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Social insect males, unlike queens, face a trade-off. Frequent mating in Cardiocondyla obscurior males shortens lifespan, supporting a "live fast, die young" reproductive strategy.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Insect reproductive strategies
  • Life history theory

Background:

  • Multicellular organisms exhibit a trade-off between reproduction (fecundity) and lifespan (longevity).
  • Social insect queens often bypass this trade-off, being both highly fertile and long-lived.
  • The fecundity/longevity trade-off in social insect males is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if males of the ant genus Cardiocondyla experience the fecundity/longevity trade-off.
  • To determine the impact of mating frequency on male lifespan in Cardiocondyla obscurior.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of Cardiocondyla obscurior males.
  • Controlled mating experiments with varying frequencies.
  • Comparison of lifespan between mated and virgin males.

Main Results:

  • Males allowed to mate frequently with female sexuals exhibited a significantly shortened lifespan.
  • Lifespan was reduced in high-frequency mating males compared to low-frequency or virgin males.
  • Frequent mating confers a survival cost to males.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiocondyla obscurior males demonstrate a "live fast, die young" strategy, prioritizing insemination of multiple females at the expense of their own survival.
  • This study reveals the fecundity/longevity trade-off in social insect males, contrasting with queen behavior.