CRC TRR 212 C04 - Proximate and ultimate mechanisms of social niche choice and construction during colony founding in the ant Pogonomyrmex californicus

Basic data for this project

Description

We will determine the genetic and epigenetic architecture of social niche choice and construction in the context of colony founding variation in the ant Pogonomyrmex californicus. We will first use comparative genomics and population genomics to determine genomic regions and genes that differ between queens that prefer to found colonies alone or in groups (niche choice) and differ in their propensity to show aggression towards other queens. Additionally, we will also test whether and how two epigenetic mechanisms, DNA methylation and microRNA and their impact on transcription, as well as two physiological mechanisms, hormone regulation (juvenile hormone) and metabolic rate variation, influence variation in social niche choice and construction.