Behavioral evidence for population structure in Lasioglossum (Dialictus) zephyrum female dispersion patterns

Summary Within-aggregation nest distribution and behavioral interactions between pairs of female Lasioglossum zephyrum were investigated. Within aggregations, nests are contagiously distributed (clumped), and this distribution is not correlated with the particle size of the soil surface. Results of behavioral interactions both in the field and laboratory show that females residing near one another behave as if they are more closely related than females residing at greater distances from one another. The behaviors used are known to be correlated with the degree of relatedness between females. This suggests that females found colonies near their natal nests, producing neighborhoods of related colonies within aggregations of L. zephyrus.