Data from: Sex-biased dispersal creates spatial genetic structure in a parthenogenetic ant with a dependent-lineage reproductive system

Reproduction and dispersal are key aspects of species life history that influence spatial genetic structure in populations. Several ant species in the genus Cataglyphis have evolved a unique breeding system in which new reproductives (that is, queens and males) are produced asexually by parthenogenesis; in contrast, non-reproductives (that is, workers) are produced via sexual reproduction by mates from distinct genetic lineages. We investigated how these two coexisting reproductive methods affect population-level spatial genetic structure using the ant Cataglyphis mauritanica as a model. We obtained genotypes for queens and their male mates from 338 colonies, and we found that the two lineages present in the study population occurred with equal frequency. Furthermore, analysis of spatial genetic structure revealed strong sex-biased dispersal. Because queens were produced by parthenogenesis and because they dispersed over short distances, there was an extreme level of spatial structuring: a mosaic of patches composed of clonal queens was formed. Males, on the other hand, dispersed over several hundred metres and, thus, across patches, ensuring successful interlineage mating.

繁殖与扩散是物种生活史的核心环节，二者可影响种群的空间遗传结构。箭蚁属（Cataglyphis）的多个物种演化出了独特的繁殖系统：新生繁殖个体（即蚁后与雄蚁）通过孤雌生殖（parthenogenesis）实现无性繁殖；与之相对，非繁殖个体（即工蚁）则由来自不同遗传谱系的亲本通过有性生殖（sexual reproduction）产生。本研究以毛里塔尼亚箭蚁（Cataglyphis mauritanica）为模式物种，探究这两种共存的繁殖方式如何影响种群水平的空间遗传结构。我们从338个蚁巢中获取了蚁后及其雄性交配伴侣的基因型，发现研究种群中存在的两种遗传谱系频率相等。此外，空间遗传结构分析结果显示出显著的性别偏向扩散现象。由于蚁后通过孤雌生殖产生且仅进行短距离扩散，种群呈现出极强的空间结构：形成了由克隆蚁后构成的斑块镶嵌体。与之相反，雄蚁的扩散距离可达数百米，能够跨越不同斑块，从而保障了不同遗传谱系间的成功交配。