Ant queens adjust egg fertilization to benefit from both sexual and asexual reproduction

Aron, Serge; Timmermans, Iris; Pearcy, Morgan

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.1189

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Finally, it is important to note that the observed ratio of ‘sexual’ to asexual gynes might not be optimal from the queen's perspective. Workers may potentially modify this ratio if they can identify the two types of gynes at the brood stage (Aron et al ., ). Furthermore, males may promote the production of ‘sexual’ gynes because it is the only way for them to transmit genes in queenright colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Facultative use of thelytokous parthenogenesis for queen production in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Doums

Cronin

Ruel

et al. 2013

J of Evolutionary Biology

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The evolutionary paradox of sex remains one of the major debates in evolutionary biology. The study of species capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction can elucidate factors important in the evolution of sex. One such species is the ant Cataglyphis cursor, where the queen maximizes the transmission of her genes by producing new queens (gynes) asexually while simultaneously maintaining a genetically diverse workforce via the sexual production of workers. We show that the queen can also produce gynes sexually and may do so to offset the costs of asexual reproduction. We genotyped 235 gynes from 18 colonies and found that half were sexually produced. A few colonies contained both sexually and asexually produced gynes. Although workers in this species can also use thelytoky, we found no evidence of worker production of gynes based on genotypes of 471 workers from the six colonies producing sexual gynes. Gynes are thus mainly, and potentially exclusively, produced by the queen. Simulations of gynes inbreeding level following one to ten generations of automictic thelytoky suggest that the queen switches between or combines thelytoky and sex, which may reduce the costs of inbreeding. This is supported by the relatively small size of inbred gynes in one colony, although we found no relationship between the level of inbreeding and immune parameters. Such facultative use of sex and thelytoky by individual queens contrasts with other known forms of parthenogenesis in ants, which are typically characterized by distinct lineages specializing in one strategy or the other.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Facultative use of thelytokous parthenogenesis for queen production in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Doums

Cronin

Ruel

et al. 2013

J of Evolutionary Biology

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show abstract

“…A similar phenomenon may occur in Cataglyphis cursor, in which queen-biased eggs are produced in the early spring. In small colonies, these queen-biased eggs develop into workers or die, but in large colonies they develop into queens ( presumably as a result of improved nutrition) (Aron et al, 2011). These genotypes may therefore influence caste by restricting the size range, with workerbiased genotypes producing individuals whose growth is stunted, and queen-biased genotypes producing individuals that are starvation intolerant (and therefore either attain large size or die).…”

Section: Caste Determination Determining Adult Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large colony size (which is associated with high worker:larva ratios and therefore may be associated with higher nutrition) is a necessary condition for queen production in a wide variety of ant species (e.g. Brian, 1979;Tschinkel, 2006;Schwander et al, 2008;Aron et al, 2011).…”

Section: Caste Determination Determining Adult Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

Caste development and evolution in ants: it's all about size

Trible

Kronauer

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Female ants display a wide variety of morphological castes, including workers, soldiers, ergatoid (worker-like) queens and queens. Alternative caste development within a species arises from a variable array of genetic and environmental factors. Castes themselves are also variable across species and have been repeatedly gained and lost throughout the evolutionary history of ants. Here, we propose a simple theory of caste development and evolution. We propose that female morphology varies as a function of size, such that larger individuals possess more queen-like traits. Thus, the diverse mechanisms that influence caste development are simply mechanisms that affect size in ants. Each caste-associated trait has a unique relationship with size, producing a phenotypic space that permits some combinations of worker-and queen-like traits, but not others. We propose that castes are gained and lost by modifying the regions of this phenotypic space that are realized within a species. These modifications can result from changing the sizefrequency distribution of individuals within a species, or by changing the association of tissue growth and size. We hope this synthesis will help unify the literature on caste in ants, and facilitate the discovery of molecular mechanisms underlying caste development and evolution.

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“…How can queens of AQS termites control egg fertilization? In haplodiploid social Hymenoptera, queens are able to control fertilization (Ratnieks and Keller, 1998;Aron et al, 2011), producing unfertilized male eggs and fertilized female eggs (Crozier and Pamilo, 1996). However, females of diploid insects cannot control fertilization because sperm release is generally activated through a neural loop whenever an egg passes the genital chamber.…”

Section: Mechanism Of Switching From Sexual To Asexual Reproductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the asexual queen succession system and its underlying mechanisms in termites

Matsuura

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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One major advantage of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction is its promotion of genetic variation, although it reduces the genetic contribution to offspring. Queens of social insects double their contribution to the gene pool, while overuse of asexual reproduction may reduce the ability of the colony to adapt to environmental stress because of the loss of genetic diversity. Recent studies have revealed that queens of some termite species can solve this tradeoff by using parthenogenesis to produce the next generation of queens and sexual reproduction to produce other colony members. This reproductive system, known as asexual queen succession (AQS), has been identified in the subterranean termites Reticulitermes speratus, Reticulitermes virginicus and Reticulitermes lucifugus and in the Neotropical higher termites Embiratermes neotenicus and Cavitermes tuberosus. The studies presented here have uncovered the unusual modes of reproduction in termites and have aimed to identify their underlying mechanisms. The study of AQS, the mixed use of sexual and asexual reproduction, is of fundamental importance as it may provide a key to solve the evolutionary paradox of sex.

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Ant queens adjust egg fertilization to benefit from both sexual and asexual reproduction

Cited by 10 publications

References 13 publications

Facultative use of thelytokous parthenogenesis for queen production in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Facultative use of thelytokous parthenogenesis for queen production in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Caste development and evolution in ants: it's all about size

Evolution of the asexual queen succession system and its underlying mechanisms in termites

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