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Queen–worker–brood coadaptation rather than conflict may drive colony resource allocation in the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus

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Abstract

Conflicts of interest among genetically heterogeneous nestmates in social insect colonies have been emphasized as driving colony resource allocation. However, potential intracolonial conflicts may not actually be realized so that resource allocation could be shaped primarily by among-colony selection that maximizes colony productivity. To elucidate the causal basis of patterns of resource allocation, I experimentally manipulated three fundamental aspects of colony social structure (relatedness among workers, relatedness among larvae, and queen presence) in the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus and measured effects on colony resource allocation to new workers, gynes, and males. The experimental manipulations had widespread effects on patterns of colony resource allocation, but there was little evidence for realized conflicts over the sex ratio and caste ratio. Decreasing nestmate relatedness caused decreased colony productivity, suggesting that more closely related nestmates have more favorably interacting phenotypes. Together, these results suggest that resource allocation in T. curvispinosus may be shaped more by among-colony selection than intracolonial conflict, leading to queen–worker–brood coadaptation.

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Acknowledgements

I thank M. J. Wade and E. D. Brodie III for their advice throughout the course of this study. E. M. Lehman and J. W. Busch helped collect colonies. S. McAfee and G. Harp weighed thousands of ants and helped with colony maintenance. A. Buschinger gave advice about Temnothorax life history and colony maintenance. The manuscript was improved by comments from J. M. Herbers, E. M. Lehman, anonymous reviewers, and the editor. The research was supported by a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a grant from the Indiana Academy of Sciences. The experiments comply with current laws of the USA.

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Correspondence to Timothy A. Linksvayer.

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Communicated by J. Heinze

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Linksvayer, T.A. Queen–worker–brood coadaptation rather than conflict may drive colony resource allocation in the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 62, 647–657 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0489-9

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