Trophophoresy is exhibited in two ant genera: Acropyga (Formicinae), in which all 37 species are thought to be trophophoretic, and Tetraponera (Pseudomyrmecinae), in which it has been observed in only one species, T. binghami. This study analyses a dataset comprised of both morphological and molecular (D2 region of 28S rRNA and EF1-alpha) data. Evidence is presented in favor of Acropyga being monophyletic, hence trophophoresy has evolved only once within the Formicinae and twice within the ants overall. The data further suggests that Acropyga belongs within a clade containing Anoplolepis, Aphomomyrmex, and Petalomyrmex. Aphomomyrmex and Petalomyrmex were found to be the sister group to Acropyga. The results indicate that the Lasiini and Plagiolepidini are not monophyletic and are in need of reexamination. Given the extant pantropical distribution of Acropyga it is speculated that Acropyga maybe of Gondwanan origin and that trophobiosis was the first form of agriculture to evolve in the ants.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2139998 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/187631206788831083 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Repeated evolution of fungal cultivar specificity in independently evolved ant-plant-fungus symbioses.
PLoS One
March 2014
Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS/CIRAD-Bios/Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
Article Synopsis
- Some tropical plants have structures called domatia that house ants, which protect the plants and may also provide nutrients.
- Ants tend to fungal patches within these domatia, and some species even practice agriculture by using these fungi as a food source.
- In a study of three ant-plant symbioses, researchers found that each system had a dominant primary fungus associated with it, showing high specificity and consistency across individuals and populations.
Phylogenetic position of the ant genus Acropyga Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the evolution of trophophoresy.
Insect Syst Evol
June 2006
John S. LaPolla, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 USA ( ).
Trophophoresy is exhibited in two ant genera: Acropyga (Formicinae), in which all 37 species are thought to be trophophoretic, and Tetraponera (Pseudomyrmecinae), in which it has been observed in only one species, T. binghami. This study analyses a dataset comprised of both morphological and molecular (D2 region of 28S rRNA and EF1-alpha) data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular phylogenetic study of a myrmecophyte symbiosis: did Leonardoxa/ ant associations diversify via cospeciation?
Mol Phylogenet Evol
October 1996
Laboratoire Génome et Populations, UPR 6090, Université Montpellier II, France.
The Leonardoxa africana (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae) complex is a group of four closely related taxa (L1 to L4) exhibiting various grades of specificity and specialization in mutualistic associations with ants. Each of the two most specialized species, Leonardoxa taxon 3 (L3) and L. africana sensu stricto (L4), interacts with a specific species of formicine ant, respectively Aphomomyrmex after and Petalomyrmex phylax, which nests in specialized swollen twigs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!