Camponotus vicinus (Carpenter Ant)
Credit: AntWeb (www.antweb.org), Xiaofan Yang
about the species
Camponotus vicinus is a carpenter ant that occurs widely across western North America. Genetic and morphological studies suggest that there are several cryptic taxa masquerading under the name C. vicinus. These ants nest in rotting logs and directly in the soil, and they have important ecological roles as predators and scavengers. Moreover, all Camponotus ants harbor obligate, vertically-inherited gut bacteria (Blochmannia) that provide nutritional benefits and likely assist these ants to survive under harsh environmental conditions.
why species was selected
Ants in the Camponotus vicinus complex can be found in all ecoregions of California except the Colorado Desert and Sonoran Desert. The broad range of habitats occupied by these ants affords an excellent opportunity to examine genomic differentiation and adaptation across environmental gradients of temperature, moisture, and seasonality.
