Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.

The evolution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is increasingly well-understood due to recent phylogenetic analyses, along with estimates of divergence times and diversification rates. Yet, leading hypotheses regarding the ancestral habitat of ants conflict with new findings that early ant lineages...

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Main Authors: Andrea Lucky, Michelle D Trautwein, Benoit S Guénard, Michael D Weiser, Robert R Dunn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24386323/?tool=EBI
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spelling doaj-137e4edef95e4ed5ab935526d7cd585b2021-03-03T20:17:45ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-01812e8401210.1371/journal.pone.0084012Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.Andrea LuckyMichelle D TrautweinBenoit S GuénardBenoit S GuénardMichael D WeiserRobert R DunnThe evolution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is increasingly well-understood due to recent phylogenetic analyses, along with estimates of divergence times and diversification rates. Yet, leading hypotheses regarding the ancestral habitat of ants conflict with new findings that early ant lineages are cryptic and subterranean. Where the ants evolved, in respect to habitat, and how habitat shifts took place over time have not been formally tested. Here, we reconstruct the habitat transitions of crown-group ants through time, focusing on where they nest and forage (in the canopy, litter, or soil). Based on ancestral character reconstructions, we show that in contrast to the current consensus based on verbal arguments that ants evolved in tropical leaf litter, the soil is supported as the ancestral stratum of all ants. We also find subsequent movements up into the litter and, in some cases, into the canopy. Given the global importance of ants, because of their diversity, ecological influence and status as the most successful eusocial lineage on Earth, understanding the early evolution of this lineage provides insight into the factors that made this group so successful today.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24386323/?tool=EBI
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Andrea Lucky
Michelle D Trautwein
Benoit S Guénard
Benoit S Guénard
Michael D Weiser
Robert R Dunn
spellingShingle Andrea Lucky
Michelle D Trautwein
Benoit S Guénard
Benoit S Guénard
Michael D Weiser
Robert R Dunn
Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
PLoS ONE
author_facet Andrea Lucky
Michelle D Trautwein
Benoit S Guénard
Benoit S Guénard
Michael D Weiser
Robert R Dunn
author_sort Andrea Lucky
title Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
title_short Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
title_full Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
title_fullStr Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
title_full_unstemmed Tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
title_sort tracing the rise of ants - out of the ground.
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
series PLoS ONE
issn 1932-6203
publishDate 2013-01-01
description The evolution of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is increasingly well-understood due to recent phylogenetic analyses, along with estimates of divergence times and diversification rates. Yet, leading hypotheses regarding the ancestral habitat of ants conflict with new findings that early ant lineages are cryptic and subterranean. Where the ants evolved, in respect to habitat, and how habitat shifts took place over time have not been formally tested. Here, we reconstruct the habitat transitions of crown-group ants through time, focusing on where they nest and forage (in the canopy, litter, or soil). Based on ancestral character reconstructions, we show that in contrast to the current consensus based on verbal arguments that ants evolved in tropical leaf litter, the soil is supported as the ancestral stratum of all ants. We also find subsequent movements up into the litter and, in some cases, into the canopy. Given the global importance of ants, because of their diversity, ecological influence and status as the most successful eusocial lineage on Earth, understanding the early evolution of this lineage provides insight into the factors that made this group so successful today.
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/24386323/?tool=EBI
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