| Grant number: | 17/18291-2 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |
| Start date: | January 01, 2018 |
| End date: | December 31, 2021 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology |
| Principal Investigator: | Paulo Sergio Moreira Carvalho de Oliveira |
| Grantee: | Marianne Azevedo Silva |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
Abstract The latitudinal gradient of diversity (LGD) is a long-established and most consistent pattern of life distribution in the planet. Even with plenty of evidence supporting LGD, there is no consensus regarding the mechanisms generating such pattern. Thus, many hypotheses have been suggested for LGD emergence. The majority of studies on LGD focus on species richness and few consider the global distribution patterns of intraspecific genetic diversity. There is evidence that genetic diversity presents a consistent and positively correlated pattern with the LGD at the species level. Furthermore, it is expected the genetic variation to be greater in environments with higher environmental heterogeneity. Therefore, our main goal in this project is to evaluate intraspecific genetic diversity distribution along a latitudinal gradient and its relationships with the community and with environmental heterogeneity. To reach this goal, we will use ants from Cerrado as model organisms. Specifically, our objectives are: (1) Describe how ant genetic diversity within the genus Camponotus (the most dominant on leaves) is distributed along a latitudinal gradient in the Cerrado; (2) Investigate the relation between intraspecific genetic diversity in Camponotus ants and species diversity of arboreal ants and plants with resources to ants; (3) Investigate the relation between genetic diversity and intraspecific morphological variation in ants with environmental heterogeneity. We will use a large dataset of ant-plant interactions along a latitudinal gradient in the Cerrado previously obtained by our research team. We also intend to use recent genotyping-by-sequence techniques to characterize the genetic diversity of ants in the Cerrado. | |
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