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Evolution of reproductive traits in Cataglyphis desert ants: mating frequency, queen number and thelytoky.

par Aron, Serge ;Mardulyn, Patrick ;Leniaud, Laurianne
Référence Behavioral ecology and sociobiology, 70, page (1367-1379), (doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2144-9)
Publication Publié, 2016

Article révisé par les pairs

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Abstract: Cataglyphis desert ants display unique variation in their breeding systems, making this genus a particularly interesting model to study the evolution of derived reproductive traits in eusocial Hymenoptera. Colonies may be headed by a single or several queens, and queens may be singly or multiply mated. Furthermore, in a number of species, both the workers and queens do reproduce asexually by thelytokous parthenogenesis. We examined whether the variability in reproductive traits is the result of a single evolutionary transition or of multiple independent evolutionary transitions, per trait. First, we inferred a phylogenetic estimate for the genus by analyzing DNA sequence variation among several species at four independent loci. Our phylogenetic hypothesis confirms the monophyly of previously defined species groups. Second, we examined the evolution of four reproductive traits in the genus (queen mating frequency, colony queen number, as well as worker reproduction and queen reproduction by thelytokous parthenogenesis), by inferring the state of these traits at the ancestral nodes. Our results show that polyandry and monogyny are the most likely conditions for the ancestor of the genus; the status of worker and queen thelytoky remains ambiguous. Genetic diversity within colonies may have been a major driver for the evolution of derived reproductive traits in Cataglyphis. Significance statement: Kinship among group members has long been recognized as a main factor promoting the evolution of sociality and reproductive altruism. In eusocial Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps), at least three reproductive characteristics were shown to profoundly affect colony kin structure and may have played a key role in the evolution and maintenance of reproductive altruism: the queen mating frequency, the number of reproductive queens in a colony, and reproduction by parthenogenesis. We infer the evolution of these three reproductive traits in Cataglyphis desert ants, a genus displaying considerable variation in reproductive strategies. We propose a phylogenetic estimate for the genus, from variation at four loci. Then, we show that multiple evolutionary changes occurred for all three reproductive characters studied. Our results suggest that selection for enhanced colony genetic diversity has driven the evolution of reproductive traits away from their ancestral state.