Correlates of ecological dominance within Pheidole ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Marcel K. Tschá
Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Marcio R. Pie
Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Correspondence: Marcio R. Pie, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, C.P. 19020, 81531-980 Curitiba, Puerto Rico, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorMarcel K. Tschá
Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Marcio R. Pie
Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Correspondence: Marcio R. Pie, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, C.P. 19020, 81531-980 Curitiba, Puerto Rico, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
1. In any group of organisms, one can almost invariably find some species that are ecologically dominant (i.e. disproportionately more abundant and widespread), whereas others are comparatively less prevalent. Understanding of the causes of variation in ecological dominance has been elusive, particularly given that dominant and subordinate species often lack obvious features that could predict their abundance in nature.
2. In this study, physiological, behavioural, morphological, and phylogenetic information is integrated in an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying ecological dominance in ants using the hyperdiverse ant genus Pheidole (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) as a model system. Field estimates of the relative abundance of 10 Pheidole species were compared with potential correlates, which included behavioural (walking velocity), physiological (tolerance to high and low temperatures and desiccation), and morphological traits (body size and degree of dimorphism in the worker caste). A molecular phylogeny of the tested species was also generated to account for potential confounding effects of phylogenetic non-independence.
3. Dominant Pheidole species were characterised by higher environmental tolerance with respect to temperature and humidity, as well as faster walking speeds. On the other hand, no morphological correlates of ecological dominance were detected. Interestingly, subordinate species showed no evidence of trade-off in performance, being both more fragile to environmental challenges and slower in their walking speeds.
4. These results provide important insights into the mechanisms involved in local species coexistence in Pheidole.
Supporting Information
Filename | Description |
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een12685-sup-0001-suppinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 237.8 KB | Figure S1. Morphological measurements used in the present study. Figure S2. Phylogenetic relationships among the studied species. Values above branches correspond to bootstrap support. Table S1. χ2 tests of variation in environmental tolerance among colonies of Pheidole sp B, Pheidole sp. C and P. angusta. (df = 2). Table S2. Primer sequences for amplification and sequencing used in the phylogenetic analysis. Table S3. List of Pheidole and outgroup species and their corresponding GenBank accession numbers. Table S4. Loadings and percentage of variance in the two main axes from morphometric PCAs. Distance between the basal points of the frontal lobes (BL), minimum distance between the eyes in full-face view (BE), width of the mesossoma (MW), maximum head width (HW), length of the mesossoma from the occiput to the end of the propodeum (ML), maximum head length (HL), length of the anterior right femur (FL), length of the anterior right tibia (TL) and width of the anterior right femur (FW). |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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