Are There Edge Effects on the Genetic Diversity of the Trap-Jaw Ant Odontomachus chelifer (Formicidae: Ponerinae) in a Neotropical Savanna Fragment? A First Assessment.

This article investigates the effects of habitat fragmentation edges on the genetic diversity and colony structure of the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus chelifer in a fragmented Cerrado savanna reserve in southeast Brazil. Using microsatellite markers, the study found that all colonies were polygynous with multiple queens exhibiting low mating frequency, and that most genetic diversity measures and the number of breeders did not differ significantly between colonies at the fragment edge and interior. However, colonies at the edge showed a small but significant increase in observed heterozygosity, which may confer adaptive advantages in the more variable edge environment. The findings suggest ongoing gene flow between edge and interior colonies and provide initial insights into how edge effects influence ant colony genetics in tropical fragmented habitats.