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Ant Collective Behavior Is Heritable and Shaped by Selection.

Justin T Walsh, Simon Garnier, Timothy A Linksvayer

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    Collective behaviors in ants are heritable and influenced by natural selection. This study shows that traits like foraging and aggression have genetic underpinnings and fitness consequences, shaping ant colonies.

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    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Behavioral ecology
    • Genetics

    Background:

    • Collective behaviors are common in nature and presumed to be shaped by natural selection.
    • However, the heritability and fitness impact of collective behaviors are poorly understood.
    • This limits our understanding of how natural selection drives the evolution of social behaviors.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the heritability, genetic correlations, and fitness consequences of collective behaviors in pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis).
    • To determine if variation in collective behaviors is subject to natural selection.
    • To explore the genetic architecture underlying social behaviors in ant colonies.

    Main Methods:

    • Utilized a novel pharaoh ant mapping population.
    • Estimated heritability and genetic correlations for foraging, aggression, and exploration behaviors.
    • Assessed body size, sex ratio, and caste ratio alongside collective behaviors.

    Main Results:

    • Moderate heritability estimates (0.17–0.32) were found for collective behaviors, lower than for traits like caste ratio and body size.
    • Phenotypic correlations among collective behaviors suggest simultaneous selection on multiple traits.
    • Evidence of directional selection on collective behaviors was observed, comparable in strength to natural populations.

    Conclusions:

    • Collective behaviors in pharaoh ants possess moderate heritability and are shaped by natural selection.
    • This study provides crucial insights into the genetic basis of collective behavior evolution.
    • It is among the first to empirically demonstrate natural selection acting on the heritable variation of collective behaviors.