony sampling of three nests and examination of more than 80,000 individuals.ResultsWe identified invertebrates from three classes belonging to 18 taxa, some of which were new to science, and recorded the first instance of the co-occurrence of two brood parasitoid wasp families attacking the same ant host colony. This diversity of ant associates corresponded to a highly complex interaction network. Agonistic interactions prevailed, but the prevalence of myrmecophiles was remarkably low.ConclusionsOur data support the hypothesis of the evolution of low virulence in a variety of symbionts associated with large insect societies. Because most myrmecophiles found in this work are rare, strictly specific, and exhibit highly specialized biology, the risk of extinction for these hitherto unknown invertebrates and their natural enemies is high. The cryptic, far unappreciated diversity within arboreal ant nests in areas at high risk of habitat loss qualifies these nests as ‘hot-points’ of biodiversity that urgently require special attention as a component of conservation and management programs.

Weaving through a cryptic species: Comparing the Neotropical ants Camponotus senex and Camponotus textor (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…9). Finally, in the context of molecular biology, we should emphasize that the recent study by Ramalho et al (2016b) found evidence for intraspecific cryptic populations within the nominal C. textor by 28S rDNA which probably correspond to those noted by previous authors (Longino, 2006;Lachaud and Lachaud, 2014). We herein did not find such evidence (Fig.…”

The topology and drivers of ant–symbiont networks across Europe

“…Ant–symbiont networks that have been studied recently typically deal with local interaction networks and mostly focus on one kind of symbiotic interaction in isolation, such as mutualistic plant–ant networks (Guimarães et al ., 2006; Blüthgen et al ., 2007; Dáttilo, Guimarães & Izzo, 2013; Cagnolo & Tavella, 2015), mutualistic aphid–ant networks (Ivens et al ., 2018) or parasite–ant networks (Elizalde et al ., 2018). Some studies have already covered different types of symbiotic interactions in a local network (Pérez‐Lachaud & Lachaud, 2014; Rocha, Lachaud, & Pérez‐Lachaud, 2020) and a recent study tested different types of ant–symbiont interactions on a large scale (Glasier, Poore, & Eldridge, 2018). However, the latter study only included a limited set of interaction types and pooled interactions of well‐studied bioregions with those of very poorly studied regions.…”

Hidden biodiversity in entomological collections: The overlooked co-occurrence of dipteran and hymenopteran ant parasitoids in stored biological material

“…Many undiscovered species are difficult to encounter because they are cryptic, small in size, or nesting in microhabitats with low accessibility [ 60 , 61 ]; furthermore, many new taxa with elusive life histories are destined to remain undiscovered, even in the best-studied parts of the world [ 20 ]. Our results suggest that although many more ant parasitoids certainly await discovery in the field, a large number of them, possibly small size endoparasitoids such as the encyrtid wasps reported here, are potentially available to science, but inadvertenly hidden in collections all around the world.…”

“…Our results emphasize that examining insect material already housed in collections will certainly result in the discovery of new species to science and will unveil unanticipated biological interactions and complex living networks. Identified species of tropical arthropods make the largest contribution to overall global species richness [ 22 ], and many more species are expected to be discovered at diversity hotspots [ 61 , 66 ], the very areas that are most threatened by anthropogenic and global changes [ 20 , 60 ]. Approximately 80% of extant species remain to be described [ 23 , 67 ], and it is likely that a large proportion of these species may become extinct over the next few decades.…”