The evolution of social parasitism in Formica ants revealed by a global phylogeny.

ABSTRACT: Studying the behavioral and life history transitions from a cooperative, eusocial life history to exploitative social parasitism allows for deciphering the conditions under which changes in behavior and social organization lead to diversification. The Holarctic ant genus Formica is ideally suited for studying the evolution of social parasitism because half of its 172 species are confirmed or suspected social parasites, which includes all three major classes of social parasitism known in ants. However, the life history transitions associated with the evolution of social parasitism in this genus are largely unexplored. To test competing hypotheses regarding the origins and evolution of social parasitism, we reconstructed a global phylogeny of Formica ants. The genus originated

SUBMITTER: Borowiec ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8463886 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature