Determining social and population structures requires multiple approaches: A case study of the desert antCataglyphis israelensis

Abstract

The remarkable diversity of ant social organization is reflected in both their life history and population kin structure. Different species demonstrate a high variation with respect to both social structure and mating strategies: from the ancestral colony type that is composed of a single queen (monogyny), singly inseminated (monoandry), to the more derived states of colonies headed by a multiply inseminated queen (polyandry), to colonies composed of multiple queens (polygyny) that are either singly or multiply inseminated. Moreover, the population structure of an ant species can range from multicoloniality to polydomy to supercoloniality, and Cataglyphis is considered to be a model genus in regard to such diversity. The present study sought to determine the social and population structure of the recently described C. israelensis species in Israel. For this purpose we employed a multidisciplinary approach, rather than the commonly used single approach that is mostly based on genetics. Our study encompassed behavior (nest insularity/openness), chemistry (composition of nestmate recognition signals and cuticular hydrocarbons), and genetics (microsatellite polymorphism). Each approach has been shown to possess both advantages and disadvantages, depending on the studied species. Our findings reveal that C. israelensis colonies are headed by a single, multiply inseminated queen and that the population structure is polydomous, with each colony comprising one main nest and several additional satellite nests. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that none of the above‐noted approaches, when employed individually, is suitable or sufficient in itself for delineating population structure, thus emphasizing the importance of using multiple approaches when assessing such complex systems.

Divide and conquer: Multicolonial structure, nestmate recognition, and antagonistic behaviors in dense populations of the invasive ant Brachymyrmex patagonicus

“…These findings confirm previous results that a majority of invasive colonies of B. patagonicus are monogyne (Eyer et al, 2020). This study also highlights the need for multiple tools to efficiently infer the colony boundaries in socially complex species (Ellis et al, 2017;Eyer et al, 2017;Reiner Brodetzki & Hefetz, 2018).…”

The Interplay between Incipient Species and Social Polymorphism in the Desert Ant Cataglyphis

“…The case of the C. niger complex is interesting and somewhat enigmatic. The three mitotypes have a peculiar distribution along the coastal plains of Israel 32 . The northern part, from the Lebanese border to Mount Carmel, is inhabited exclusively by the drusus mitotype.…”

“…Ants were dissected as follows: the head, for CHC content, was kept in hexane; the thorax and legs, for DNA extraction, were kept in 100% ethanol; and the abdomen was frozen at −20 °C and kept for future analysis. Table S2 details the number of nests used in each analysis and collection site.Because some of the results from the microsatellite and the CHC data were undecisive, we decided to take a multi-method approach 32 and use behavioral essays. Nests at the above-mentioned locations were thoroughly excavated to include the queen, all workers, and brood.…”

“…Because some of the results from the microsatellite and the CHC data were undecisive, we decided to take a multi-method approach 32 and use behavioral essays. Nests at the above-mentioned locations were thoroughly excavated to include the queen, all workers, and brood.…”

“…In order to examine nest insularity and colony composition at the population level we used nest-merging experiments 32 . We composed queenright (QR) colonies (n = 3 and n = 10 for Betzet and Tel Baruch, respectively) comprising approximately 200 workers maintained in nesting boxes prior to the experiment, as well as freshly excavated queenless (QL) nests (n = 15).…”