Clonal structure affects the assembling behavior in the Japanese queenless ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pristomyrmex punctatus</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Yudai Nishide Toshiyuki Satoh Tuyosi Hiraoka Yoshiaki Obara Kikuo Iwabuchi |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan;(2) Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan |
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Abstract: | The queenless ant Pristomyrmex punctatus (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae) has a unique society that differs from those of other typical ants. This species does not have
a queen, and the workers lay eggs and produce their clones parthenogenetically. However, a colony of these ants does not always
comprise members derived from a single clonal line. In this study, we examined whether P. punctatus changes its “assembling behavior” based on colony genetic structure. We prepared two subcolonies—a larger one comprising
200 individuals and a smaller one comprising 100 individuals; these subcolonies were established from a single stock colony.
We investigated whether these subcolonies assemble into a single nest. The genetically monomorphic subcolonies (single clonal
line) always fused into a single nest; however, the genetically polymorphic subcolonies (multiple clonal lines) did not tend
to form a single colony. The present study is the first to demonstrate that the colony genetic structure significantly affects
social viscosity in social insects. |
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Keywords: | Kin selection Relatedness Social behavior Thelytokous parthenogenesis Pristomyrmex punctatus |
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