Schultner, Eva and Wallner, Tobias and Dofka, Benjamin and Bruelhart, Jeanne and Heinze, Juergen and Freitak, Dalial and Pokorny, Tamara and Oettler, Jan (2023) Queens control caste allocation in the ant <i>Cardiocondyla obscurior</i>. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 290 (1992): 20221784. ISSN 0962-8452, 1471-2954
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Social insect queens and workers can engage in conflict over reproductive allocation when they have different fitness optima. Here, we show that queens have control over queen-worker caste allocation in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, a species in which workers lack reproductive organs. We describe crystalline deposits that distinguish castes from the egg stage onwards, providing the first report of a discrete trait that can be used to identify ant caste throughout pre-imaginal development. The comparison of queen and worker-destined eggs and larvae revealed size and weight differences in late development, but no discernible differences in traits that may be used in social interactions, including hair morphology and cuticular odours. In line with a lack of caste-specific traits, adult workers treated developing queens and workers indiscriminately. Together with previous studies demonstrating queen control over sex allocation, these results show that queens control reproductive allocation in C. obscurior and suggest that the fitness interests of colony members are aligned to optimize resource allocation in this ant.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | PALLIDULA NYL HYMENOPTERA; SEX-RATIO CONFLICT; WORKER REPRODUCTION; MONOMORIUM-PHARAONIS; ARGENTINE ANT; SOCIAL INSECT; BROOD; EVOLUTION; MATE; RECOGNITION; social evolution; cooperation; conflict; caste determination; superorganism |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 570 Life sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Mar 2024 14:18 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Mar 2024 14:18 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/59602 |
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