Isolation and introductions disrupt the homogeneity of Argentine ants in Europe
Abstract
The introduction of alien species into new habitats stands as a pressing economic and ecological challenge but it is also essential for unveiling evolutionary processes. The introduction of the Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile ) led to the spread of a single supercolony through different continents and thousands of kilometres like in Europe, from Northwest Spain to Greece. It was assumed that the high invasiveness of the species mainly relied on the lack of agonism among colonies, an effect derived from its introduction. However, recent studies suggest that local adaptations and evolutionary divergence could involve the disruption of the Argentine ant “empire” into a mosaic of competitive colonies. We investigated how isolation affects population divergence by comparing mainland and island populations in two distant regions colonized in Spain and in Greece with morphology, agonism, cuticular hydrocarbons, and genetic diversity of ant workers. Our results showed that all colonies sampled belonged to the most spread supercolony in Europe (main supercolony) except one sampled in Crete (Heraklion; Greece), which resulted to be a supercolony not registered in Europe. The Heraklian supercolony showed a different chemical and genetic profile and hostile agonism towards the other Greek colonies. Differences between islands and mainland colonies belonging to the main supercolony were higher in Galiza than in Greece. Surprisingly, the chemical profile of the Cretan colony belonging…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe
- Alarming situation of emerging H5 and H7 avian influenza and effective control strategies
- Livestock and food security: vulnerability to population growth and climate change
- Atmosphere–ocean oxygen and productivity dynamics during early animal radiations
- Characterization of the global distribution and diversified plasmid reservoirs of the colistin resistance gene mcr-9
- The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.