@article{b4026ca92dbf4a779073e2d3ec37b514,
title = "Mating system and population structure in the desert ant Cataglyphis livida",
abstract = "We investigated population genetic structure, mating system, worker reproduction and thelytokous parthenogenesis in the desert ant Cataglyphis livida. Pedigree analyses at polymorphic microsatellite loci show that colonies are headed by a single queen, and that queens are mated with two to eight males. No inbreeding was found in the population sampled. Colonies are genetically differentiated and exhibit no isolation-by-distance pattern, consistent with independent foundation of new colonies. Workers do reproduce and lay haploid (arrhenotokous) eggs in queenless colonies; conversely, we found no evidence of worker reproduction in queenright nests. In contrast with C. cursor, where new queens are produced by thelytokous parthenogenesis, female sexuals and workers of C. livida arise from classical sexual reproduction. We discuss the parallels and contrasts between the mating system and population structure in C. livida and the other Cataglyphis species studied so far.",
keywords = "Ants, Cataglyphis, Polyandry, Social structure, Thelytoky",
author = "Iris Timmermans and L. Grumiau and A. Hefetz and S. Aron",
note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments This work was supported by grants from the Fonds pour la Recherche dans l{\textquoteright}Industrie et l{\textquoteright}Agriculture (IT), the Belgian Fonds National pour la Recherche Scientifique (SA) and funds from the BRIC of the University of Brussels (SA, IT). We thank Jacqueline Merveille for her help.",
year = "2010",
doi = "10.1007/s00040-009-0048-7",
language = "אנגלית",
volume = "57",
pages = "39--46",
journal = "Insectes Sociaux",
issn = "0020-1812",
publisher = "Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH",
number = "1",
}