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Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
Published on: October 5, 2018
Polygyny and polyandry in small ant societies.
K Kellner1, A Trindl, J Heinze
1Institute of Biologie I, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany.
Molecular Ecology
|June 15, 2007
Summary
Social insects like ants exhibit diverse social structures. This study reveals that queens in Pachycondyla ants mate with multiple males, and cofounding queens are unrelated, influencing colony genetics.
Area of Science:
- Insect social behavior
- Evolutionary genetics
- Eusociality
Background:
- Social insects display significant variation in queen number and mating frequency, leading to diverse social structures.
- Understanding colony kin structure is crucial for resolving reproductive conflicts in insect societies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate colony kin structure and mating frequencies in two Neotropical ant species, Pachycondyla inversa and Pachycondyla villosa.
- To analyze the genetic relatedness patterns in colonies with primary polygyny.
Main Methods:
- Utilized five highly variable microsatellite markers to genotype ant colonies.
- Analyzed genetic relatedness among nestmates and within matrilines.
Main Results:
- Queens in both P. inversa and P. villosa typically mate with two or more males (polyandry).
- Cofounding queens were consistently unrelated.
- Polygynous and polyandrous colonies exhibited high genetic diversity, with mean relatedness coefficients among worker nestmates of 0.27 for P. inversa and 0.31 for P. villosa.
- Relatedness among workers within the same matriline was high (0.60-0.62) due to relatedness among males mating with the same queen.
Conclusions:
- Identified a new taxon within social Hymenoptera exhibiting high queen-mating frequencies.
- Observed intriguing mating and dispersal patterns of sexuals in these ant species.
- The study provides insights into the evolutionary resolution of reproductive conflicts through kin structure analysis.
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