The evolution of nutritional niches and speciation in Aphaenogaster ants in the Mid-Atlantic region of North America

Ants from the Aphanogaster rudis species group are one of the most abundant in the east coast of North America, and have, therefore, been subject of numerous studies in ecological research. These ‘forest ants’ are well known for their wide array of species interactions; they are generalist foragers, preying and scavenging on small invertebrates such as Reticulitermes termites, facultative consumption of a variety of mushrooms, and their mutualistic association with plants that offer nutrients contained in seed elaiosomes in exchange for their dispersal and protection. Despite their ubiquity and ecological relevance, the taxonomic status of the members of this species group remains unclear due to cryptic species that are largely allopatric but with significant geographic overlap. This group presents a great opportunity to understand how closely related species that share resources too generally can coexist, even if they consume the same taxa. I will present the results of nutritional geometry analyses estimating the fundamental and realized nutritional niches of the cryptic species members of the A. rudis group across the east coast of the United States. These nutritional niches (nutritional intake targets) are mapped across a phylogeny estimating their ancestral states and the implications during the diversification of this group.