Trade-offs between immunity and competitive ability in fighting ant males.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fighting disease while fighting rivals exposes males to constraints and trade-offs during male-male competition. We here tested how both the stage and intensity of infection with the fungal pathogen Metarhizium robertsii interfere with fighting success in Cardiocondyla obscurior ant males. Males of this species have evolved long lifespans during which they can gain many matings with the young queens of the colony, if successful in male-male competition. Since male fights occur inside the colony, the outcome of male-male competition can further be biased by interference of the colony's worker force.

Results

We found that severe, but not yet mild, infection strongly impaired male fighting success. In late-stage infection, this could be attributed to worker aggressio

SUBMITTER: Metzler S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10405452 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature