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Published on: October 5, 2018
The evolution of genome size in ants
Neil D Tsutsui1, Andrew V Suarez, Joseph C Spagna
1Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. ntsutsui@nature.berkeley.edu
Genomic tools for ants (Formicidae) are scarce. This study reports genome sizes for 40 ant species, revealing variation and potential whole-genome duplications, suggesting ants are good candidates for future sequencing.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Entomology
Background:
- Genomic resources for ants (Formicidae) are limited.
- Genome size data is crucial for developing genomic tools.
- Previous genome size estimates for ants are scarce and inconsistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report genome size for 40 ant species across 10 subfamilies.
- To analyze genome size variation within the ant family.
- To investigate potential correlations between genome size and other factors like body size and evolutionary events.
Main Methods:
- Genome size measurement for 40 ant species.
- Phylogenetic analysis to understand genome size evolution.
- Comparative analysis with other insect groups.
Main Results:
- Ants possess relatively small genomes compared to other insects.
- Genome size varies threefold across the studied ant species.
- Evidence suggests two whole-genome duplications in the ancestors of Ectatomma and Apterostigma.
- No significant correlation found between genome size and body size in ants.
Conclusions:
- This is the first multi-species analysis of ant genome size.
- Ant genome size is a variable trait evolving over long and short timescales, potentially involving whole-genome duplications.
- Small ant genome sizes make them suitable candidates for future whole-genome sequencing projects.
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