Abstract
We determined whether body colour patterns of the narrow-headed Formica exsecta ant can serve as a marker of adaptative strategies in heterogenous environments. The variations in colour were studied in two populations of F. exsecta in central and north western areas in European Russia. A generalised colour scheme of the head and three thorax segments is developed based on a comparative analysis of the colouration of F. exsecta and red wood ants (Formica s. str.). The scheme consists of 23 variants. We found that the colouration of different parts of the body varies independently to a large extent, although a pale (less melanized) head and three thoracic segments often co-occur with paler other parts of the body. We also show that the relationship between colour pattern and body size vary significantly in different complexes. We suggest that these colour variants can be used to study the spatial-temporal phenotypic differentiation of populations and adaptation of ants to microhabitats. The proposed scheme can be used as a convenient tool in future studies to quantify the variation in colour patterns. This scheme should be further tested for its applicability for other species of the subgenus Coptoformica.
Highlights
Insect colouration can be adaptive in terms of protection, signalling and physiology (Cuthill et al, 2017; Badejo et al, 2020)
The term ‘polyphenism’ is often used to describe environmentally induced discrete variations, while ‘polymorphism’ is a term applicable to mostly genetically controlled variations
Polyphenic and polymorphic species supposedly can adapt to abrupt changes in environmental conditions more and quickly due to a wider general phenotypic variation compared to monophenic and monomorphic species (Dobzhansky, 1951; Cain & Sheppard, 1954; Simpson et al, 2011)
Summary
Insect colouration can be adaptive in terms of protection, signalling and physiology (thermoregulation, UVand drought-resistance) (Cuthill et al, 2017; Badejo et al, 2020). Both genetically induced variation (Chetvericov, 1926; Dobzhansky, 1951; Zhan, 2014) and phenotypic plasticity (West-Eberhard, 2003; Moczek, 2008, 2012) of each individual trait can be both continuous and discrete. Polyphenic and polymorphic species supposedly can adapt to abrupt changes in environmental conditions more and quickly due to a wider general phenotypic variation compared to monophenic and monomorphic species (Dobzhansky, 1951; Cain & Sheppard, 1954; Simpson et al, 2011). Species with discrete phenotypic variation (polymorphic and polyphenic) have another way of responding to environmental changes compared to monomorphic and monophenic species, because each discrete phenotypic state of a trait often reflects a separate adaptative strategy. Populations of polymorphic and polyphenic species can respond to environmental changes through a shift in the frequency of phenotypes (Saccheri et al, 2008; Whitman & Agrawal, 2009; Kerimov et al, 2014; Roulin, 2014)
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