2026-09-19T22:02:31Z https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/117670 2023-07-11 col_2142_5131 col_2142_16341 com_2142_5130 com_2142_8913 com_2142_8903

Suarez, Andrew Suarez, Andrew Anderson, Philip S. L. Dolezal, Adam Fuller, Becky Johnson, Kevin P. 2022-12 application/pdf en text Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2024-12-01 The student, Michael Rivera, accepted the attached license on 2022-11-29 at 15:17. The student, Michael Rivera, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2022-11-29 at 15:22. This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2022-11-30 at 12:20. DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #18681 on 2023-04-12 at 08:12:55 Ecological and evolutionary consequences of worker morphological variation in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Rivera, Michael 2022-11-30 Social Insects Macroevolution Ants For my dissertation, I approach the evolution of worker polymorphism at multiple biological levels, exploring both the evolutionary pattern of worker polymorphism and its functional consequences. My first chapter focus on the broad-scale patterns of worker morphology both in a deep-time evolutionary scope and global ecological context. In Chapter 1, I use phylogenetic comparative methods to analyze a newly created database of extant and extinct worker body size among ant genera. I also draw upon the large wealth of literature on the evolution of body size, extending it to include body size variation in eusocial taxa. Chapter 2 explores scaling constraints in bite force. Previous work suggests the scaling relationship between bite force and body size may be different within polymorphic species compared to across monomorphic species. Working primarily in the harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex, this project combines biomechanical methods in a phylogenetic context. The final chapter explores the functional consequences of having a variable workforce with a focus on individual-level performance. In Chapter 3, I ask how worker morphological traits, including body size, correlate with trophic position, testing the hypotheses of functional traits in ant workers. Thesis eng https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117670 Copyright 2022 Michael Rivera Ph.D. Dissertation Ecol, Evol, Conservation Biol University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Integrative Biology