Trachymyrmex septentrionalis

2. Ecological genomics of an indicator species. This species is a very common species inhabiting forests and prairies on sandy soils throughout the lower 2/3 of the eastern US. This species extends to 40° N where it can encounter harsh winters and hot summers. There are probably few insects that can be found from the wet subtropics (south Florida), dry subtropics (Texas) to maritime temperate (New Jersey/New York) and continental (Illinois/Missouri) environments.

T. septentrionalis is an indicator species of natural communities found on sandy soils (1-3). Much less than 10% of the original coverage of sandy soil ecosystem remains intact today. Measures of its productivity (population size, sexual production, colony and fungal biomass, etc.) correlate positively with factors that enhance and maintain the characteristics of these ecosystems (1). Populations of these ants can be so dense that they may excavate more than a metric ton of soil in a hectare of pine forest, which typically have very nutrient poor soils (1). Populations of this species also respond to climate since they are higher in years of drought and lower in years of normal to above normal rainfall (3).

Obtaining the genome of this species would have applications ranging from population and ecosystem ecology to conservation biology since it would provide a model system where we can understand the genetic mechanisms that underlie this species’ response to its environment.

Specimens of this species are easy obtainable, since populations are near major universities (University of Texas at Austin, Florida State University, University of Florida, University of Illinois, University of Missouri, etc.).

Genomic information will be curated and annotated in the labs of Ulrich Mueller (University of Texas at Austin), Steve Rehner (USDA, Beltsville), and Ted Schultz (Smithsonian Institution). References

(1) Seal, J.N. and W.R. Tschinkel, Ann Entomol Soc Am, 2006. 99(4): p. 673-682. (2) Seal, J.N. and W.R. Tschinkel, Physiol Entomol, 2007. 32: p. 8-15. (3) Seal, J.N. and W.R. Tschinkel, Insect Cons Divers, 2010. 3: p. 134-142. (4) Seal, J.N. and W.R. Tschinkel, Funct Ecol, 2007. 21: p. 988-997. (5) Seal, J.N. and W.R. Tschinkel, Ecol Entomol, 2008. 33: p. 597-607.