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Christman ME, Barkan NP, Campion C, Heraghty SD, Keaveny EC, Verble KM, Waybright SA, Dillon ME, Lozier JD, Strange JP. It is buzziness time: rearing, mating, and overwintering Bombus vosnesenskii (Hymenoptera: Apidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2023; 23:18. [PMID: 37804501 PMCID: PMC10560002 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iead089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Bombus vosnesenskii Radowszkowski, 1862 is one of three bumble bee species commercially available for pollination services in North America; however, little is documented about B. vosnesenskii colony life cycle or the establishment of ex situ rearing, mating, and overwintering practices. In this study, we documented nest success, colony size, and gyne production; recorded the duration of mating events; assessed overwintering survival of mated gynes; and evaluated second-generation nest success for colonies established from low- and high-elevation wild-caught B. vosnesenskii gynes. Of the 125 gynes installed, 62.4% produced brood cells (nest initiation) and 43.2% had at least 1 worker eclose (nest establishment). High-elevation B. vosnesenskii gynes had significantly higher nest initiation and establishment success than low-elevation gynes. However, low-elevation colonies were significantly larger with queens producing more gynes on average. Mating was recorded for 200 low-elevation and 37 high-elevation gynes, resulting in a mean duration of 62 and 51 min, respectively. Mated gynes were then placed into cold storage for 54 days to simulate overwintering, which resulted in 59.1% of low-elevation gynes surviving and 91.9% of high-elevation gynes surviving. For second-generation low-elevation gynes, 26.4% initiated nesting and 14.3% established nesting. Second-generation high-elevation gynes did not initiate nesting despite CO2 narcosis treatments. Overall, these results increase our understanding of B. vosnesenskii nesting, mating, and overwintering biology from 2 elevations. Furthermore, this study provides information on successful husbandry practices that can be used by researchers and conservationists to address knowledge gaps and enhance the captive rearing of bumble bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E Christman
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - N Pinar Barkan
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Claire Campion
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Sam D Heraghty
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Ellen C Keaveny
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Kelton M Verble
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Sarah A Waybright
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Michael E Dillon
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Lozier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - James P Strange
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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2
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Sanmartín-Villar I. Social buffer or avoidance depends on the similarity of stress between queen ants. Curr Zool 2022; 69:181-191. [PMID: 37091993 PMCID: PMC10120981 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The association of unrelated ant queens (pleometrosis) is supposed to improve nest foundation and competitiveness under environmental stress, but its evolutionary maintenance is difficult to explain because only one of the queens survives after nest foundation. My aim was to test the potential effect of queen association as a social buffer, i.e. as a mechanism reducing stress and improving fitness due to the benefits of social contact. I analysed the survival, fecundity, and behaviour of isolated and paired Lasius flavus queens exposed and not exposed to stressors (disturbing environmental conditions). I found no difference in survivorship between isolated and paired queens or between stressed and unstressed isolated queens. Groups in which one or two paired queens were stressed showed higher mortality. Unstressed queens died similarly to their stressed nestmates, suggesting stress transmission. A trend suggested that paired queens produced eggs more quickly, but eggs were produced similarly between isolated and paired queens. Social avoidance was observed in groups with one stressed and one unstressed queen. However, the groups with two stressed queens showed the expected behaviours according to social buffering: lower mobility and more interindividual inspection. My findings suggest the synergistic effect of pleometrosis and stress and the dependence of stress level similarity between nestmates on social buffering or rejection on ant queens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iago Sanmartín-Villar
- ECOEVO Lab, Escola de Enxeñaría Forestal, Campus A Xunqueira, Universidade de Vigo, Pontevedra, Galiza, Spain
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3
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Abstract
Eusociality represents an extreme form of social behavior characterized by a reproductive division of labor. Eusociality necessarily evolved through kin selection, which requires interactions among related individuals. However, many eusocial taxa also show cooperation between non-kin groups, challenging the idea that cooperative actions should only occur among relatives. This review explores the causes and consequences of non-kin cooperation in ants. Ants display a diversity of behaviors that lead to non-kin cooperation within and between species. These interactions occur among both reproductive and non-reproductive individuals. The proximate and ultimate mechanisms leading to non-kin cooperative interactions differ substantially depending on the biotic and abiotic environment. We end this review with directions for future research and suggest that the investigation of non-kin cooperative actions provides insight into processes leading to social evolution.
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Berthelot K, Portugal FR, Jeanson R. Onset of fights and mutual assessment in ant founding queens. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:750-753. [PMID: 27994043 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.150375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In animals, the progress and outcome of contests can be influenced by an individual's own condition, their opponent's condition or a combination of the two. The use of chemical information to assess the quality of rivals has been underestimated despite its central role in the regulation of social interactions in many taxa. Here, we studied pairwise contests between founding queens of the ant Lasius niger to investigate whether the decision to engage in agonistic interactions relies on self-assessment or mutual assessment. Queens modulated their aggressive behaviours depending on both their own status and their opponent's status. We found no influence of lipid stores or size on the onset of fights. However, differences in cuticular chemical signatures linked to fertility status accurately predicted the probability of behaving aggressively in pairs. Our study thus suggests that ant queens could rely on mutual assessment via chemical cues to make informed decisions about fight initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Berthelot
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Felipe Ramon Portugal
- ENFA-Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Raphaël Jeanson
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
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5
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Manfredini F, Shoemaker D, Grozinger CM. Dynamic changes in host-virus interactions associated with colony founding and social environment in fire ant queens (Solenopsis invicta). Ecol Evol 2016; 6:233-44. [PMID: 26811788 PMCID: PMC4716520 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamics of host-parasite interactions can change dramatically over the course of a chronic infection as the internal (physiological) and external (environmental) conditions of the host change. When queens of social insects found a colony, they experience changes in both their physiological state (they develop their ovaries and begin laying eggs) and the social environment (they suddenly stop interacting with the other members of the mother colony), making this an excellent model system for examining how these factors interact with chronic infections. We investigated the dynamics of host-viral interactions in queens of Solenopsis invicta (fire ant) as they transition from mating to colony founding/brood rearing to the emergence of the first workers. We examined these dynamics in naturally infected queens in two different social environments, where queens either founded colonies as individuals or as pairs. We hypothesized that stress associated with colony founding plays an important role in the dynamics of host-parasite interactions. We also hypothesized that different viruses have different modalities of interaction with the host that can be quantified by physiological measures and genomic analysis of gene expression in the host. We found that the two most prevalent viruses, SINV-1 and SINV-2, are associated with different fitness costs that are mirrored by different patterns of gene expression in the host. In fact SINV-2, the virus that imposes the significant reduction of a queen's reproductive output is also associated with larger changes of global gene expression in the host. These results show the complexity of interactions between S. invicta and two viral parasites. Our findings also show that chronic infections by viral parasites in insects are dynamic processes that may pose different challenges in the host, laying the groundwork for interesting ecological and evolutionary considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- School of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
- Department of Entomology and Center for Pollinator ResearchThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvania
| | | | - Christina M. Grozinger
- Department of Entomology and Center for Pollinator ResearchThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvania
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6
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Manfredini F, Riba-Grognuz O, Wurm Y, Keller L, Shoemaker D, Grozinger CM. Sociogenomics of cooperation and conflict during colony founding in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003633. [PMID: 23950725 PMCID: PMC3738511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the fundamental questions in biology is how cooperative and altruistic behaviors evolved. The majority of studies seeking to identify the genes regulating these behaviors have been performed in systems where behavioral and physiological differences are relatively fixed, such as in the honey bee. During colony founding in the monogyne (one queen per colony) social form of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, newly-mated queens may start new colonies either individually (haplometrosis) or in groups (pleometrosis). However, only one queen (the “winner”) in pleometrotic associations survives and takes the lead of the young colony while the others (the “losers”) are executed. Thus, colony founding in fire ants provides an excellent system in which to examine the genes underpinning cooperative behavior and how the social environment shapes the expression of these genes. We developed a new whole genome microarray platform for S. invicta to characterize the gene expression patterns associated with colony founding behavior. First, we compared haplometrotic queens, pleometrotic winners and pleometrotic losers. Second, we manipulated pleometrotic couples in order to switch or maintain the social ranks of the two cofoundresses. Haplometrotic and pleometrotic queens differed in the expression of genes involved in stress response, aging, immunity, reproduction and lipid biosynthesis. Smaller sets of genes were differentially expressed between winners and losers. In the second experiment, switching social rank had a much greater impact on gene expression patterns than the initial/final rank. Expression differences for several candidate genes involved in key biological processes were confirmed using qRT-PCR. Our findings indicate that, in S. invicta, social environment plays a major role in the determination of the patterns of gene expression, while the queen's physiological state is secondary. These results highlight the powerful influence of social environment on regulation of the genomic state, physiology and ultimately, social behavior of animals. The characterization of the genomic basis for complex behaviors is one of the major goals of biological research. The genomic state of an individual results from the interplay between its internal condition (the “nature”) and the external environment (the “nurture”), which may include the social environment. Colony founding in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta is a complex process that serves as a useful model for investigating how the interplay between genes and social environment shapes social behavior. Unrelated, newly mated S. invicta queens may start a new colony as a group, but ultimately only one queen will survive and gain full reproductive dominance. By uncovering the genetic basis for founding behavior in fire ants we therefore provide useful insights into how cooperative behavior evolved in a context that might be considered primitively eusocial, because newly mated queens in a founding association are morphologically, physiologically and genetically very similar and display no evident division of labor. Our results suggest that social environment (founding singly or in pairs, switching dominance rank vs. maintaining rank) is a much greater driver of gene expression changes than social rank itself, suggesting that social environment, and not reproductive state, is a key regulator of gene expression, physiology and ultimately, behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Cronin AL, Molet M, Doums C, Monnin T, Peeters C. Recurrent evolution of dependent colony foundation across eusocial insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2012; 58:37-55. [PMID: 22934981 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120811-153643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The spectacular success of eusocial insects can be attributed to their sophisticated cooperation, yet cooperation is conspicuously absent during colony foundation when queens are alone. Selection against this solitary stage has led to a dramatically different strategy in thousands of eusocial insect species in which colonies are started by groups of nestmates and the benefits of sociality are retained continuously. Dependent colony foundation (DCF) evolved recurrently multiple times across the ants, bees, and wasps, though its prevalence in termites remains unclear. We review adaptations at both the colony level (reproductive investment shifts from sexuals to workers) and the individual level (wingless queens evolve in ants), and other consequences for life history (invasiveness, parasite transmission). Although few studies have focused on DCF, the accumulated data from anecdotal reports, supported by indirect information including morphology, population genetics, and colony demographics, make it clear that this strategy is more diverse and widespread than is usually recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam L Cronin
- Laboratoire Écologie & Évolution CNRS UMR 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75 005 Paris, France.
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8
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Holman L, Dreier S, d'Ettorre P. Selfish strategies and honest signalling: reproductive conflicts in ant queen associations. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:2007-15. [PMID: 20181562 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects offer unique opportunities to test predictions regarding the evolution of cooperation, life histories and communication. Colony founding by groups of unrelated queens, some of which are later killed, may select for selfish reproductive strategies, honest signalling and punishment. Here, we use a brood transfer experiment to test whether cofounding queens of the ant Lasius niger 'selfishly' adjust their productivity when sharing the nest with future competitors. We simultaneously analysed queen cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles to investigate whether queens honestly signal their reproductive output or produce dishonest, manipulative signals, providing a novel test of the evolutionary significance of queen pheromones. Queens produced fewer workers when their colony contained ample brood, but only in the presence of competitors, suggesting selfish conservation of resources. Several CHCs correlated with reproductive maturation, and to a lesser extent with productivity; the same hydrocarbons were more abundant on queens that were not killed, suggesting that workers select productive queens using these chemical cues. Our results highlight the role of honest signalling in the evolution of cooperation: whenever cheaters can be reliably identified, they may incur sanctions that reduce the incentive to be selfish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Holman
- Department of Biology, Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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9
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Reber A, Meunier J, Chapuisat M. Flexible colony-founding strategies in a socially polymorphic ant. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Influence of queen phenotype, investment and maternity apportionment on the outcome of fights in cooperative foundations of the ant Lasius niger. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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11
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SCHLÜNS E, WEGENER B, SCHLÜNS H, AZUMA N, ROBSON SKA, CROZIER RH. Breeding system, colony and population structure in the weaver antOecophylla smaragdina. Mol Ecol 2009; 18:156-67. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2008.04020.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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12
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Lack of evidence for nepotism by workers tending queens of the polygynous termite Nasutitermes corniger. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-007-0506-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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13
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Holzer B, Kümmerli R, Keller L, Chapuisat M. Sham nepotism as a result of intrinsic differences in brood viability in ants. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:2049-52. [PMID: 16846912 PMCID: PMC1635479 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal societies, cooperation for the common wealth and latent conflicts due to the selfish interests of individuals are in delicate balance. In many ant species, colonies contain multiple breeders and workers interact with nestmates of varying degrees of relatedness. Therefore, workers could increase their inclusive fitness by preferentially caring for their closest relatives, yet evidence for nepotism in insect societies remains scarce and controversial. We experimentally demonstrate that workers of the ant Formica exsecta do not discriminate between highly related and unrelated brood, but that brood viability differs between queens. We further show that differences in brood viability are sufficient to explain a relatedness pattern that has previously been interpreted as evidence for nepotism. Hence, our findings support the view that nepotism remains elusive in social insects and emphasize the need for further controlled experiments.
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14
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Abstract
In most animals, the survival and reproductive success of males and females is linked to their size. The ability of individuals to control environmental influences on size will therefore have consequences for their fitness. In eusocial insects, individual males and reproductive females do not have to forage for themselves or control their local environment. Instead, they are reared by nonreproductive siblings (workers) inside colonies. Workers should benefit from controlling the size of sexuals because these sexuals are usually the only means for workers to transmit their genes to future generations. Nevertheless, considerable intraspecific variation exists around mean sexual size in social hymenopterans, even in species with monomorphic sexuals. This variation could result from genetic influences on sexual size, for instance sexuals may be selected to not agree to worker interests, or be due to strong, unpredictable environmental conditions constraining the efforts of workers to control sexual size. In a study that is the first of its kind I investigated genetic and environmental components of sexual body size variation in the ant Lasius niger, examining sexuals from wild colonies with one or several fathers (paternity levels established through microsatellite DNA offspring analysis). Evidence was found for a genetic component of size (broad-sense heritability of up to 42%) but strong common-colony effects (among-colony variation in food availability or in worker capacities to restrain sexual selfishness) also increased the size differences among colonies. Workers thus seem to only have partial-control over sexual size, but may be doing the best of a bad job.
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15
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Dani FR, Foster KR, Zacchi F, Seppä P, Massolo A, Carelli A, Arévalo E, Queller DC, Strassmann JE, Turillazzi S. Can cuticular lipids provide sufficient information for within-colony nepotism in wasps? Proc Biol Sci 2004; 271:745-53. [PMID: 15209109 PMCID: PMC1691643 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Inclusive fitness theory predicts that members of non-clonal societies will gain by directing altruistic acts towards their closest relatives. Multiple mating by queens and multiple queens creates distinct full-sister groups in many hymenopteran societies within which nepotism might occur. However, the weight of empirical data suggests that nepotism within full-sister groups is absent. It has been suggested that a lack of reliable recognition markers is responsible. In this paper, we investigated whether epicuticular lipids could provide reliable cues for intracolony kin recognition in two species of social wasps, the paper wasp Polistes dominulus and the hornet Vespa crabro. Epicuticular lipids have previously been shown to be central to kin recognition at the nest level, making them excellent candidates for within-nest discrimination. We genotyped individuals using DNA microsatellites and analysed surface chemistry by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We find that in both species epicuticular lipids typically could provide enough information to distinguish related nest-mates from unrelated nest-mates, a difference that occurs in colonies with multiple queens. However, in V. crabro, where colonies may be composed by different patrilines, information for discrimination between full sisters and half-sisters is weaker and prone to errors. Our data suggest that epicuticular lipids at best provide reliable information for intracolony nepotistic discrimination in multiple-queen colonies composed of unrelated lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca R Dani
- Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica, Università di Firenze, Via Romana 17, 50125-Firenze, Italy.
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16
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Abstract
Nepotism shapes interactions among the members of almost every animal society. However, clear evidence of nepotism within highly cooperative insect societies, such as ant, wasp and honeybee colonies, is rare. Recent empirical findings suggest that nepotism occurs within honeybee colonies where kin-selection theory most strongly predicts its existence: during the lethal queen-queen duels that determine which of several young queens will become the colony's next queen. In this study, I test whether worker bees act nepotistically by hindering duelling queens that are distantly related to themselves. I accomplished this by observing labelled workers harassing duelling queen bees in observation hives and subsequently by determining worker-queen relatedness using DNA microsatellites. I show that the workers that harassed duelling queens were neither more-closely nor more-distantly related to them than were workers selected randomly from the colony. Thus, workers did not behave nepotistically by hindering half-sister queens more than full-sister queens. These results demonstrate that under certain conditions, natural selection limits the evolution of nepotism within animal societies despite strong theoretical predictions for its existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Gilley
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Seeley G. Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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17
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18
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Abstract
In cooperatively breeding vertebrates, nonbreeding helpers raise young produced by dominant breeders. Although the evolution of cooperative breeding has often been attributed primarily to kin selection (whereby individuals gain "indirect" benefits to their fitness by assisting collateral relatives), there is increasing evidence that helpers can be unrelated to the young they are raising. Recent studies also suggest that the indirect benefits of cooperative behavior may often have been overestimated while the direct benefits of helping to the helper's own fitness have probably been underestimated. It now seems likely that the evolutionary mechanisms maintaining cooperative breeding are diverse and that, in some species, the direct benefits of helping may be sufficient to maintain cooperative societies. The benefits of cooperation in vertebrate societies may consequently show parallels with those in human societies, where cooperation between unrelated individuals is frequent and social institutions are often maintained by generalized reciprocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
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19
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Helms Cahan S. Cooperation and conflict in ant foundress associations: insights from geographical variation. Anim Behav 2001. [DOI: 10.1006/anbe.2000.1671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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20
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Reeve HK, Keller L. Tests of reproductive-skew models in social insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2001; 46:347-385. [PMID: 11112173 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.46.1.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive-skew theory can be broadly divided into transactional models, in which reproduction is shared among group members in return for some fitness benefit, and tug-of-war models, in which reproductive sharing arises solely from an inability of each group member to fully control the others. For small-colony social insects in which complete reproductive control by a single individual is plausible, transactional-concession models account, better than any other existing model, for observed relationships between each of the dependent variables of skew, changes in reproductive partitioning over time, group size, and within-group aggression, and each of the predictor variables of genetic relatedness, ecological constraints on solitary breeding, and benefits of group living. An extension of transactional-concession models via the "workers-as-a-collective-dominant" model potentially offers new insights into some of the most striking reproductive patterns in large-colony eusocial Hymenopteran species, from the loss of worker capacity to produce female offspring to patterns of skew and aggression in polygynous societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- H K Reeve
- Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-2702, USA.
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21
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Bull NJ, Adams M. Kin Associations during Nest Founding in an Allodapine Bee Exoneura robusta: do Females Distinguish between Relatives and Familiar Nestmates? Ethology 2000. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2000.00500.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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Tarpy DR, Hatch S, Fletcher DJ. The influence of queen age and quality during queen replacement in honeybee colonies. Anim Behav 2000; 59:97-101. [PMID: 10640371 DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Honeybee, Apis mellifera, colonies replace their queens by constructing many queen cells and then eliminating supernumerary queens until only one remains. The ages of the queens and the variation in their reproductive potential are important factors in the outcome of such events. Selection would favour colonies that requeen as quickly as possible to minimize the brood hiatus, therefore selecting for queens reared from older larvae. Conversely, reproductive potential (queen 'quality') is maximized by rearing queens from younger larvae. This potential trade-off was tested during two phases of queen replacement, namely queen rearing and polygyny reduction. Our results suggest that queen age is a significant element during both queen rearing and polygyny reduction, whereas queen quality, at least to the magnitude tested in this experiment, has little impact on the outcome of either process. The rate of queen replacement therefore appears to be an important factor in the honeybee life cycle, and further mechanisms of potential importance during this life history transition are discussed. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- DR Tarpy
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University
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23
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Abstract
Ant foundress associations are an example of cooperation among non-kin. Across a dozen genera, queens able to found a colony alone often join unrelated queens, thereby enhancing worker production and colony survivorship. The benefits of joining other queens vary with group size and ecological conditions. However, after the first workers mature, the queens fight until only one survives. The presence of cofoundresses, and their relative fighting ability, also affects the extent of cooperative investment before worker emergence. This reveals previously overlooked early conflicts among queens, which reduce the mutualistic benefits of cooperation.
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Bernascon G, Krieger MJB, Keller L. Unequal partitioning of reproduction and investment between cooperating queens in the fire ant,Solenopsis invicta, as revealed by microsatellites. Proc Biol Sci 1997. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1997.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giorgina Bernascon
- University of Berne, Institute of Zoology, Ethologische Station Hasli, CH‐3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Bâtiment de Biologie, CH‐1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael J. B. Krieger
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Bâtiment de Biologie, CH‐1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- University of Berne, Institute of Zoology, Ethologische Station Hasli, CH‐3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- University of Lausanne, Institute of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Bâtiment de Biologie, CH‐1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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