EU-TMR Research Network on Social Evolution
 |
Research on Evolutionary
Ecology of Social Insects
in Denmark
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The group leader, Prof. Jacobus J. (Koos) Boomsma, has recently moved from the University of Aarhus to the Zoological Institute of the University of Copenhagen. Many of the research activities listed here are therefore in the process of transfer from Aarhus to Copenhagen.
The Copenhagen/Aarhus social insect group has extensive experience in the development
of inclusive fitness models, the empirical testing of sex ratio theory
and in the analysis of colony-level genetic variation and mating structure
in ant populations. In recent years the group has acquired special expertise
in the study of genetic variation and reproduction of Central American
leafcutter ants and in the study of the evolutionary ecology and genetics of social- and macro-parasites of myrmicine ants. The
Copenhagen/Aarhus
group has the coordinating office of the TMR network and has organised
the first network-workshop at Mols, Denmark in June 1997. Apart from EU,
the group is supported by grants from the Danish National Science
Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation and INTAS.
Queen, workers and fungus in a lab-colony of the
leafcutter ant Acromyrmex octospinosus
The EU-TMR network is currently part of the Department of Population Ecology of the Zoological Institute of Copenhagen University. This department has 5 faculty,
3 technical staff and ca. 12 PhD students and postdocs. Its research profile includes main areas such as population ecology, evolutionary ecology and behavioural ecology. There are five more departments in the "Park-Area" of the Zoological Institute of Copenhagen University, of which the Department of Evolutionary Biology with its extensive modern DNA laboratory facilities is of special importance for research carried out in the network.
Persons in Copenhagen/Aarhus involved in
research relevant to the EU-TMR research network:
Dr. Jacobus J. Boomsma (professor)
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Dr. Jane Frydenberg (leader DNA laboratory Aarhus)
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Dr. Gösta Nachman (associate professor Copenhagen)
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Dr. Mogens G. Nielsen (associate professor Aarhus)
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Dr. Bo Vest Pedersen (associate professor Copenhagen)
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Dr. Diethe Ortius (EU-network post-doc) (1997-1999)
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Dr. Carl Anderson (EU-network post-doc) (1999)
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Dr. Seirian R. Sumner (EU-network post-doc) (2000-2001)
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Dr. David R. Nash (EU-Marie Curie post-doc) (1998-1999)
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A.N.M (Jeanette) Bot (EU-Marie Curie PhD student)
(1997-2000)
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Thomas D. Als (PhD student) (1997-2001)
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Palle Villesen (PhD student) (1997-2001)
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Michiel B. Dijkstra (PhD student) (2000-2003)
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Michael Poulsen (MSc student) (2000- 2001)
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Anne Marie W. Hansen (animal care assistant, Copenhagen)
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Henning B. Madsen (technician, Copenhagen)
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Sylvia Mathiasen (technician, Copenhagen)
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Kirsten N. Petersen (technician Aarhus)
Persons in Aarhus previously involved
in research connected to the EU-TMR network:
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Dr. Else J. Fjerdingstad (PhD student) (1992-1996)
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Dr. Jes S. Pedersen (PhD student) (1992-1997)
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Dr. Lotta Sundström (SNF post-doc) (1995-1996)
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Jannie Nielsen (MSc student) (1994-1995)
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Rebekka M.E. Gadeberg (MSc student) (1994-1997)
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Dorte Bekkevold (MSc student) (1996-1998)
Current projects in the social
insect group include:
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Testing the predictions of split sex ratio theory:
A genetic study on relatedness asymmetry, worker reproduction and sex ratio
in Dolichovespula wasps (together with Francis Ratnieks, Sheffield),
Tetramorium ants (together with Miklós Fábián,
Gödöllö) and Pheidole ants (together with Serge Aron,
Brussels)
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Testing the assumptions of split sex ratio theory:
Analysis of individual variation in cuticular hydrocarbons of Formica
truncorum (together with David Morgan,
Keele, Jannie Nielsen and Hans Chr. Petersen,
Odense, Neil Oldham, Jena and Lotta Sundström, Helsinki)
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Mating systems in higher leafcutter ants (together
with Else J. Fjerdingstad, Jane Frydenberg and the Uppsala group)
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The analysis of paternity skew in Formica
and Lasius ants (together with, respectively, Lotta Sundström,
Helsinki and Tom van der Have, Utrecht & Pia Gertsch, Uppsala)
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The population genetical analysis of polygyny, polydomy
and polyandry in Myrmica ants (PhD project Thomas D. Als, together with Jes S.
Pedersen, Lausanne)
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Genetic diversity and mating systems in primitive
fungus growing ants (PhD project Palle Villesen,
together with Jane Frydenberg, the Uppsala group and Ulrich Mueller, University of
Austin, Texas)
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Genetic variation in metapleural gland secretions
of Acromyrmex leafcutter ants (network post-doc program Diethe Ortius,
together with Roland Maile, Keele and Pia Gertsch, Uppsala)
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Social structure, fungus culturing efficiency and
defence against pathogens in Acromyrmex leafcutter ants (PhD project
Jeanette Bot, together with Michael Poulsen, Aarhus, Steve Rehner, University of Puerto Rico, USA,
Cameron Currie, University of Toronto, Canada and the Würzburg and Sheffield
groups)
Young field-colony of the leafcutter ant Atta
sexdens with the large queen sitting on top of the fungus garden
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Kin structure and social parasitism in Acromyrmex
echinatior (Seirian Sumner and Dorte Bekkevold, together with Ted Schultz, Smithsonian,
Washington DC and the Firenze group)
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Population fragmentation and conservation of
Maculinea butterflies (Rebekka Gadeberg, Edyta Figurny,
Krakow, Thomas D. Als and David Nash)
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Host-parasite interactions between Maculinea
alcon large blue butterflies and Myrmica ant hosts (PhD project
Thomas D. Als, together with David Nash)
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Specificity and communication in interactions
between Maculinea butterflies and their Myrmica ant hosts (David Nash, together with Thomas D.
Als and the Keele group)
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Microparasite infection and multiple paternity in Acromyrmex leafcutter ants
(PhD project Steven van Borm, University of Leuven, Belgium)
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Worker policing in attine ants (PhD project Michiel
Dijkstra)
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Optimal foraging in social insects (Carl Anderson and Hans
Dreisig)
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Reproduction in pharao's ants (Lisbeth Břrgesen)
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Sex allocation analysis (Gösta Nachman)
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Kin structure of mangrove inhabiting ants (Mogens G.
Nielsen and Bo Vest Pedersen)
For more information
- More detailed and amply illustrated information on the research programs
involving social insects.
- Further information about other graduate research
projects in evolutionary ecology supervised by Koos
Boomsma.
Written by Koos
Boomsma
Web design by Kath Lowe
last updated: 09/08/2002
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