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Padje AV', van de Peppel LJJ, Aanen DK. Evolution: Ant trail pheromones promote ant-aphid mutualisms. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1437-R1439. [PMID: 34752771 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
A new study shows that trail pheromones produced by an invasive ant species suppress the dispersal and stimulate the reproduction of cotton aphids that the ants can 'milk' for honeydew. Aphids use these pheromones as a signal of ant presence and respond adaptively, analogous to early stages of animal husbandry where animals were attracted to human settlements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouk van 't Padje
- Department of Plant Sciences, Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Lennart J J van de Peppel
- Department of Plant Sciences, Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Duur K Aanen
- Department of Plant Sciences, Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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2
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Cicconardi F, Krapf P, D'Annessa I, Gamisch A, Wagner HC, Nguyen AD, Economo EP, Mikheyev AS, Guénard B, Grabherr R, Andesner P, Wolfgang A, Di Marino D, Steiner FM, Schlick-Steiner BC. Genomic Signature of Shifts in Selection in a Subalpine Ant and Its Physiological Adaptations. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:2211-2227. [PMID: 32181804 PMCID: PMC7403626 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how organisms adapt to extreme environments is fundamental and can provide insightful case studies for both evolutionary biology and climate-change biology. Here, we take advantage of the vast diversity of lifestyles in ants to identify genomic signatures of adaptation to extreme habitats such as high altitude. We hypothesized two parallel patterns would occur in a genome adapting to an extreme habitat: 1) strong positive selection on genes related to adaptation and 2) a relaxation of previous purifying selection. We tested this hypothesis by sequencing the high-elevation specialist Tetramorium alpestre and four other phylogenetically related species. In support of our hypothesis, we recorded a strong shift of selective forces in T. alpestre, in particular a stronger magnitude of diversifying and relaxed selection when compared with all other ants. We further disentangled candidate molecular adaptations in both gene expression and protein-coding sequence that were identified by our genome-wide analyses. In particular, we demonstrate that T. alpestre has 1) a higher level of expression for stv and other heat-shock proteins in chill-shock tests and 2) enzymatic enhancement of Hex-T1, a rate-limiting regulatory enzyme that controls the entry of glucose into the glycolytic pathway. Together, our analyses highlight the adaptive molecular changes that support colonization of high-altitude environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick Krapf
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ilda D'Annessa
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta", CNR (SCITEC-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Alexander Gamisch
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Herbert C Wagner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andrew D Nguyen
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Evan P Economo
- Biodiversity & Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology, Onna, Japan
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology, Onna, Japan
| | - Benoit Guénard
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Reingard Grabherr
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Andesner
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Daniele Di Marino
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences - New York-Marche Structural Biology Center (NY-MaSBiC), Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
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First Report on the Acrobat Ant Crematogaster scutellaris Storing Live Aphids in Its Oak-Gall Nests. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020108. [PMID: 33513695 PMCID: PMC7912212 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Galls represent an amazing microcosm which contains a variety of multiple interactions among different actors, and therefore, offers the opportunity to observe and investigate phenomena belonging to different areas of biology: from the development process, connected to the interaction between the galligenous agent and the host plant, to the moment of their colonization by different species, since some ants may provide defense against pathogens, certain phytophagous insects or favor mutualists. In the present work we describe some aspects of oak-gall colonization by different ant species, highlighting how the gall’s height on the plant influences ant colonization and how different ant species produce different nest architectures. The most relevant aspect, however, is the discovery of a novel ant-aphid relationship: the transport of living aphids into oak-gall nests. We found no evidence of immediate predation of these aphids inside the galls, so they are likely stored to overwinter due to a mutualistic relationship and/or serve as food storage. This is not only an interesting report on the mutualisms involving ants and their insect partners, but it may also have important consequences on the aphids’ phenology with the host plants. Once more, ants show their relevant impact on multitrophic interactions and ecosystem dynamics. Abstract This study provides new data about the role of ants in mutualistic interactions with aphids mediated by galls. We focused our investigation on galls induced by the cynipid Andricus kollari by conducting a survey and a subsequent experiment in an Italian oak forest. The ants Crematogaster scutellaris, Colobopsis truncata and Temnothorax italicus frequently used the galls as nests: Crematogaster scutellaris occupied galls which were located higher on the oak trees, while C. truncata and T. italicus were located at lower positions. In addition, galls occupied by C. scutellaris showed varied internal architecture in relation to the colony composition. Importantly, field surveys revealed for the first time that C. scutellaris nest galls also contained live individuals of the non-galligenous aphid Panaphis juglandis. Field experiments suggested that the ants actively seek, collect and stock live aphids. No signs of predation and injuries were detected on the stored aphids, which were probably kept for safe overwintering, though we cannot exclude a possible occasional use as food. This report reveals a possible novel relationship which could have important consequences on the phenology and presence of aphids on the host plant.
