Defensive traits exhibit an evolutionary trade‐off and drive diversification in ants. (1st February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Blanchard, Benjamin D.; Moreau, Corrie S.
• Is Part Of: Evolution. Volume 71:Number 2(2017)
• Page Start: 315
• Page End: 328
• Publication Date: 2017-02-01
• Subjects: Ancestral state reconstruction -- defense -- evolutionary trade‐off -- Formicidae -- trait‐based diversification; Evolution -- Periodicals; Heredity -- Periodicals; Évolution (Biologie) -- Périodiques; Hérédité -- Périodiques; 338.47004094
• DOI: 10.1111/evo.13117
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0014-3820

Abstract

Abstract: Evolutionary biologists have long predicted that evolutionary trade‐offs among traits should constrain morphological divergence and species diversification. However, this prediction has yet to be tested in a broad evolutionary context in many diverse clades, including ants. Here, we reconstruct an expanded ant phylogeny representing 82% of ant genera, compile a new family‐wide trait database, and conduct various trait‐based analyses to show that defensive traits in ants do exhibit an evolutionary trade‐off. In particular, the use of a functional sting negatively correlates with a suite of other defensive traits including spines, large eye size, and large colony size. Furthermore, we find that several of the defensive traits that trade off with a sting are also positively correlated with each other and drive increased diversification, further suggesting that these traits form a defensive suite. Our results support the hypothesis that trade‐offs in defensive traits significantly constrain trait evolution and influence species diversification in ants.