Ants exhibit asymmetric hybridization in a mosaic hybrid zone

Details

Ressource 1Download: Purcell_MolEcol_2016.pdf (383.71 [Ko])
State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: All rights reserved
Serval ID
serval:BIB_CE25693797C9
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Ants exhibit asymmetric hybridization in a mosaic hybrid zone
Journal
Molecular Ecology
Author(s)
Purcell J., Zahnd S., Athanasiades A., Türler R., Chapuisat M., Brelsford A.
ISSN
1365-294X (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0962-1083
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2016
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
25
Number
19
Pages
4866-4874
Language
english
Abstract
Research on hybridization between species provides unparalleled insights into the pre- and postzygotic isolating mechanisms that drive speciation. In social organisms, colony-level incompatibilities may provide additional reproductive barriers not present in solitary species, and hybrid zones offer an opportunity to identify these barriers. Here, we use genotyping-by-sequencing to sequence hundreds of markers in a hybrid zone between two socially polymorphic ant species, Formica selysi and Formica cinerea. We characterize the zone, determine the frequency of hybrid workers, infer whether hybrid queens or males are produced and investigate whether hybridization is influenced by colony social organization. We also compare cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and aggression levels between the two species. The hybrid zone exhibits a mosaic structure. The asymmetric distribution of hybrids skewed towards F. cinerea suggests a pattern of unidirectional nuclear gene flow from F. selysi into F. cinerea. The occurrence of backcrossed individuals indicates that hybrid queens and/or males are fertile, and the presence of the F. cinerea mitochondrial haplotype in 97% of hybrids shows that successful F1 hybrids will generally have F. cinerea mothers and F. selysi fathers. We found no evidence that social organization contributes to speciation, because hybrids occur in both single-queen and multiple-queen colonies. Strongly differentiated cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and heightened interspecific aggression further reveal that species recognition cues are both present and perceived. The discovery of fertile hybrids and asymmetrical gene flow is unusual in ants, and this hybrid zone will therefore provide an ideal system with which to investigate speciation in social insects.
Keywords
bimodal hybrid zone, formicinae, genomic cline, mosaic hybrid zone, reproductive isolation, speciation, supergene
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
27/07/2016 16:30
Last modification date
21/11/2022 8:11
Usage data