- Original Article
- Published:
Genetic population structure in polygynous formica ants
Heredityvolume 48, pages95–106 (1982)Cite this article
1183Accesses
3Altmetric
Summary
Genetic population structures, both mating and interaction structures, were investigated in three polygynous Formica ants by examining how genotype frequencies are distributed among the nests in their populations. The study is based on electrophoretically analysed enzyme polymorphisms. The patterns of genotypic variation among single-nest workers suggest that polygyny is functional in all the three species. The observed genotype frequencies indicate outbreeding within the study areas, and no spatial microdifferentiation in gene frequencies is detected. The coexistent gynes in nests of bothF. transkaucasica andF. polyctena are genetically related to each other, and the same holds for worker nest mates. These results support the hypothesis that polygyny is favoured by kin selection. The lack of genetic relatedness among gyne nest mates in the highly polygynousF. aquilonia suggests that additional factors, such as mutualism or parental parasitism, are probably involved in the evolution of polygyny.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Breden, F, and Wade, M J. 1981. Inbreeding and evolution by kin selection.Ethol Sociobiol,2, 1–16.
Brian, M V. 1979. Caste differentiation and division of labor. InSocial Insects, vol.1, ed. H. R. Hermann. Academic Press, New York.
Buschinger, A. 1974. Monogynie und Polygynie in Insektensozietäten. InSozialpolymorphismus bei Insekten, ed. G. H. Schmidt. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart.
Charnov, E L. 1978. Evolution of eusocial behavior: offspring choice or parental parasitism?J theor Biol,75, 451–465.
Cockerham, C C. 1973. Analysis of gene frequencies.Genetics,74, 679–700.
Craig, R, and Crozier, R H. 1979. Relatedness in the polygynous antMyrmecia pilosula.Evolution,33, 335–341.
Crozier, R H. 1979. Genetics of sociality. InSocial Insects, vol.1, ed. H. R. Hermann. Academic Press, New York.
Donner, A, and Koval, J J. 1980. The estimation of intraclass correlation in the analysis of family data.Biometrics,36, 19–25.
Elmes, G W. 1973. Observations on the density of queens in natural colonies ofMyrmica rubra L. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).J Animal Ecol,42, 761–771.
Gösswald, K. 1941. Rassenstudien an der roten WaldameiseFormica rufa L. auf systematischer, ökologischer, physiologischer und biologischer Grundlage.Z Angew Entomol,28, 62–124.
Hamilton, W D. 1964a. The genetical evolution of social behaviour. I.J theor Biol,7, 1–16.
Hamilton, W D. 1964b. The genetical evolution of social behaviour. II.J theor Biol,7, 17–52.
Hamilton, W D. 1972. Altruism and related phenomena, mainly in social insects.Ann Rev Ecol Syst,3, 193–232.
Hölldobler, B, and Wilson, E O. 1977. The number of queens: an important trait in ant evolution.Naturwissenschaften,64, 8–15.
Johnson, M S, and Brown, J L. 1980. Genetic variation among trait groups and apparent absence of close inbreeding in grey-crowned babblers.Behav Ecol Sociobiol,7, 93–98.
Li, C C, and Horvitz, D G. 1953. Some methods of estimating the inbreeding coefficient.Am J Hum Genet,5, 107–117.
Lin, N, and Michener, C D. 1972. Evolution of sociality in insects.Quart Rev Biol,47, 131–159.
Michener, C D. 1964. Reproductive efficiency in relation to colony size in hymenopterous societies.Insect Soc,11, 317–341.
Michod, R. 1979. Genetical aspects of kin selection: effects of inbreeding.J theor Biol,81, 223–233.
Michod, R, and Hamilton, W D. 1980. Coefficients of relatedness in sociobiology.Nature,288, 694–697.
Oster, G, and Wilson, E O. 1978.Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Pamilo, P. 1981. Genetic organization ofFormica sanguinea populations.Behav Ecol Sociobiol,9, 45–50.
Pamilo, P, and Crozier, R H. 1981. Measuring genetic relatedness in natural populations: methodology.Theor Pop Biol, in press.
Pamilo, P, and Rosengren, R. 1981. Sex ratio strategies inFormica ants. Unpubl. manuscript.
Pamilo, P, Rosengren, R, Vepsäläinen, K, Varvio-Aho, S, and Pisarski, B. 1978. Population genetics ofFormica ants. I. Patterns of enzyme gene variation.Hereditas,89, 233–248.
Pamilo, P, and Varvio-Aho, S. 1979. Genetic structure of nests in the antFormica sanguinea.Behav Ecol Sociobiol,6, 91–98.
Richards, O W, and Richards, M J. 1951. Observations on the social wasps of South America (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).Trans R Entomol Soc London,102, 1–170.
Rosengren, R. 1969. Notes regarding the growth of a polycalic nest system inFormica uralensis Ruzsky.Notul Entomol,49, 211–230.
Rosengren, R. 1971. Route fidelity, visual memory and recruitment behaviour in foraging wood ants of the genusFormica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).Acta Zool Fenn,133, 1–106.
Royaltey, H H, Astrachan, E, and Sokal, R R. 1975. Tests for patterns in geographic variation.Geograph Anal,7, 369–395.
Schmidt, G H. 1972. Männchendetermination in polygynen Waldameisenstaat.Zool Anz,189, 159–169.
Sturtevant, A H. 1938. Essays on evolution. II. On the effects of selection on social insects.Quart Rev Biol,13, 74–76.
Trivers, R L, and Hare, H. 1976. Haplodiploidy and the evolution of the social insects.Science,191, 249–263.
Varvio-Aho, S, and Pamilo, P. 1980. A new buffer system with wide applicability.Isozyme Bull,13, 114.
Wade, M J. 1980. An experimental study of kin selection.Evolution,34, 844–855.
Ward, R H, and Sing, C F. 1970. A consideration of the power of theX2 test to detect inbreeding effects in natural populations.Am Nat,104, 355–365.
Williams, G C, and Williams, D C. 1957. Natural selection of individually harmful social adaptations among sibs with special reference to social insects.Evolution,11, 32–39.
Wilson, D S. 1980.The Natural Selection of Populations & Communities. The Benjamin/Cummings Publ. Co., Menlo Park, California.
Wright, S. 1943. Isolation by distance.Genetics,28, 114–138.
Zakharov, A A. 1974. Structure and formation of the colony in antsFormica s.str. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) (in Russian with English summary).Zool Zhurn,53, 58–65.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Department of Genetics, University of Helsinki, P. Rautatiekatu 13, 10, Helsinki, SF-00100, Finland
Pekka Pamilo
- Pekka Pamilo
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pamilo, P. Genetic population structure in polygynous formica ants.Heredity48, 95–106 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1982.10
Received:
Issue Date:
Share this article
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative