Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Energy Budgets00:51

Energy Budgets

10.9K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
10.9K
Life Histories01:29

Life Histories

23.0K
Overview
23.0K
Inclusive Fitness00:57

Inclusive Fitness

42.5K
Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
42.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The ontogeny of selection on genetic diversity in harvester ants.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2022
Same author

The benefits of being big and diverse: early colony survival in harvester ants.

Ecology·2021
Same author

Comparative advantage and caste evolution.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2020
Same author

DISSECTING CORRELATED CHARACTERS: ADAPTIVE ASPECTS OF PHENOTYPIC COVARIATION IN MELANIZATION PATTERN OF PIERIS BUTTERFLIES.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2017
Same author

DEVELOPMENT, FUNCTION, AND THE QUANTITATIVE GENETICS OF WING MELANIN PATTERN IN PIERIS BUTTERFLIES.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2017
Same author

FEMALE CHOICE AND SEXUAL SELECTION OF MALE WING MELANIN PATTERN IN PIERIS OCCIDENTALIS (LEPIDOPTERA).

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2017
Same journal

Traffic Reduction during COVID-19 Lockdowns Benefited Species Already Tolerant of Noise Pollution: An Acoustic Analysis.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

On Pachycephalosaurs, Trade-Offs, and the Historical Genesis of Sociosexual Display Structures.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Structured Landscapes Promote Persistence by Favoring Prudent Predators.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Can Carbon Economy Explain Leaf Dynamic Seasonality in a Tropical Seasonal Rainforest?

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Behavior and Physiology Outpace Form When Linking Traits to Ecological Responses within Populations: A Meta-Analysis.

The American naturalist·2026
Same journal

Seminal Fluid Proteins as Regulation Factors for Optimizing Reproduction: A Modeling Approach.

The American naturalist·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Evaluation of the Productivity of Social Wasp Colonies Vespinae and an Introduction to the Traditional Japanese Vespula Wasp Hunting Technique
07:17

Evaluation of the Productivity of Social Wasp Colonies Vespinae and an Introduction to the Traditional Japanese Vespula Wasp Hunting Technique

Published on: September 11, 2019

8.8K

Offspring Size and Reproductive Allocation in Harvester Ants.

Diane C Wiernasz, Blaine J Cole

    The American Naturalist
    |December 16, 2017
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Parental resource allocation significantly impacts offspring size and number. Food supplementation in harvester ant colonies boosted reproductive output, increasing male size, especially when females were small.

    Keywords:
    PogonomyrmexTrivers-Willardfitnessfitness functionslife historyparental investment

    More Related Videos

    Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
    06:44

    Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

    Published on: October 5, 2018

    8.1K
    Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions
    10:11

    Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions

    Published on: August 30, 2022

    4.3K

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Feb 16, 2026

    Evaluation of the Productivity of Social Wasp Colonies Vespinae and an Introduction to the Traditional Japanese Vespula Wasp Hunting Technique
    07:17

    Evaluation of the Productivity of Social Wasp Colonies Vespinae and an Introduction to the Traditional Japanese Vespula Wasp Hunting Technique

    Published on: September 11, 2019

    8.8K
    Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
    06:44

    Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi

    Published on: October 5, 2018

    8.1K
    Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions
    10:11

    Collection and Long-Term Maintenance of Leaf-Cutting Ants Atta in Laboratory Conditions

    Published on: August 30, 2022

    4.3K

    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Behavioral ecology
    • Resource allocation strategies

    Background:

    • Organisms face critical decisions in allocating resources to offspring size and number.
    • Existing models for offspring size and brood size offer differing predictions.
    • Reconciling these models requires understanding offspring fitness in relation to size.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To derive a general model for parental resource allocation to male and female offspring.
    • To predict how resource availability influences investment in harvester ant colonies.
    • To test hypotheses regarding offspring size and number based on parental resource status.

    Main Methods:

    • Extended the Trivers and Willard (1973) framework to model resource allocation.
    • Developed predictions for harvester ant colony investment strategies.
    • Utilized 3 years of food supplementation data alongside 6 years of control data.

    Main Results:

    • Food supplementation significantly increased the number of reproductive offspring produced.
    • Male offspring size increased with food addition, while female size did not.
    • The most substantial increases in male size were observed in colonies producing smaller females.

    Conclusions:

    • Parental resource allocation strategies are influenced by parental state and offspring fitness payoffs.
    • A fitness landscape approach enhances quantitative predictions for allocation decisions.
    • Understanding differential investment in offspring types is key to optimizing reproductive success.