Mating with Stressed Males Increases the Fitness of Ant Queens
Mating with Stressed Males Increases the Fitness of Ant Queens
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0002592
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发表时间：
2008-07-02
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Heinze, Juergen
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Schrempf, Alexandra;Heinze, Juergen
背景：根据性冲突理论，雄性可以通过在交配过程中转移物质来提高自身的适合度，从而增加其交配伴侣的短期繁殖力，但代价是后者的未来预期寿命和再交配能力。相比之下，群居昆虫的性合作被认为是存在的。交配确实对雄性多态蚂蚁Cardiocondyla obscurior的年轻蚁后的寿命和繁殖力有积极影响，即使雄性既不提供结婚礼物也不提供任何其他照顾，而是在交配后立即离开配偶并在交配后不久死亡。主要发现：与有翅的分散雄蜂交配对暗色蜂幼蜂的寿命和繁殖成功率的影响明显强于与无翅的战斗雄蜂交配。结论：长翅膀的雄性大多是在紧张的环境条件下饲养的，这迫使年轻的蚁后分散并独立建立自己的社会。相比之下，在有利条件下与无翅雄性交配的蚁后通常会在已建立的母巢中安全开始繁殖。我们的研究表明，在不利的生态条件下，暗色蜂的雄性已经进化出了在死后帮助年轻蜂后建立群体的机制。
Background: According to sexual conflict theory, males can increase their own fitness by transferring substances during copulation that increase the short-term fecundity of their mating partners at the cost of the future life expectancy and re-mating capability of the latter. In contrast, sexual cooperation is expected in social insects. Mating indeed positively affects life span and fecundity of young queens of the male-polymorphic ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, even though males neither provide nuptial gifts nor any other care but leave their mates immediately after copulation and die shortly thereafter.Principal Findings: Here, we show that mating with winged disperser males has a significantly stronger impact on life span and reproductive success of young queens of C. obscurior than mating with wingless fighter males.Conclusions: Winged males are reared mostly under stressful environmental conditions, which force young queens to disperse and found their own societies independently. In contrast, queens that mate with wingless males under favourable conditions usually start reproducing in the safety of the established maternal nest. Our study suggests that males of C. obscurior have evolved mechanisms to posthumously assist young queens during colony founding under adverse ecological conditions.