Anderson, Carl and Cremer, Sylvia and Heinze, Jürgen (2003) Live and let die: why fighter males of the ant Cardiocondyla kill each other but tolerate their winged rivals. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY, 14 (1). pp. 54-62. ISSN 1045-2249
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Unlike most social insects, many Cardiocondyla ant species have two male morphs: wingless (ergatoid) males, who remain ill the natal nest, and winged males who disperse but, strangely, before leaving may also mate within the nest. Whereas ergatoid males are highly intolerant of each other and fight among themselves, they tend to tolerate their winged counterparts. This is despite the fact that these winged males, like ergatoid males, represent mating competition. Why should ergatoid males tolerate their winged rivals? We developed a mathematical model to address this question. Our model focuses on a number of factors likely to influence whether ergatoid males are tolerant of winged males: ergatoid male-winged male relatedness, number of virgin queens, number of winged males, and the number of ejaculates a winged male has (winged males are sperm limited, whereas ergatoid males have lifelong spermatogenesis). Surprisingly, we found that increasing the number of virgin queens favors a kill, strategy, whereas an increase in other factors favors a let-live strategy; these predictions appear true for C. obscurior and for a number of other Cardiocondyla species. Two further aspects, unequal insemination success and multiple mating in queens, were also incorporated into the model and predictions made about their effects on toleration of winged males. The model is applicable more generally in species that have dimorphic males, such as some other ants, bees, and fig wasps.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | LOCAL MATE COMPETITION; POLLINATING FIG WASPS; DIMORPHIC MALES; MALE POLYMORPHISM; MATING TACTICS; ERGATOID MALES; SEX-RATIOS; HYMENOPTERA; EVOLUTION; BEHAVIOR; alternative dispersal tactics; ants; Cardiocondyla; ergatoid males; fighting; male dimorphism; toleration |
| 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: | 25 Aug 2021 10:47 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Aug 2021 10:47 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/39401 |
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