Rueppell, Olav and Heinze, Juergen and Hoelldobler, Bert (2002) Intracolonial patterns of reproduction in the queen-size dimorphic ant Leptothorax rugatulus. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY, 13 (2). pp. 239-247. ISSN 1045-2249, 1465-7279
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Animals that live in genetically heterogeneous groups are faced with a combination of cooperation and conflict. Reproductive skew theory aims to provide a unified theory of the partitioning of reproduction in animal societies by combining genetic, demographic, and environmental factors. Although theoretical elaborations abound, empirical data are rare. Specifically, explicit intraspecific tests are scarce and have provided conflicting results. We present data on reproductive partitioning among queens in the ant Leptothorax rugatulus with special emphasis on relatedness and body size. Relatedness was negatively correlated to skew in sexual offspring and uncorrelated to skew in total offspring. Body size was not correlated to a queen's reproductive share. Thus, we did not find any support for the classic optimal skew models that are based on concessions. In artificial colonies, composed of randomly selected, unrelated workers and queens, reproductive skew was higher than in natural colonies, which suggested that unequal reproduction among queens could arise without nepotism by workers. Again, a queen's body size was not a good indicator of her reproductive share, but egg laying rate was. In colonies that contained large and small queens, small queens produced proportionally more sexual offspring. Although this result is in accordance with the kin conflict over caste determination hypothesis, it is more plausibly explained by an adaptation of the caste ratios to alternative dispersal tactics.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | SOLENOPSIS-INVICTA HYMENOPTERA; NORTH-AMERICAN ANT; POLYGYNOUS ANT; SKEW MODELS; SYMPATRIC SPECIATION; GENETICAL EVOLUTION; CASTE DETERMINATION; ANIMAL SOCIETIES; EGG CANNIBALISM; SOCIAL INSECTS; body size; kin conflict; queen size dimorphism; reproductive skew; selfish microgynes |
| 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: | 08 Nov 2021 10:05 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Nov 2021 10:05 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/40487 |
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