Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association

Hartke, Juliane; Sprenger, Philipp P.; Sahm, Jacqueline; Winterberg, Helena; Orivel, Jérôme; Baur, Hannes; Beuerle, Till; Schmitt, Thomas; Feldmeyer, Barbara; Menzel, Florian

doi:10.1002/ece3.5464

Cited by 23 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…An ant's cuticle usually contains between 5 and 50 complex chemical compounds, but in extreme cases may contain hundreds of compounds [18]. In addition to having a wide range of cuticular compounds to protect against dehydration [18,19], ants also make extensive use of cuticular compounds for inter and intra-species communication [20][21][22][23]. The reliance on odor for nestmate recognition can make ants vulnerable to exploitation by enemies.…”

Section: Identification Of Compounds From Cuticle Of Oecophylla Smaramentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlooked Scents: Chemical Profile of Soma, Volatile Emissions and Trails of the Green Tree Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina

Kempraj

Park

Faveri³

et al. 2020

Molecules

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The green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, is one of only two recognized species of weaver ants. While the identity and functions of chemicals produced and emitted by its congener O. longinoda have been studied quite extensively and serve as a valuable model in chemical ecology research, little comparable information is available about O. smaragdina. Although some analyses of chemicals produced and emitted by O. smaragdina have been reported, the literature is fragmentary and incomplete for this species. To address this knowledge gap, and to enable comparisons in the chemical ecology of the two weaver ant species, we here describe diverse chemicals from the cuticle, Dufour’s glands, poison glands, head, headspace volatiles, and trails of O. smaragdina.

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Section: Identification Of Compounds From Cuticle Of Oecophylla Smaramentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlooked Scents: Chemical Profile of Soma, Volatile Emissions and Trails of the Green Tree Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina

Kempraj

Park

Faveri³

et al. 2020

Molecules

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“…levior A and B). They differ genetically and possess different cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, but largely occur in sympatry, and can even co‐occur within few metres distance (Hartke et al ., 2019). Interestingly, both Ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…levior A and B. Hence, there is no mutual specialisation or partner preference (Hartke et al ., 2019). However, across French Guiana, Ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…femoratus PS is less common in the wetter and slightly cooler East compared to the West of the country, while Ca. femoratus PAT occurs in all sampled areas (Hartke et al ., 2019). Apart from that, no ecological factors (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…femoratus or Cr. levior (Hartke et al ., 2019). Therefore, here we investigated if there is trophic niche partitioning between them as a potential explanation for their co‐occurrence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dinner with the roommates: trophic niche differentiation and competition in a mutualistic ant‐ant association

Sprenger

Müsse

Hartke

et al. 2020

Ecological Entomology

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1. The potential for competition is highest among species in close association. Despite net benefits for both parties, mutualisms can involve costs, including food competition. This might be true for the two neotropical ants Camponotus femoratus and Crematogaster levior, which share the same nest in a presumably mutualistic association (parabiosis). 2. While each nest involves one Crematogaster and one Camponotus partner, both taxa were recently found to comprise two cryptic species that show no partner preferences and seem ecologically similar. Since these cryptic species often occur in close sympatry, they might need to partition their niches to avoid competitive exclusion. 3. Here, we investigated first, is there interference competition between parabiotic Camponotus and Crematogaster, and do they prefer different food sources under competition? And second, is there trophic niche partitioning between the cryptic species of either genus? 4. Using cafeteria experiments, neutral lipid fatty acid and stable isotope analyses, we found evidence for interference competition, but also trophic niche partitioning between Camponotus and Crematogaster. Both preferred protein‐ and carbohydrate‐rich baits, but at protein‐rich baits Ca. femoratus displaced Cr. levior over time, suggesting a potential discovery‐dominance trade‐off between parabiotic partners. Only limited evidence was found for trophic differentiation between the cryptic species of each genus. 5. Although we cannot exclude differentiation in other niche dimensions, we argue that neutral dynamics might mediate the coexistence of cryptic species. This model system is highly suitable for further studies of the maintenance of species diversity and the role of mutualisms in promoting species coexistence.

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Genome and cuticular hydrocarbon‐based species delimitation shed light on potential drivers of speciation in a Neotropical ant species complex

Meza-Lázaro

Peña-Carrillo

Poteaux

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Geographic separation that leads to the evolution of reproductive isolation between populations generally is considered the most common form of speciation. However, speciation may also occur in the absence of geographic barriers due to phenotypic and genotypic factors such as chemical cue divergence, mating signal divergence, and mitonuclear conflict. Here, we performed an integrative study based on two genome‐wide techniques (3RAD and ultraconserved elements) coupled with cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) and mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequence data, to assess the species limits within the Ectatomma ruidum species complex, a widespread and conspicuous group of Neotropical ants for which heteroplasmy (i.e., presence of multiple mtDNA variants in an individual) has been recently discovered in some populations from southeast Mexico. Our analyses indicate the existence of at least five distinct species in this complex: two widely distributed across the Neotropics, and three that are restricted to southeast Mexico and that apparently have high levels of heteroplasmy. We found that species boundaries in the complex did not coincide with geographic barriers. We therefore consider possible roles of alternative drivers that may have promoted the observed patterns of speciation, including mitonuclear incompatibility, CHC differentiation, and colony structure. Our study highlights the importance of simultaneously assessing different sources of evidence to disentangle the species limits of taxa with complicated evolutionary histories.

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Cuticular hydrocarbons as potential mediators of cryptic species divergence in a mutualistic ant association

Cited by 23 publications

References 97 publications

Overlooked Scents: Chemical Profile of Soma, Volatile Emissions and Trails of the Green Tree Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina

Overlooked Scents: Chemical Profile of Soma, Volatile Emissions and Trails of the Green Tree Ant, Oecophylla smaragdina

Dinner with the roommates: trophic niche differentiation and competition in a mutualistic ant‐ant association

Genome and cuticular hydrocarbon‐based species delimitation shed light on potential drivers of speciation in a Neotropical ant species complex

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