Meeting Abstract

P2-1   -   The Evolution of Forward Leaping in Ants Aibekova, L*; Keller, RA; Katzke, J; Narendra, A; Hita Garcia, F; Economo, EP; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan; Museu Nacional de Historia Natural e da Ciência & Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan lazzat.aibekova@oist.jp

Jumping is one of the fastest terrestrial modes of locomotion. It is a rare specialization in the evolution of worker ants. Forward jumping behavior independently evolved within four distantly related genera: Gigantiops, Harpegnathos, Myrmecia and Odontomachus. According to the previous studies jumping ants employ different techniques to jump forward, for example, Harpegnathos uses its middle legs to propel forward, Gigantiops and Myrmecia use both the middle and hind legs, and Gigantiops additionally rotates its gaster to thrust. Employing different techniques to perform the same function might indicate that each species uses different morphological adaptations to facilitate the jump. Most studies on prosalience in ants have been focused on kinematics and energetics of the movements, whereas there has been little fundamental research on jumping ants from a functional morphology perspective. For the reconstruction of complex evolutionary patterns, we need to understand the modifications on the phenotypic, i.e., morphological level. Studying the anatomy of the leg apparatus will help to understand which groups of muscles are essential to facilitate jumping and how they are modified to fulfill specific functional requirements. To understand the underlying cause of the jumping ability in ants, morphological patterns linked with forward leaping were compared with structural features in closely related non-jumping ants.