Multifaceted Parental Investment and its Effects on Population-level Sex Allocation Ratios in Ants.

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This project focuses on theories of parental investment strategy that predict different patterns of size distributions in offspring. This one-year, Proof-of-Concept grant will examine variance in size of males and females in natural populations of ants. The work will consist of: (1) Collections of specimens from the area surrounding the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab and at Stunt Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains; (2) Morphometric measurement of specimens; and (3) Sophisticated statistical analyses of data to detect patterns.The project will examine a fundamental trade-off facing parents in their reproductive strategy: quantity of offspring (in terms of total numbers) versus quality (in terms of individual size of offspring). Older theoretical models predict that size should not vary. Parents should make all offspring roughly the same size. Newer models, however, identify conditions under which it is often advantageous to also vary offspring size. Ants are ideal for testing these competing ideas because colonies are plentiful and produce many offspring per year (i.e., patterns are readily identifiable). The results, however, will be relevant across all species, and a greater understanding of parental behavior will provide insight into the growth and regulation of species populations.