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Discrimination of nestmate and non-nestmate sexuals by ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Discrimination des sexués du même nid et d'un nid étranger chez des fourmis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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Summary

Nestmate recognition has been frequently reported in the social Hymenoptera though published reports of this phenomenon in ants typically involve workers. Arguments involving inclusive fitness suggest that reproductive females (queens and alates) should be accepted less often than workers in foreign colonies; males may or may not elicit fewer aggressive responses. Dealate queens from a monogynous/polygynous sibling species pair (Formica argentea andF. podzolica) and alates of both sexes from the polygynous species were tested with familiar and unfamiliar nestmates, foreign conspecifics, and heterospecific workers. Workers from the polygynous species were less likely to reject foreign conspecific queens than workers of the monogynous species. In all cases except controls and between species introductions, foreign males were accepted more readily than foreign alate females.

Resume

La reconnaissance des partenaires du nid a été souvent rapportée chez les Hyménoptères sociaux quoique les données publiés sur ce phénomène chez les fourmis particulièrement concernent les ouvrières. Les raisonnements utilisant l'«inclusive fitness» suggèrent que les femelles reproductrices (reines et ailées) devraient être acceptées dans les nids étrangers moins souvent que les ouvrières; les mâles peuvent ou non entraîner moins de réponses agressives. Les reines désailées provenant d'une paire d'espèces voisines, l'une monogyne (Formica argentea), l'autre polygyne (F. podzolica), et les ailés des deux sexes de l'espèce polygyne ont été expérimentalement combinés avec des partenaires de nids familiers et peu familiers, des ouvrières étrangères de la même espèce, et des ouvrières de l'autre espèce. Dans l'espèce polygyne les ouvrières ont été moins promptes à rejeter des reines étrangères homospécifiques que dans l'espèce monogyne. Dans tous les cas, à l'exception des témoins et des introductions inter-espèces, les mâles étrangers ont été acceptés plus facilement que les femelles ailées étrangères.

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Bennett, B. Discrimination of nestmate and non-nestmate sexuals by ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Ins. Soc 35, 82–91 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224140

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02224140

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