Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are amongst the most ecologically successful organisms with over 11,000 known species in 20 subfamilies originating 115-170 million years ago. Recent work has advanced our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of this group, giving us a greater appreciation of the evolution of ant social structures, life histories and threats. Despite this research, fundamental questions about ant evolution remain. The aim of this NERC CASE PhD studentship is to use phylogenetic comparative methods to address fundamental macroevolutionary and macroecological questions within this group. The student will collate data on ant phylogenetic histories to produce the first ant 'supertree', along with data on social structures, life histories, geographic distributions and threats. These data will be used to reconstruct diversification patterns, to determine the factors responsible for diversification shifts (e.g. caste differentiation), and to identify determinants of ant spatial biodiversity with a view to prioritizing conservation. The student will therefore receive a broad training in phylogenetic comparative techniques, eusocial evolution, ant ecology and conservation.
Funding Notes
Funding is available for UK/EU students. Funding awarded for this project will cover tuition fees and stipend for UK students. EU students may be eligible for full funding, or tuition fees only, depending on the funding source. International students will not be eligible for this funding however they are still welcome to apply for the project but would have to find alternative funding.
Burke AFG, Franks NR (1995) Social Evolution in Ants. Monographs in Behavior and Ecology, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Jones KE, Bininda-Emonds ORP, Gittleman JL (2005) Bats, clocks and rocks: diversification patterns in Chiroptera. Evolution 59:2243-2255.
Jones KE, Teeling EC (2009) Phylogenetic tools for examining character and clade evolution in bats. In: Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats (eds. T.H. Kunz and S. Parsons). Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Moreau CS, Bell CD, Vila R, Archibald B, Pierce NE (2006) Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms. Science 312: 101-104.
Sumner, S., Hughes, W. O. H., Pedersen, J. S. & Boomsma, J. J. 2004 Ant parasite queens revert to mating singly. Nature 428, 35-36.
More information?
Funding Notes
Funding is available for UK/EU students. Funding awarded for this project will cover tuition fees and stipend for UK students. EU students may be eligible for full funding, or tuition fees only, depending on the funding source. International students will not be eligible for this funding however they are still welcome to apply for the project but would have to find alternative funding.
Burke AFG, Franks NR (1995) Social Evolution in Ants. Monographs in Behavior and Ecology, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Jones KE, Bininda-Emonds ORP, Gittleman JL (2005) Bats, clocks and rocks: diversification patterns in Chiroptera. Evolution 59:2243-2255.
Jones KE, Teeling EC (2009) Phylogenetic tools for examining character and clade evolution in bats. In: Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats (eds. T.H. Kunz and S. Parsons). Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
Moreau CS, Bell CD, Vila R, Archibald B, Pierce NE (2006) Phylogeny of the ants: diversification in the age of angiosperms. Science 312: 101-104.
Sumner, S., Hughes, W. O. H., Pedersen, J. S. & Boomsma, J. J. 2004 Ant parasite queens revert to mating singly. Nature 428, 35-36.
More information?