Effect of queen phenotype and social environment on early queen mortality in incipient colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_C8D86B0D52C7
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Effect of queen phenotype and social environment on early queen mortality in incipient colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta
Journal
Animal Behaviour
Author(s)
Bernasconi  G., Keller  L.
ISSN
0003-3472
Publication state
Published
Issued date
02/1999
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
57
Number
2
Pages
371-377
Notes
Journal article --- Old month value: Feb
Abstract
In many ant species, including the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, queens can found their colonies alone or in associations of two or more. Colonies founded by associations produce a larger worker brood, have higher survival and mature earlier than colonies founded by solitary queens. However, cofoundresses almost invariably fight after the eclosion of the first workers. As a result, only one queen survives and monopolizes the colony's future reproductive output. Queen mortality also occurs before worker eclosion, but neither the causes (e.g. starvation, conflict), nor the factors (e.g. social environment) potentially affecting its occurrence, have been investigated. We analysed the effect of social environment and queen body mass on early mortality by keeping queens (1) solitarily, (2) within associations of four queens of the same initial mass, and (3) within associations of four queens of random initial mass. Mortality was higher for queens within associations than for solitary queens. Within associations of equally heavy queens, mortality significantly increased with the queens' body mass. In contrast, mortality of solitary queens did not significantly depend on body mass. Early mortality was significantly more frequent in associations of queens of random initial mass than in associations of equally heavy queens. Altogether these results demonstrate that queen phenotype differentially affects early queen mortality depending on the social environment, and suggest that reproductive competition rather than starvation is the main cause of mortality in multiple-queen associations. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
24/01/2008 18:40
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:43
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