Straetz, M. and Heinze, Juergen (2004) Colony structure and sex allocation rations in the ant Temnothorax crassispinus. INSECTES SOCIAUX, 51 (4). pp. 372-377. ISSN 0020-1812, 1420-9098
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We analyzed the impact of ecological parameters, such as nest density and nest site availability, on colony organization and investment patterns in two populations of the ant Temnothorax crassispinus, a parapatric sibling species of the well-studied T nylanderi (Temnothorax was until recently referred to as Leptothorax (Myrafant); Bolton, 1993). As in T nylanderi, sex allocation ratios were strongly associated with total sexual reproduction, i.e., nests with large sexual investment produced mainly female sexuals. Furthermore, nest site quality affected sex allocation ratios, with colonies from ephemeral nest sites producing a more male-biased sex allocation ratio than colonies from sturdy nest sites. In contrast to T nylanderi, workers in colonies of T crassispinus were mostly fullsisters both in a dense and a sparsely populated area, suggesting that colony fusion and colony usurpation are rare in this species. In addition, the presence of a queen in a local nest unit strongly influenced sex ratio decisions, in that these nests raised a more male biased allocation ratio compared to queenless nests. This also suggests that colony structure is more stable in T crassispinus than in T nylanderi. We conclude that sibling species, though often very similar in their morphology and ecological requirements, may nevertheless react very differently to ecological variation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | QUEEN-WORKER CONFLICT; LEPTOTHORAX-NYLANDERI; POLYGYNOUS ANT; INTRASPECIFIC PARASITISM; REPRODUCTIVE ALLOCATION; HYMENOPTERA-FORMICIDAE; RELATEDNESS ASYMMETRY; MATING FREQUENCY; SOCIAL INSECTS; INVESTMENT; Temnothorax crassispinus; sex allocation; nest density; split sex ratios; colony take-over |
| 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: | 23 Jul 2021 09:26 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Jul 2021 09:26 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/38176 |
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