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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
Published on: October 5, 2018
Variance-based selection may explain general mating patterns in social insects
Olav Rueppell1, Nels Johnson, Jan Rychtár
1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 312 Eberhart Building, Greensboro, NC 27403, USA. olav_rueppell@uncg.edu
Abstract:
Female mating frequency is one of the key parameters of social insect evolution. Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain multiple mating and considerable empirical research has led to conflicting results. Building on several earlier analyses, we present a simple general model that links the number of queen matings to variance in colony performance and this variance to average colony fitness. The model predicts selection for multiple mating if the average colony succeeds in a focal task, and selection for single mating if the average colony fails, irrespective of the proximate mechanism that links genetic diversity to colony fitness. Empirical support comes from interspecific comparisons, e.g. between the bee genera Apis and Bombus, and from data on several ant species, but more comprehensive empirical tests are needed.
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