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Local co‐adaptation leading to a geographical mosaic of coevolution in a social parasite system
Author(s) -
Fischer B.,
Foitzik S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00749.x
Subject(s) - coevolution , biology , local adaptation , allopatric speciation , adaptation (eye) , competition (biology) , ecology , sympatry , population , evolutionary biology , sympatric speciation , demography , neuroscience , sociology
The geographical mosaic theory of coevolution predicts differences in the advance or trajectory of the coevolutionary process between local communities due to their composition and the strength of ecological selection pressures through competition and resource availability. In this study, we investigate local co‐adaptation in different populations of a social parasite. We conducted cross‐fostering experiments to test for interpopulational differences in raiding efficiency between various populations of a slave‐making ant and the defence abilities of local hosts. Here, we demonstrate that the success of raids strongly depends on the combination of populations of the parasite Harpagoxenus sublaevis and its host Leptothorax acervorum , indicating very localized coevolution. We found no absolute differences between slave‐maker populations; the outcome of an encounter depended more on whether the two opponents occur in sympatry or allopatry. Furthermore, this study supports the results of our earlier work, that the unparasitized English L. acervorum population is most aggressive against the parasite.