Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Population genetic structure of the globally introduced big-headed ant in Taiwan.
Liu, Kuan-Ling; Tseng, Shu-Ping; Tatsuta, Haruki; Tsuji, Kazuki; Tay, Jia-Wei; Singham, G Veera; Yang, Chin-Cheng Scotty; Neoh, Kok-Boon.
Affiliation
  • Liu KL; Department of Entomology National Chung Hsing University Taichung Taiwan.
  • Tseng SP; Department of Entomology National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan.
  • Tatsuta H; Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences Kyushu University Fukuoka Japan.
  • Tsuji K; Department of Subtropical Agro-Environmental Sciences University of the Ryukyus Okinawa Japan.
  • Tay JW; Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu Hawaii USA.
  • Singham GV; Centre for Chemical Biology Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang Malaysia.
  • Yang CS; Department of Entomology Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg Virginia USA.
  • Neoh KB; Department of Entomology National Chung Hsing University Taichung Taiwan.
Ecol Evol ; 12(12): e9660, 2022 Dec.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36582779
Global commerce and transportation facilitate the spread of invasive species. The African big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius), has achieved worldwide distribution through globalization. Since the late 19th century, Taiwan has served as a major seaport because of its strategic location. The population genetic structure of P. megacephala in Taiwan is likely to be shaped by international trade and migration between neighboring islands. In this study, we investigated the population genetics of P. megacephala colonies sampled from four geographical regions in Taiwan and elucidated the population genetic structures of P. megacephala sampled from Taiwan, Okinawa, and Hawaii. We observed a low genetic diversity of P. megacephala across regions in Taiwan. Moreover, we noted low regional genetic differentiation and did not observe isolation by distance, implying that long-distance jump dispersal might have played a crucial role in the spread of P. megacephala. We sequenced the partial cytochrome oxidase I gene and observed three mitochondrial haplotypes (TW1-TW3). TW1 and TW3 most likely originated from populations within the species' known invasive range, suggesting that secondary introduction is the predominant mode of introduction for this invasive ant. TW2 represents a novel haplotype that was previously unreported in other regions. P. megacephala populations from Taiwan, Okinawa, and Hawaii exhibited remarkable genetic similarity, which may reflect their relative geographic proximity and the historical connectedness of the Asia-Pacific region.
Key words

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: Ecol Evol Year: 2022 Document type: Article Country of publication: United kingdom

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: Ecol Evol Year: 2022 Document type: Article Country of publication: United kingdom