Massacre of the innocents in <i>Cardiocondyla thoracica</i>: Manipulation by adult ant males incites workers to kill their immature rivals

Heınze, Jürgen; Seifert, Bernhard; Zieschank, Verena

doi:10.1111/ens.12194

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…4 ) is based on a previous analysis of ant species [ 81 ] with additional tip placements based on a phylogeny of cytochrome B sequences of ants [ 82 ] (including sequences from individuals we had sequenced for Formica (Fig. S10 )) and a phylogeny for Cardiocondyla [ 83 ] with additional tip placements based on a different phylogeny of Cardiocondyla [ 84 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants

et al. 2022

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Ants are among the most successful organisms on Earth. It has been suggested that forming symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes may have contributed to their success, by allowing ants to invade otherwise inaccessible niches. However, it is unclear whether ants have evolved symbioses repeatedly to overcome the same nutrient limitations. Here, we address this question by comparing the independently evolved symbioses in Camponotus, Plagiolepis, Formica and Cardiocondyla ants. Our analysis reveals the only metabolic function consistently retained in all of the symbiont genomes is the capacity to synthesise tyrosine. We also show that in certain multi-queen lineages that have co-diversified with their symbiont for millions of years, only a fraction of queens carry the symbiont, suggesting ants differ in their colony-level reliance on symbiont-derived resources. Our results imply that symbioses can arise to solve common problems, but hosts may differ in their dependence on symbionts, highlighting the evolutionary forces influencing the persistence of long-term endosymbiotic mutualisms.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants

et al. 2022

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“…The phylogeny of ant species used in Figure 4 is based on 53 with additional tip placements based on a phylogeny of cytochrome B sequences based on the work of 54 including sequences from individuals we had sequenced for Formica (Fig S8 ) and 55 with additional tip placements based on 56 for Cardiocondyla.…”

Section: Taxonomic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent evolution of a nutritional symbiosis in ants

Jackson

Monnin

Patapiou

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Ants are among the most successful organisms on earth. It has been suggested that forming symbioses with nutrient-supplementing microbes may have contributed to their success, by allowing ants to invade otherwise inaccessible niches. However, it is unclear whether ants have repeatedly evolved symbioses to overcome the same nutrient limitations. Here, we address this question by comparing the independently evolved symbioses in Camponotus, Cardiocondyla, Formica and Plagiolepis ants. Our analysis reveals the only metabolic function consistently retained in all of the symbiont genomes is the capacity to synthesise tyrosine, which is essential for insect cuticles. We also reveal that in certain multi-queen lineages, only a fraction of queens carry the symbiont, suggesting ants differ in their colony-level reliance on symbiont-derived nutrients. Our results suggest symbioses can arise to solve common problems, but hosts may differ in their dependence on symbionts, highlighting the evolutionary forces influencing the persistence of long-term endosymbiotic mutualisms.

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“…For example, fighting among adult males appears to be less common in most species with shear-shaped mandibles, probably because these are less suitable for grabbing sclerotized, adult rivals. In Cardiocondyla thoracica, adult males apparently besmear emerging males without directly injuring them and leave infanticide to workers [65].…”

Section: (B) Sexual Selection In Cardiocondyla: Inbreeding Lethal Fighting and Mutual Tolerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life-history evolution in ants: the case ofCardiocondyla

Heınze¹

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Ants are important components of most terrestrial habitats, and a better knowledge of the diversity of their life histories is essential to understand many aspects of ecosystem functioning. The myrmicine genus Cardiocondyla shows a wide range of colony structures, reproductive behaviours, queen and male lifespans, and habitat use. Reconstructing the evolutionary pathways of individual and social phenotypic traits suggests that the ancestral life history of Cardiocondyla was characterized by the presence of multiple, short-lived queens in small-sized colonies and a male polyphenism with winged dispersers and wingless fighters, which engage in lethal combat over female sexuals within their natal nests. Single queening, queen polyphenism, the loss of winged males and tolerance among wingless males appear to be derived traits that evolved with changes in nesting habits, colony size and the spread from tropical to seasonal environments. The aim of this review is to bring together the information on life-history evolution in Cardiocondyla and to highlight the suitability of this genus for functional genomic studies of adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, senescence, invasiveness and other key life-history traits of ants.

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Massacre of the innocents in Cardiocondyla thoracica: Manipulation by adult ant males incites workers to kill their immature rivals

Cited by 10 publications

References 25 publications

Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants

Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in ants

Convergent evolution of a nutritional symbiosis in ants

Life-history evolution in ants: the case ofCardiocondyla

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