Data from: Facultative asexual reproduction and genetic diversity of populations in the humivorous termite Cavitermes tuberosus

Termite colonies are typically founded by a pair of sexually reproducing dispersers, which can sometimes be replaced by some of their offspring. Some Reticulitermes and Embiratermes species routinely practice asexual queen succession (AQS): the queen is replaced by neotenic daughters produced by parthenogenesis, which mate with the primary king. Here, to cast light on the evolution of AQS, we investigated another candidate species, Cavitermes tuberosus (Termitinae). Of 95 nests, 39 contained a primary queen and 28 contained neotenic females (2–667 individuals), usually with the primary king. Microsatellite analyses confirmed that colonies were initiated by single pairs after large dispersal flights. More than 80% of the neotenic females were of exclusively maternal origin and completely homozygous, suggesting automictic parthenogenesis with gamete duplication. Conversely, workers, soldiers, and most alates and primary reproductives were produced sexually. AQS often occurs late, after colonies have reached maturity, whereas early AQS in other species may boost the young colony's growth rate. We suggest additional benefits of AQS in C. tuberosus, related with a smaller size, lesser stability and higher mobility of colonies. Our data add to the phylogenetical dispersion and diversity of modalities of AQS in termites, supporting a multiple evolutionary origin of this process.白蚁群体通常由一对有性繁殖的扩散型繁殖蚁创立，此类繁殖对有时会被其部分后代替代。部分散白蚁属（Reticulitermes）与真歪白蚁属（Embiratermes）物种会常规开展无性蚁后更替（asexual queen succession, AQS）：此时原始蚁后会被通过孤雌生殖产生的幼态补充型雌蚁替代，这些补充型雌蚁可与原始雄蚁完成交配。为阐明无性蚁后更替的演化机制，本研究针对另一候选物种——块茎穴白蚁（Cavitermes tuberosus，隶属于白蚁亚科Termitinae）展开了调查。在采集的95个蚁巢中，39个巢群包含原始蚁后，28个巢群存在补充型雌蚁（个体数量范围为2~667只），且多数此类巢群仍保留原始雄蚁。微卫星分析结果证实，所有被调查的巢群均由单次婚飞产生的单一繁殖对所创立。超过80%的补充型雌蚁仅携带母系遗传物质且完全纯合，提示其繁殖方式为伴随配子复制的自融合孤雌生殖。与之相对，工蚁、兵蚁以及绝大多数有翅繁殖蚁与原始生殖蚁均通过有性生殖产生。无性蚁后更替通常发生在群体达到成熟后的较晚阶段，而其他物种中的早期无性蚁后更替或可提升幼龄群体的生长速率。本研究推测，块茎穴白蚁的无性蚁后更替还存在额外演化益处，这与其群体规模更小、群体稳定性更弱且移动性更强的特性相关。本研究的数据丰富了白蚁无性蚁后更替的系统发育分布范围与策略多样性，为该过程存在多次独立演化起源的观点提供了支撑。