Schrempf, Alexandra and Heinze, Juergen and Cremer, Sylvia (2005) Sexual cooperation: Mating increases longevity in ant queens. CURRENT BIOLOGY, 15 (3). pp. 267-270. ISSN 0960-9822, 1879-0445
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Divergent reproductive interests of males and females often cause sexual conflict [1, 2]. Males of many species manipulate females by transferring seminal fluids that boost female short-term fecundity while decreasing their life expectancy and future reproductivity [3, 4]. The life history of ants, however, is expected to reduce sexual conflict; whereas most insect females show repeated phases of mating and reproduction, ant queens mate only during a short period early in life and undergo a lifelong commitment to their mates by storing sperm [5]. Furthermore, sexual offspring can only be reared after a sterile worker force has been built up [5]. Therefore, the males should also profit from a long female lifespan. In the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, mating indeed has a positive effect on the lifetime reproductive success of queens. Queens that mated to either one fertile or one sterilized male lived considerably longer and started laying eggs earlier than virgin queens. Only queens that received viable sperm from fertile males showed increased fecundity. The lack of a trade-off between fecundity and longevity is unexpected, given evolutionary theories of aging [6]. Our data instead reveal the existence of sexual cooperation in ants.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER FEMALES; ACCESSORY-GLAND PRODUCTS; DIVISION-OF-LABOR; LIFE-SPAN; EVOLUTIONARY-THEORIES; EGG-PRODUCTION; REPRODUCTION; COST; SENESCENCE; MALES; |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 28 May 2021 09:50 |
| Last Modified: | 28 May 2021 09:50 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/36488 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
