Abstract
In social insects, due to considerable polyphenism as well as high level of hybridization, the delimitation of species can be challenging. The genus Cataglyphis presents a high level of diversification, making it an excellent model with which to study evolutionary paths. Israel appears to be a “hot spot” for recent speciation in this genus. Although previous studies have described multiple species of Cataglyphis in Israel, a recent genetic study has questioned the existence of some of these historically described species. The present study focuses on an apparent species complex, the C. niger species complex which includes C. niger, C. savigyi, and C. drusus that are distinguishable by their mitochondrial DNA (and therefore named mitotypes) but not by their nuclear DNA. Using a multi-method approach (genetics, chemistry and behavior), we show that these mitotypes also differ in their social structures and are readily distinguishable by their cuticular hydrocarbons profiles. While most populations of the different mitotypes are allopatric, at our study site they are sympatric, but nonetheless maintain the observed differences between them. This raises the evolutionary question: Are these incipient species that have diverged with gene flow, or is this a case of social and chemical polymorphism that is maintained within a single species? Unveiling the interplay between social polyphenism and species segregation is at the core of evolutionary biology.
Highlights
In social insects, due to considerable polyphenism as well as high level of hybridization, the delimitation of species can be challenging
The biological species concept requires a reproductive barrier between species[1], many alternative concepts that are based on different common characteristics within species, have been proposed[2,3]
The possibility of sympatric speciation without some gene flow does seem unlikely and, recent studies have reported that speciation with gene flow is more common than previously thought[5,6]
Summary
Due to considerable polyphenism as well as high level of hybridization, the delimitation of species can be challenging. While most populations of the different mitotypes are allopatric, at our study site they are sympatric, but maintain the observed differences between them This raises the evolutionary question: Are these incipient species that have diverged with gene flow, or is this a case of social and chemical polymorphism that is maintained within a single species? Speciation can be considered as a continuous spectrum of various transitions or diversifications in morphological, genetic, and behavioral traits that at different time points might not yet show full evolutionary independence (i.e. species without gene flow between them). Www.nature.com/scientificreports a shift from monogyne (single queen) to polygyne (multiple queen) colonies, and host- parasite interactions[15,18] These scenarios leads to mating place separation and facilitates further genotype divergence, eventually leading to novel genotypes and new species and describing a possible evolutionary path which new species partake in[19]. We set out to infer if assortative mating occurs between the different mitotypes
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