The genetics of social behavior in a polygynous ant

Snyder, Lisle

doi:10.1007/bf01135776

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Thus, genotypic variability does not appear as a necessary condition for intracolonial diversity and task specialization in C. cursor. This contrasts with the several cases where genetic variability among workers has been shown to influence division of labour in insect societies (honeybee: Frumhoff & Baker 1988;Robinson & Page 1988;Fuchs & Schade 1994;Page et al 1995;Kryger et al 2000;termites: Goodisman & Crozier 2003;ants: Stuart & Page 1991;Snyder 1992;Blatrix et al 2000;Julian et al 2002;Bargum et al 2004;Schwander et al 2005). The lack of genetic polyethism in C. cursor also suggests that within-colony genetic diversity is not associated with increased task efficiency and/or colony performance in this species.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

“…For instance, workers belonging to certain patrilines show a higher tendency to perform certain tasks such as foraging, recruiting, guarding, stinging, or nest-cleaning in the honeybee (Frumhoff & Baker 1988;Robinson & Page 1988, 1989Page et al 1989Page et al , 1995Oldroyd et al 1994), wasps (O'Donnell 1998), and in a few ant species (Stuart & Page 1991;Hughes et al 2003). Similarly, a significant genetic component to division of labour has been reported in ant colonies headed by multiple queens (polygyny), with workers belonging to different matrilines showing a different propensity to perform distinct tasks (Snyder 1992;Blatrix et al 2000;Julian et al 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

et al. 2008

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Understanding the adaptive significance of multiple mating (polyandry) by females has long been a challenge in evolutionary biology. Several genetic and nongenetic benefits have been proposed to explain the evolution and maintenance of polyandry. In eusocial Hymenoptera, a prominent hypothesis is that increased genetic diversity within colonies results in more polymorphic workers and facilitates division of labour. We analysed the genetic basis of worker size (i.e. worker head width) and task preference in Cataglyphis cursor, an ant showing natural variations in queen-mating frequency. Our data show that increased genetic diversity within colonies does not result in more polymorphic workers. Moreover, worker head width is not different between patrilines within colonies. Consistent with these findings, worker size has a low heritable component. Moreover, task performance is not correlated with patriline. By contrast, it is significantly associated with worker size: the first foragers leaving the nest at sunrise are significantly larger than workers remaining in the nest. Overall, these results do not support the hypothesis that multiple mating is favoured because increased genetic diversity within colonies translates into more polymorphic workers and facilitates genetic polyethism. We discuss other hypotheses to account for the evolution of polyandry in C. cursor.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 46%

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confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

et al. 2008

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“…Genetic variation for caste determination is well known in honeybees (Robinson 1992) and is suggested in several ant species (Stuart and Page 1991;Snyder 1992;Carlin et al 1993;Fraser et al 2000). It has recently been demonstrated in A. echinatior that individuals of different patrilines have different propensities to develop into either small or large workers .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Diversity and Disease Resistance in Leaf-Cutting Ant Societies

Hughes

Boomsma

2004

Evol

110

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Abstract.•Multiple mating by females (polyandry) remains hard to explain because, while it has substantial costs, clear benefits have remained elusive. The problem is acute in the social insects because polyandry is probably particularly costly for females and most material benefits of the behavior are unlikely to apply. It has been suggested that a fitness benefit may arise from the more genetically diverse worker force that a polyandrous queen will produce. One leading hypothesis is that the increased genetic diversity of workers will improve a colony's resistance to disease. We investigated this hypothesis using a polyandrous leaf-cutting ant and a virulent fungal parasite as our model system. At high doses of the parasite most patrilines within colonies were similarly susceptible, but a few showed greater resistance. At a low dose of the parasite there was more variation between patrilines in their resistance to the parasite. Such genetic variation is a key prerequisite for polyandry to result in increased disease resistance of colonies. The relatedness of two hosts did not appear to affect the transmission of the parasite between them, but this was most likely because the parasite tested was a virulent generalist that is adapted to transmit between distantly related hosts. The resistance to the parasite was compared between small groups of ants of either high or low genetic diversity. No difference was found at high doses of the parasite, but a significant improvement in resistance in high genetic diversity groups was found at a low dose of the parasite. That there is genetic variation for disease resistance means that there is the potential for polyandry to produce more disease-resistant colonies. That this genetic variation can improve the resistance of groups even under the limited conditions tested suggests that polyandry may indeed produce colonies with improved resistance to disease.

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“…2 ). Task performance may also be coupled to age [reviewed in Seid and Traniello, 2006] and genetic architecture [Snyder, 1992;Libbrecht et al, 2011;Schluns et al, 2011]. Worker behavior is not fixed according to size, age, or task load and can be modified to allow flexible responses to colony needs [Seid and Traniello, 2006;Muscedere et al, 2009;Gordon, 2010].…”

Section: The Organization Of Ant Colonies: Sensory Environments Of Womentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogenic Amines and Collective Organization in a Superorganism: Neuromodulation of Social Behavior in Ants

Kamhi¹,

Traniello²

2013

Brain Behav Evol

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The ecological dominance of ants has to a great extent been achieved through their collective action and complex social organization. Ants provide diverse model systems to examine the neural underpinnings of individual behavior and group action that contribute to their evolutionary success. Core elements of ant colony structure such as reproductive and ergonomic division of labor, task specialization, and social integration are beginning to be understood in terms of cellular neuroanatomy and neurochemistry. In this review we discuss the neuroethology of colony organization by focusing on the role of biogenic amines in the control of social behavior in ants. We examine the role of neuromodulation in significant sociobiological characteristics of ants, including reproductive hierarchies, colony foundation, social food flow, nestmate recognition, territoriality, and size- and age-related sensory perception and task performance as well as the involvement of monoamines in collective intelligence, the ultimate key to the global dominance of these remarkable superorganisms. We conclude by suggesting future directions for the analysis of the aminergic regulation of behavior and social complexity in ants.

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The genetics of social behavior in a polygynous ant

Cited by 35 publications

References 6 publications

Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Genetic diversity, worker size polymorphism and division of labour in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor

Genetic Diversity and Disease Resistance in Leaf-Cutting Ant Societies

Biogenic Amines and Collective Organization in a Superorganism: Neuromodulation of Social Behavior in Ants

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