Evolution of wingless reproductives in ants: weakly specialized ergatoid queen instead of gamergates in Platythyrea conradti |
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Authors: | M Molet C Peeters |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire d’Ecologie CNRS UMR 7625, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005 Paris, France |
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Abstract: | Platythyrea conradti is the only species in this genus with ergatoid (= permanently wingless) queens. Colonies lack gamergates (unlike other
species in this genus), yet aggressive interactions among queen and workers define a hierarchy. A single fertile queen has
the top rank and highranking workers do not lay eggs, except when the queen dies. Colonial reproduction by both alate queens
(independent foundation) and gamergates (fission) seems the ancestral state in Platythyrea. Independent foundation can be selected against in some species, causing the loss of alate queens for economic reasons. Thus
gamergates become the only reproductives, except in P. conradti in which queens became ergatoid. Gamergates and ergatoid queens are two mutually redundant reproductive phenotypes that allow
colonial reproduction by fission.
Received 1 July 2005; revised 10 November 2005; accepted 16 November 2005. |
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Keywords: | Aggression hierarchy ergatoid queen gamergate queen/worker dimorphism reproduction fission |
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