Queens versus workers: sex-ratio conflict in eusocial Hymenoptera

Mehdiabadi, Natasha J.; Reeve, H. Kern; Mueller, Ulrich G.

doi:10.1016/s0169-5347(02)00056-3

Cited by 74 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Is our model 2 capable of explaining the cases where sex ratios close to the queen's optimum have been found (Mehdiabadi et al 2003)? So far, very few species have been studied in sufficient detail to verify the assumptions of our models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Modelling information exchange in worker–queen conflict over sex allocation

Pen

Taylor

2005

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigate the conflict between queen and worker over sex allocation, specifically the allocation of the queen's eggs between workers and reproductives and the allocation of the reproductive eggs between male and female. In contrast to previous models, we allow workers to observe and use information about the strategy of the queen. We consider three conflict models: simultaneous (no information exchange), sequential (a one-way information exchange) and negotiated (an iterated two-way information exchange). We find that the first model produces sex ratios intermediate between the classic queen (1 : 1) and worker (1 : 3) optima. The second model, in which the worker has information about the queen's decisions, produces a different result and one that is somewhat counter-intuitive in that the sex ratios are less femalebiased than for the other two models, and in fact are often male-biased. The third model predicts sex ratios intermediate between the first two models. We discuss how these findings may shed new light on observed sex allocation patterns in social insects and we suggest some experimental tests.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Helms 1999;Jemielity & Keller 2003;Duchateau et al 2004). In order to understand these contradictory results, Mehdiabadi et al (2003) call for more sophisticated shared-control conflict models to encompass the dynamic balance between queen and worker power over the colony sex ratio.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling information exchange in worker–queen conflict over sex allocation

Pen

Taylor

2005

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For social organisms, genetic structure assumes additional significance not only for the evolution of social behaviour, but also for the evolution of multiple-queen societies, reproductive skew, sex ratio conflict, conflict over growth versus reproduction, and worker reproduction (reviewed in Pamilo et al, 1997;Ross, 2001;Sundströ m and Boomsma, 2001;Mehdiabadi et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The breeding system and population structure of the termite Reticulitermes grassei in Southwestern France

Kutnik

Vargo

et al. 2005

Heredity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…These counterexamples have been explained either by assuming that workers do not control sex ratios or that they cannot tell the type of colony they are in. Observations of split sex ratios in colonies without variation in relatedness have been interpreted as evidence that the queen controls the sex ratio (Mehdiabadi et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dioecy and the evolution of sex ratios in ants

Wiernasz

Cole

2009

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Split sex ratios, when some colonies produce only male and others only female reproductives, is a common feature of social insects, especially ants. The most widely accepted explanation for split sex ratios was proposed by Boomsma and Grafen, and is driven by conflicts of interest among colonies that vary in relatedness. The predictions of the Boomsma-Grafen model have been confirmed in many cases, but contradicted in several others. We adapt a model for the evolution of dioecy in plants to make predictions about the evolution of split sex ratios in social insects. Reproductive specialization results from the instability of the evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) sex ratio, and is independent of variation in relatedness. We test predictions of the model with data from a long-term study of harvester ants, and show that it correctly predicts the intermediate sex ratios we observe in our study species. The dioecy model provides a comprehensive framework for sex allocation that is based on the pay-offs to the colony via production of males and females, and is independent of the genetic variation among colonies. However, in populations where the conditions for the Boomsma-Grafen model hold, kin selection will still lead to an association between sex ratio and relatedness.

show abstract

Queens versus workers: sex-ratio conflict in eusocial Hymenoptera

Cited by 74 publications

References 48 publications

Modelling information exchange in worker–queen conflict over sex allocation

Modelling information exchange in worker–queen conflict over sex allocation

The breeding system and population structure of the termite Reticulitermes grassei in Southwestern France

Dioecy and the evolution of sex ratios in ants

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About