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Large-scale population genetics of the mountain ant Proformica longiseta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Proformica longiseta Collingwood is an endemic ant found in southeastern Spain that inhabits high mountains and is widespread within an altitude range. We have studied the population genetics and biogeography of 14 populations of P. longiseta throughout its distribution using microsatellites and mitochondrial data. Populations are strongly structured for both markers and show isolation by distance, which together with the absence of intra-population variation in mitochondrial DNA suggest strong female philopatry and limited male dispersal. In spite of this, no recent bottlenecks or inbreeding were detected. Finally, we report on a population currently located where it did not exist 14 years ago, above the usual altitudinal limit known for the species, which may be due to recent colonization enhanced by global warming.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the administration of the National Park of Sierra Nevada and the Natural Parks of Baza and Cazorla for allowing us to sample there. We also thank A. Fernández-Zambrano for helping us with the field work. L. Keller and R. L. Hammond kindly offered support to this study in its first stages. J.D. Ibáñez-Álamo designed the figures for this paper. S. Aron and two anonymous referees greatly improved the manuscript with their comments. We are grateful to Angela L. Tate for the English revision of the text. This work was supported by project 78/2003 of the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, the National Parks Network, Red de Parques Nacionales and a FPU grant (O.S) from the Spanish Ministry of Education.

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  1. Departamento de Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de las Lagunillas s/n., 23071, Jaén, Spain

    Olivia Sanllorente

  2. Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n., 18071, Granada, Spain

    Olivia Sanllorente, Francisca Ruano & Alberto Tinaut

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  1. Olivia Sanllorente
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  2. Francisca Ruano
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Correspondence to Olivia Sanllorente.

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Sanllorente, O., Ruano, F. & Tinaut, A. Large-scale population genetics of the mountain ant Proformica longiseta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Popul Ecol 57, 637–648 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-015-0505-2

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