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Ant queens increase their reproductive efforts after pathogen infection
Julia Giehr1, Anna V Grasse2, Sylvia Cremer2
1Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Royal Society Open Science
|August 10, 2017
Summary
Ant queens infected with lethal pathogens increase egg-laying, demonstrating terminal investment. This response to impending death prioritizes reproduction over self-maintenance, a novel finding in social insects.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Insect behavior
- Disease ecology
Background:
- Potentially lethal infections can reduce lifespan and reproductive value.
- The terminal investment hypothesis posits increased reproduction under shortened survival.
- Previous studies on condition-dependent reproductive adjustments yielded mixed results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if ant queens increase reproduction after infection with a lethal pathogen.
- To test the terminal investment hypothesis in social insects.
- To determine if Cardiocondyla obscurior queens adjust egg-laying in response to fungal infection.
Main Methods:
- Queens of Cardiocondyla obscurior were infected with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum.
- Egg-laying rates were monitored and compared between infected and control queens.
- Reproductive responses were analyzed in the context of queen age and infection status.
Main Results:
- Fungal infection significantly increased the egg-laying rate of C. obscurior queens.
- Queens exhibited a reinforced investment in reproduction following pathogen exposure.
- This reproductive adjustment is consistent with the terminal investment hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Ant queens adjust reproductive investment in response to lethal infections.
- This behavior supports the terminal investment hypothesis in a social insect context.
- The findings provide the first evidence of terminal investment in social insect queens.
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