Male competition in Cardiocondyla ants |
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Authors: | J Heinze B Hölldobler K Yamauchi |
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Institution: | Zoologisches Institut I, Universit?t Erlangen-Nürnberg, Staudtstrasse 5, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany e-mail: jheinze@biologie.uni-erlangen.de, DE LS Verhaltensphysiologie und Soziobiologie, Theodor-Boveri-Institut (Biozentrum der Universit?t), Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany, DE Department of Biology, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan, JP
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Abstract: | The two types of males in the ant genus Cardiocondyla differ remarkably in morphology and behavior. Ergatoid males are wingless fighters whose spermatogenesis continues throughout
their entire adult lives and which therefore have an “unlimited” sperm supply. They attempt to kill all eclosing ergatoid
rivals and thus to increase their share in copulations with the virgin queens reared in their nests. Winged males, on the
other hand, are docile and emigrate from the nests a few days after eclosion, probably to mate with queens from other colonies.
By this time, their testes have fully degenerated and all sperm is stored in the seminal vesicles. Before emigration, winged
males may mate with virgin queens in their maternal nests, but they are nevertheless rarely attacked by ergatoid males. In
the laboratory, the life expectancy of ergatoid males is only slightly higher than that of winged males, but because of the
emigration of the latter the difference is likely to be more pronounced in the field. Both male morphs are capable of inseminating
more than 35 virgin queens. However, winged males older than 14 days mate less often than ergatoid males of similar age, probably
due to sperm depletion in later life. The spermathecae of queens inseminated by ergatoid males contained significantly more
sperm than those of queens which mated with winged males. We discuss the evolution of intranidal mating and male polymorphism
in ants.
Received: 8 August 1997 / Accepted after revision: 6 October 1997 |
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Keywords: | Reproductive tactics Polymorphism Alternative behaviors Spermatogenesis Intranidal mating |
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