A study of multiple mating habit in Atta laevigata based on the DNA content

Corso, Carlos Renato; Serzedello, Alcides

doi:10.1016/0305-0491(81)90404-1

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is interesting in this context to consider the closely related, polyandrous species A. sexdens and A. laevigata, where males possess far less sperm than what is finally stored by an average queen (Kerr, 1961;Corso and Serzedello, 1981). We hypothesise that the apparent constraints on male sperm contributions may be due to negative covariation of sperm complement size with other male fitness traits similar to our findings in Atta colombica (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…Reproduction is mediated by sexuals that disperse and mate on nuptial flights, whereafter the young queens found colonies claustrally and solitarily (Weber, 1972). The genus Atta is one of the few ant taxa for which high levels of multiple mating by queens (polyandry) have been found (Kerr, 1961;Corso and Serzedello, 1981;Fjerdingstad et al, 1997;review in Boomsma and Ratnieks, 1996). Very little, however, is known about the reproductive strategies of Atta sexuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Variation in size and sperm content of sexuals in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica

Fjerdingstad

Boomsma

1997

Insectes soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We studied a population of the Panamanian leafcutter ant Atta colombica and found significant between-colony variation for several male and gyne size parameters. Male sperm complement size was highly variable between individuals and was negatively correlated with head width and thorax weight, the latter itself positively correlated with wing length. This suggests a negative covariance between two likely fitness traits of males: flight ability and insemination potential. Young queens on average stored only slightly more than one male's worth of sperm. We discuss our results in the context of reproductive strategies and mating systems.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in size and sperm content of sexuals in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica

Fjerdingstad

Boomsma

1997

Insectes soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A recent genetical analysis of multiple paternity in another Panamanian Acromyrmex species (Bekkevold et al 1999) also showed a high degree of genetically e¡ective multiple queen-mating (regression relatedness among o¡spring of monogynous queens 0.40). Earlier non-genetic studies on the amounts of sperm stored by queens and males in Brazilian populations of Atta sexdens and Atta leavigata (Kerr 1961;Corso & Serzedello 1981) have suggested slightly higher absolute queen-mating frequencies (3^4) than could be genetically documented in the Panamanian Atta species (2.6 for Atta colombica, ; 2^3 on average for Panamanian Atta sexdens, E. J. Fjerdingstad and J. J. Boomsma, unpublished data).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Multiple paternity, relatedness and genetic diversity in Acromyrmex leaf–cutter ants

Boomsma

Fjerdingstad

Frydenberg

1999

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Multiple queen-mating occurs in many social insects, but high degrees of multiple paternity have only been found in honeybees and some yellowjacket wasps. Here we report the ¢rst case of an ant species where multiple mating reduces relatedness among female o¡spring to values signi¢cantly lower than 0.5. Genetic analysis of a Panamanian population of the leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex octospinosus showed that queens mate with at least 4^10 males. The detected (minimum) genetically e¡ective paternity of nestmate females was 3.9 and estimates of mean relatedness among nestmate females were ca. 0.33. This implies that multiple queen-mating in Acromyrmex octospinosus reduces relatedness to 44% of the value in full-sib colonies (0.75), realizing 84% of the maximum reduction (to 0.25) that would be obtained with an in¢nite number of matings. Queens of Panamanian Acromyrmex octospinosus mate with more males than sympatric queens of Atta colombica, which is contrary to the positive relationship between queen-mating frequency and colony size found across more distantly related ant species. Possible selective forces that maintain high queen-mating frequencies in leaf-cutter ants are discussed.

show abstract

“…All higher leafcutter ants have extremely populous colonies (Fowler et al, 1986) and live in an obligatory symbiosis with a clonal fungus that is quite susceptible to microorganisms and is chemically defended by the ants (Weber, 1972;Knapp et al, 1994). Therefore, both the polyandry-for-sperm hypothesis (Cole, 1983) and the genetic-diversity-disease-resist- ance hypotheses (Hamilton, 1987;Sherman et al, 1988) may have power to explain why higher leafcutter ants show such high levels of polyandry (Kerr, 1961;Corso & Serzedello, 1981;Reichardt & Wheeler, 1996; this study).…”

Section: Degree Of Multiple Paternity and Colony Age In A Colombicamentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Thus far, high levels of effective multiple paternity have been genetically documented in Apis honeybees (Estoup et al, 1994;Moritz et al, 1995;Oldroyd et al, 1995) and in two Vespula yellowjacket wasps (Ross, 1986). Nongenetic studies, however, have shown multiple mating by queens in some species of the neotropical Atta and Acromyrmex leafcutter ants (Kerr, 1961;Corso & Serzedello, 1981;Reichardt & Wheeler, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple paternity in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica — a microsatellite DNA study

1998

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An evolutionary understanding of the causes, correlates and consequences of multiple paternity in eusocial Hymenoptera (all ants, some bees and some wasps) relies on accurate estimation of this parameter at the species, population and colony level. We developed dinucleotide microsatellite DNA markers in order to study in detail the degree of multiple paternity in a population of the monogynous Panamanian leafcutter ant Atta colombica. These microsatellite markers were highly polymorphic such that nondetection caused by finite allelic diversity was very low (0.016). Hence, accurate information on the patterns of multiple paternity could be obtained. Genetic analysis revealed that in 33 out of 36 colonies two or more males had contributed genetically to the offspring. The mean number of fathers per colony was 2.6 and the mean effective paternity was 2.31. These are the highest values of effective paternity yet reported for any ant species. We examined the patterns of paternity frequency in young and old colonies to test if within-colony genetic diversity is related to colony survival, but found no support for any relationship. Our results confirm previous nongenetic studies showing high levels of multiple mating by queens of higher leafcutter ants. We discuss our findings in relation to known patterns of polyandry and paternity in other eusocial Hymenoptera.

show abstract

A study of multiple mating habit in Atta laevigata based on the DNA content

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

Variation in size and sperm content of sexuals in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica

Variation in size and sperm content of sexuals in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica

Multiple paternity, relatedness and genetic diversity in Acromyrmex leaf–cutter ants

Multiple paternity in the leafcutter ant Atta colombica — a microsatellite DNA study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About