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Genetic population structure, queen supersedure and social polymorphism in a social Hymenoptera
Author(s) -
BARGUM K.,
HELANTERÄ H.,
SUNDSTRÖM L.
Publication year - 2007
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.1420-9101.2007.01345.x
Subject(s) - biology , gene flow , population , hymenoptera , zoology , genetic structure , longevity , queen (butterfly) , mating , evolutionary biology , ecology , genetic variation , genetics , demography , gene , sociology
In social insects, the emergence of multiple queening is linked to changes in a suite of traits such as the reproductive life span of queens, mating patterns and population structure. We investigated queen turnover, colony longevity, spatial distribution patterns and genetic differentiation in a population of the socially polymorphic ant Formica fusca . Genetic differentiation between the social forms was absent, and mating patterns were similar in the two forms. The spatial distribution of single‐ and multi‐queen colonies indicated an absence of colony reproduction by budding in both colony types. However, the rate of queen supersedure was high in multi‐queen colonies and absent in single‐queen ones. The social structure of colonies remained stable across years, but colony mortality did not differ between the two social forms. These results imply that differences between social types may appear and persist also in sympatry, and that these differences may occur in some traits, but not others, despite the presence of homogenizing gene flow.