Frequent Queen Replacement and Presence of Unrelated Queens in Colonies of a Functionally Monogynous Ant Species.

ABSTRACT: In eusocial insects, social parasitism-the exploitation of the host's brood care behavior for survival and reproduction-can occur either within or between species. Parasitic queens invade host nests and aggressively replace the resident queen. While the adoption of conspecific queens is a common feature of species with multiqueen colonies (polygyny), the origin of parasitic founding is not fully understood. Functionally monogynous ants, in which nestmate queens establish social and reproductive hierarchies through biting and antennal boxing, may provide a link between peaceful adoption and social parasitism. In this study, we investigated whether alien queens can usurp colonies of the functionally monogynous ant Leptothorax gredleri. Ovary dissection of queens from 33 nests showed t

SUBMITTER: Cordonnier M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12106350 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature