| Title: | Queen pheromones in Temnothorax ants: control or honest signal? |
| Author(s): | Brunner E; Kroiss J; Trindl A; Heinze J; |
| Address: | "LS Biologie I, Universitat Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany. Elisabeth.Brunner@biologie.uni-regensburg.de" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1471-2148 (Electronic) 1471-2148 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "BACKGROUND: The division of reproductive labor among group members in insect societies is regulated by 'queen pheromones'. However, it remains controversial whether these are manipulative, i.e., actively suppress worker reproduction, or honestly signal the fertility status of the queen to which workers react in their own interest by refraining from laying eggs. Manipulative queen control is thought to lead to an evolutionary arms race between queens and workers, resulting in complex queen bouquets that diverge strongly among different populations and species. In contrast, honest signals would evolve more slowly and might therefore differ less strongly within and among species. RESULTS: We aimed at determining the tempo of the evolution of queen signals in two ways. First, we investigated whether queens of Temnothorax ants are capable of controlling egg laying by workers of their own, closely, and distantly related species. Second, we compared the species- and caste-specific patterns of cuticular hydrocarbons, which are assumed to convey information on reproductive status. In mixed-species colonies, queens were not able to fully suppress egg-laying and male production by workers of unrelated species, while workers did not reproduce under the influence of a queen from their own species. Furthermore, the chemical profiles differed more strongly among queens of different species than among the respective workers. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cuticular hydrocarbons associated with fecundity are not fully conserved in evolution and evolve slightly faster than worker-specific components in the blend of cuticular hydrocarbons. While this higher rate of evolution might reflect an arms race between queens and workers, the observation that workers still respond to the presence of a queen from another species support the honest signal hypothesis. Future studies need to examine alternative explanations for a higher rate of evolution of queen-specific substances, such as an involvement of such compounds in mating" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Ants/*physiology Biological Evolution DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics Female Fertility Hydrocarbons/chemistry Isoenzymes/analysis Male Ovary/physiology *Oviposition Pheromones/*chemistry/physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineBrunner, Elisabeth Kroiss, Johannes Trindl, Andreas Heinze, Jurgen eng Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2011/03/02 BMC Evol Biol. 2011 Mar 1; 11:55. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-55" |
