Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae
Polygyny is common in social insects despite inevitable decreases in nestmate relatedness and reductions to the inclusive fitness returns for cooperating non-reproductive individuals. We studied the prevalence and mode of polygyny in the African acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae. These ants compete i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104006 |
| _version_ | 1811088454056935424 |
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| author | Rubin, B. E. R. Kennedy, D. Palmer, T. M. Stanton, M. L. Lovette, I. J. Anderson, Ross Michael |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Operations Research Center |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Operations Research Center Rubin, B. E. R. Kennedy, D. Palmer, T. M. Stanton, M. L. Lovette, I. J. Anderson, Ross Michael |
| author_sort | Rubin, B. E. R. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Polygyny is common in social insects despite inevitable decreases in nestmate relatedness and reductions to the inclusive fitness returns for cooperating non-reproductive individuals. We studied the prevalence and mode of polygyny in the African acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae. These ants compete intensively with neighboring colonies of conspecifics and with three sympatric ant species for resources associated with the whistling-thorn acacias in which they all obligately nest. We used the genotypes of alate males at ten microsatellite loci to reconstruct queen genotypes and found that C. mimosae colonies are frequently secondarily polygynous, in that they include multiple closely related (and sometimes full-sib) queens, and (more rarely) unrelated queens. We also found that individual queens in both monogynous and polygynous colonies had mated with multiple males, making C. mimosae an interesting example of simultaneous polygyny and polyandry. The presence of polygyny in C. mimosae and the intense competition for nest-sites between C. mimosae and its conspecifics support the association between nest-site limitation and polygyny. Polygyny may allow for increased worker populations and a competitive advantage, as inter-colony conflicts are typically won by the colony with the larger number of workers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:02:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/104006 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T14:02:27Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1040062023-03-01T02:08:03Z Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae Rubin, B. E. R. Kennedy, D. Palmer, T. M. Stanton, M. L. Lovette, I. J. Anderson, Ross Michael Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Operations Research Center Anderson, R. M. Polygyny is common in social insects despite inevitable decreases in nestmate relatedness and reductions to the inclusive fitness returns for cooperating non-reproductive individuals. We studied the prevalence and mode of polygyny in the African acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae. These ants compete intensively with neighboring colonies of conspecifics and with three sympatric ant species for resources associated with the whistling-thorn acacias in which they all obligately nest. We used the genotypes of alate males at ten microsatellite loci to reconstruct queen genotypes and found that C. mimosae colonies are frequently secondarily polygynous, in that they include multiple closely related (and sometimes full-sib) queens, and (more rarely) unrelated queens. We also found that individual queens in both monogynous and polygynous colonies had mated with multiple males, making C. mimosae an interesting example of simultaneous polygyny and polyandry. The presence of polygyny in C. mimosae and the intense competition for nest-sites between C. mimosae and its conspecifics support the association between nest-site limitation and polygyny. Polygyny may allow for increased worker populations and a competitive advantage, as inter-colony conflicts are typically won by the colony with the larger number of workers. Explorer’s Club Bartels Scholars fund Cornell University. Laboratory of Ornithology Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Hughes Scholars program) National Science Foundation (U.S.) (grants DEB-0089706 and DEB-0444741) 2016-08-25T21:25:13Z 2016-08-25T21:25:13Z 2013-02 2012-10 2016-08-18T15:40:11Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0020-1812 1420-9098 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104006 Rubin, B. E. R., R. M. Anderson, D. Kennedy, T. M. Palmer, M. L. Stanton, and I. J. Lovette. “Polygyny in the Nest-Site Limited Acacia-Ant Crematogaster Mimosae.” Insect. Soc. 60, no. 2 (February 8, 2013): 231–241. en http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00040-013-0287-5 Insectes Sociaux Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) application/pdf SP Birkhäuser Verlag Basel Springer Verlag |
| spellingShingle | Rubin, B. E. R. Kennedy, D. Palmer, T. M. Stanton, M. L. Lovette, I. J. Anderson, Ross Michael Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title | Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title_full | Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title_fullStr | Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title_full_unstemmed | Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title_short | Polygyny in the nest-site limited acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae |
| title_sort | polygyny in the nest site limited acacia ant crematogaster mimosae |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104006 |
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