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Domestication via the commensal pathway in a fish-invertebrate mutualism. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6253. [PMID: 33288750 PMCID: PMC7721709 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19958-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Domesticator-domesticate relationships are specialized mutualisms where one species provides multigenerational support to another in exchange for a resource or service, and through which both partners gain an advantage over individuals outside the relationship. While this ecological innovation has profoundly reshaped the world’s landscapes and biodiversity, the ecological circumstances that facilitate domestication remain uncertain. Here, we show that longfin damselfish (Stegastes diencaeus) aggressively defend algae farms on which they feed, and this protective refuge selects a domesticator-domesticate relationship with planktonic mysid shrimps (Mysidium integrum). Mysids passively excrete nutrients onto farms, which is associated with enriched algal composition, and damselfish that host mysids exhibit better body condition compared to those without. Our results suggest that the refuge damselfish create as a byproduct of algal tending and the mutual habituation that damselfish and mysids exhibit towards one another were instrumental in subsequent mysid domestication. These results are consistent with domestication via the commensal pathway, by which many common examples of animal domestication are hypothesized to have evolved. It has been hypothesized that domestication can occur through the ‘commensal pathway’ in which the domesticate takes advantage of a niche created as a byproduct by the domesticator. Here, Brooker et al. provide evidence for a commensal domestication process between longfin damselfish and mysid shrimps.
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Depa Ł, Kaszyca‐Taszakowska N, Taszakowski A, Kanturski M. Ant‐induced evolutionary patterns in aphids. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1574-1589. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Depa
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Bankowa 9 40‐007 Katowice Poland
| | - Natalia Kaszyca‐Taszakowska
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Bankowa 9 40‐007 Katowice Poland
| | - Artur Taszakowski
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Bankowa 9 40‐007 Katowice Poland
| | - Mariusz Kanturski
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Silesia in Katowice Bankowa 9 40‐007 Katowice Poland
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King TJ, Balfour J. A technique for the translocation of ant colonies and termite mounds to protect species and improve restoration efforts. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Comparison of Twelve Ant Species and Their Susceptibility to Fungal Infection. INSECTS 2019; 10:insects10090271. [PMID: 31454953 PMCID: PMC6780858 DOI: 10.3390/insects10090271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial insects, such as ants, have access to complex disease defenses both at the individual, and at the colony level. However, different species may be exposed to different diseases, and/or deploy different methods of coping with disease. Here, we studied and compared survival after fungal exposure in 12 species of ants, all of which inhabit similar habitats. We exposed the ants to two entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum), and measured how exposure to these fungi influenced survival. We furthermore recorded hygienic behaviors, such as autogrooming, allogrooming and trophallaxis, during the days after exposure. We found strong differences in autogrooming behavior between the species, but none of the study species performed extensive allogrooming or trophallaxis under the experimental conditions. Furthermore, we discuss the possible importance of the metapleural gland, and how the secondary loss of this gland in the genus Camponotus could favor a stronger behavioral response against pathogen threats.
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Paczesniak D, Klappert K, Kopp K, Neiman M, Seppälä K, Lively CM, Jokela J. Parasite resistance predicts fitness better than fecundity in a natural population of the freshwater snail
Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Evolution 2019; 73:1634-1646. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Paczesniak
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dübendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology ETH‐Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Global Institute for Food Security University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Canada
| | - Kirsten Klappert
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dübendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology ETH‐Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Kirstin Kopp
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dübendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology ETH‐Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Velux Stiftung Zürich Switzerland
| | - Maurine Neiman
- Department of Biology University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa 52245
| | - Katri Seppälä
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dübendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology ETH‐Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Curtis M. Lively
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana 47405
| | - Jukka Jokela
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Dübendorf Switzerland
- Institute of Integrative Biology ETH‐Zürich Zürich Switzerland
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Ivens ABF, Gadau A, Kiers ET, Kronauer DJC. Can social partnerships influence the microbiome? Insights from ant farmers and their trophobiont mutualists. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1898-1914. [PMID: 29411455 PMCID: PMC5935579 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Mutualistic interactions with microbes have played a crucial role in the evolution and ecology of animal hosts. However, it is unclear what factors are most important in influencing particular host–microbe associations. While closely related animal species may have more similar microbiota than distantly related species due to phylogenetic contingencies, social partnerships with other organisms, such as those in which one animal farms another, may also influence an organism's symbiotic microbiome. We studied a mutualistic network of Brachymyrmex and Lasius ants farming several honeydew‐producing Prociphilus aphids and Rhizoecus mealybugs to test whether the mutualistic microbiomes of these interacting insects are primarily correlated with their phylogeny or with their shared social partnerships. Our results confirm a phylogenetic signal in the microbiomes of aphid and mealybug trophobionts, with each species harbouring species‐specific endosymbiont strains of Buchnera (aphids), Tremblaya and Sodalis (mealybugs), and Serratia (both mealybugs and aphids) despite being farmed by the same ants. This is likely explained by strict vertical transmission of trophobiont endosymbionts between generations. In contrast, our results show the ants’ microbiome is possibly shaped by their social partnerships, with ants that farm the same trophobionts also sharing strains of sugar‐processing Acetobacteraceae bacteria, known from other honeydew‐feeding ants and which likely reside extracellularly in the ants’ guts. These ant–microbe associations are arguably more “open” and subject to horizontal transmission or social transmission within ant colonies. These findings suggest that the role of social partnerships in shaping a host's symbiotic microbiome can be variable and is likely dependent on how the microbes are transmitted across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniek B F Ivens
