A newly-discovered mode of colony founding among fire ants
A newly-discovered mode of colony founding among fire ants
复制标题
一种新发现的火蚁群体建立模式
作者：
W. Tschinkel
摘要蚁后开始新的蚁群，要么没有工蚁的帮助(独立创建)，要么由它们出生的巢中的工蚁帮助(从属创始)，或者由其他物种的工蚁帮助(依赖的，社会寄生的)。一雌一雄的火蚁在夏天独立繁殖，但在秋天也会产生一些两性蚂蚁，其中一些在越冬，然后在早春飞行和交配。这些越冬的蜂王缺乏独立蜂群建立所需的营养储备和行为。相反，他们寻找无关的、成熟的、孤立的殖民地，进入这些殖民地，并通过种内社会寄生来剥削工人力量，建立自己的殖民地。当它们缺乏自己越冬的雌性有翅时，进入孤儿群体的成功率就会更高。当存在这样的翼状时，孤儿会导致一些人交易并成为未受精的替补女王，通常会阻止无关的、受精的替补女王进入。这样的蜂群会产生巨大的、全是雄性的幼崽。寄生蜂王的成功进入剥夺了寄主群体繁殖成功的最后机会。只有过冬的性爱动物才会参与这种建立模式。
SummaryQueen ants start new colonies either unassisted by workers (independent founding), assisted by workers from their natal nest (dependent founding), or assisted by the workers of other species (dependent, socially parasitic). The monogyne form of the fire ant,Solenopsis invicta, founds independently in summer, but in the fall it also produces a few sexuals some of which overwinter, then fly and mate in early spring. These overwintered queens lack the nutritional reserves and behaviors for independent colony founding. Rather, they seek out unrelated, mature, orphaned colonies, enter them and exploit the worker force to found their own colony through intraspecific social parasitism. Success in entering orphaned colonies is higher when these lack overwintered female alates of their own. When such alates are present, orphaning causes some to dealate and become uninseminated replacement queens, usually preventing entry of unrelated, inseminated replacement queens. Such colonies produce large, all-male broods. Successful entry of a parasitic queen robs the host colony of this last chance at reproductive success. Only overwintered sexuals take part in this mode of founding.