e-mail: saron@ulb.ac.be
Research interests
Ecological constraints and genetic factors are recognised as key factors promoting cooperation in animals. How they affect the evolution of cooperation and sociality is studied on various biological models, especially ants. Our researches focus on the study of (1) the genetic structure of colonies and populations, (2) the reproductive and dispersal strategies, (3) sex ratio evolution, and (4) the proximate (how?) and ultimate (why?) causes of social conflicts and their resolution within societies. They are based on a combination of ecological and behavioural studies under natural (field) conditions, as well as on molecular analyses involving typing of microsatellite marker loci, flow cytometryic analyses, fluorescent sperm marking, or in situ hybridisation.
Recent publications
Eyer P-A, Freyer J, Aron S (2013) Genetic polyethism in the polyandrous desert ant Cataglyphis cursor. Behavioral Ecology 24, 144-151.
Eyer P-A, Leniaud L, Darras H, Aron S (2013) Hybridogenesis through thelytokous parthenogenesis in two Cataglyphis desert ants. Molecular Ecology 22, 947-955.
Aron S (2012) Primary sex ratio regulation by queens in ants (Formicidae) and other social Hymenoptera. Myrmecological News 17, 63-80.
Leniaud L, Darras H, Boulay R, Aron S (2012) Social hybridogenesis in the clonal ant Cataglyphis hispanica. Current Biology 22, 1188-1193.
Aron S, Timmermans I, Pearcy M (2011) Ant queens adjust egg fertilization to benefit from both sexual and asexual reproduction. Biology Letters 7, 571-573.
Leniaud L, Hefetz A, Grumiau L, Aron S (2011) Multiple mating and supercoloniality in Cataglyphis desert ants. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 104, 866-876.
Pearcy M, Hardy O, Aron S (2011) Automictic parthenogenesis and rate of transition to homozygosity. Heredity 107, 187-188.
Thurin N, Aron S (2011) No reversion to single mating in a socially parasitic ant. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24, 1128-1134.
Thurin N, Sery N, Guimbretière R, Aron S (2011) Colony kin structure and breeding system in the ant genus Plagiolepis. Molecular Ecology 20, 3251-3260.
Aron S (2010) Meeting report - The little mermaid hosts the 2010 IUSSI World Congress on social interactions. Insectes sociaux, 57, 367-370.
Debout GD, Frederickson ME, Aron S, Yu DW (2010) Unexplained split sex ratios in the Neotropical plant-ant, Allomerus octoarticulatus var. demerarae (Myrmicinae): a test of hypotheses. Evolution 64, 126-141.
Timmermans I, Grumiau L, Hefetz A, Aron S (2010) Mating system and population structure in the desert ant Cataglyphis livida. Insectes sociaux 57, 39-46.
Team
Post-doctoral researcher
Laurianne LENIAUD
phone: +32 (0)2 650 22 67 e-mail: lleniaud@ulb.ac.be
Morgan PEARCY
phone: +32 (0)2 650 49 58 e-mail: mpearcy@ulb.ac.be
PhD students
Hugo DARRAS
phone: +32 (0)2 650 22 67 e-mail: hugo.darras@ulb.ac.be
Francisco DAVILA
phone: +32 (0)2 650 22 67 e-mail: jdavilag@ulb.ac.be
Pierre-André EYER
phone: +32 (0)2 650 45 25 e-mail: piereyer@ulb.ac.be
MSc students
Claire BAUDOUX
Alexandre KUHN
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