- Animal Ecology Section, Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alice Gadau
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - E Toby Kiers
- Animal Ecology Section, Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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Ivens ABF, von Beeren C, Blüthgen N, Kronauer DJC. Studying the Complex Communities of Ants and Their Symbionts Using Ecological Network Analysis. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 61:353-371. [PMID: 26982442 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-010715-023719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ant colonies provide well-protected and resource-rich environments for a plethora of symbionts. Historically, most studies of ants and their symbionts have had a narrow taxonomic scope, often focusing on a single ant or symbiont species. Here we discuss the prospects of studying these assemblies in a community ecology context using the framework of ecological network analysis. We introduce three basic network metrics that we consider particularly relevant for improving our knowledge of ant-symbiont communities: interaction specificity, network modularity, and phylogenetic signal. We then discuss army ant symbionts as examples of large and primarily parasitic communities, and symbiotic sternorrhynchans as examples of generally smaller and primarily mutualistic communities in the context of these network analyses. We argue that this approach will provide new and complementary insights into the evolutionary and ecological dynamics between ants and their many associates, and will facilitate comparisons across different ant-symbiont assemblages as well as across different types of ecological networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniek B F Ivens
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065; , ,
| | - Christoph von Beeren
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065; , ,
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Department of Biology, Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany;
| | - Daniel J C Kronauer
- Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065; , ,
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Werner GDA, Strassmann JE, Ivens ABF, Engelmoer DJP, Verbruggen E, Queller DC, Noë R, Johnson NC, Hammerstein P, Kiers ET. Evolution of microbial markets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:1237-44. [PMID: 24474743 PMCID: PMC3910570 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1315980111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological market theory has been used successfully to explain cooperative behavior in many animal species. Microbes also engage in cooperative behaviors, both with hosts and other microbes, that can be described in economic terms. However, a market approach is not traditionally used to analyze these interactions. Here, we extend the biological market framework to ask whether this theory is of use to evolutionary biologists studying microbes. We consider six economic strategies used by microbes to optimize their success in markets. We argue that an economic market framework is a useful tool to generate specific and interesting predictions about microbial interactions, including the evolution of partner discrimination, hoarding strategies, specialized versus diversified mutualistic services, and the role of spatial structures, such as flocks and consortia. There is untapped potential for studying the evolutionary dynamics of microbial systems. Market theory can help structure this potential by characterizing strategic investment of microbes across a diversity of conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gijsbert D. A. Werner
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joan E. Strassmann
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Aniek B. F. Ivens
- Theoretical Biology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Insect Social Evolution, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Daniel J. P. Engelmoer
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik Verbruggen
- Institut für Biologie, Plant Ecology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - David C. Queller
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Ronald Noë
- Faculté de Psychologie, Université de Strasbourg et Ethologie Evolutive, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 67087 Strasbourg Cedex, France
- Netherlands Institute of Advanced Studies, 2242 PR, Wassenaar, The Netherlands
| | - Nancy Collins Johnson
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability and Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5694; and
| | - Peter Hammerstein
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - E. Toby Kiers
- Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Ivens ABF, Kronauer DJC, Pen I, Weissing FJ, Boomsma JJ. Reproduction and dispersal in an ant-associated root aphid community. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:4257-69. [PMID: 22804757 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05701.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Clonal organisms with occasional sex are important for our general understanding of the costs and benefits that maintain sexual reproduction. Cyclically parthenogenetic aphids are highly variable in their frequency of sexual reproduction. However, studies have mostly focused on free-living aphids above ground, whereas dispersal constraints and dependence on ant-tending may differentially affect the costs and benefits of sex in subterranean aphids. Here, we studied reproductive mode and dispersal in a community of root aphids that are obligately associated with the ant Lasius flavus. We assessed the genetic population structure of four species (Geoica utricularia, Tetraneura ulmi, Forda marginata and Forda formicaria) in a Dutch population and found that all species reproduce predominantly if not exclusively asexually, so that populations consist of multiple clonal lineages. We show that population viscosity is high and winged aphids rare, consistent with infrequent horizontal transmission between ant host colonies. The absence of the primary host shrub (Pistacia) may explain the absence of sex in three of the studied species, but elm trees (Ulmus) that are primary hosts of the fourth species (T. ulmi) occurred within a few km of the study population. We discuss the extent to which obligate ant-tending and absence of primary hosts may have affected selection for permanent parthenogenesis, and we highlight the need for further study of these aphids in Southern Europe where primary hosts may occur close to L. flavus populations, so that all four root aphid species would have realistic opportunities for completing their sexual life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- A B F Ivens
- Theoretical Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
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