Body size and sperm quality in queen‐ And worker‐produced ant males. (24th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Giehr, Julia; Wallner, Jennifer; Krüger, Theresa; Heinze, Jürgen
• Is Part Of: Journal of evolutionary biology. Volume 33:Number 6(2020)
• Page Start: 842
• Page End: 849
• Publication Date: 2020-03-24
• Subjects: ants -- male quality -- sperm quality -- Temnothorax -- worker reproduction; Evolution (Biology) -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; 576.8
• DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13616
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1010-061X

Abstract

Abstract: Workers of many species of social Hymenoptera have functional ovaries and are capable of laying haploid, unfertilized eggs, at least in the absence of a queen. Except for honeybees, it remains largely unknown whether worker‐produced males have the same quality as queen‐produced males and whether workers benefit in direct fitness by producing their sons. Previous studies in the monogynous ant Temnothorax crassispinus revealed that a high proportion of males in natural and laboratory colonies are worker offspring. Here, we compare longevity, body size, sperm length and sperm viability between queen‐ and worker‐produced males. We either split queenright colonies into queenright and queenless halves or removed the queen from a fraction of the queenright colonies and then examined the newly produced males. Male quality traits varied considerably among colonies but differed only slightly between queen‐ and worker‐produced males. Worker‐produced males outnumbered queen‐produced males and also had a longer lifespan, but under certain rearing conditions sperm from queen‐produced males had a higher viability. Abstract : Workers in many ant species are capable of activating their ovaries and producing males, at least in the absence of a queen. In this study we tested, whether queen‐ and worker‐produced males differ in sperm quality and other physiological traits. We show that male quality traits varied considerably among colonies but differed only slightly between queen‐ and worker‐produced males.