Ant queens increase their reproductive efforts after pathogen infection.

ABSTRACT: Infections with potentially lethal pathogens may negatively affect an individual's lifespan and decrease its reproductive value. The terminal investment hypothesis predicts that individuals faced with a reduced survival should invest more into reproduction instead of maintenance and growth. Several studies suggest that individuals are indeed able to estimate their body condition and to increase their reproductive effort with approaching death, while other studies gave ambiguous results. We investigate whether queens of a perennial social insect (ant) are able to boost their reproduction following infection with an obligate killing pathogen. Social insect queens are special with regard to reproduction and aging, as they outlive conspecific non-reproductive workers. Moreover, in the ant C

SUBMITTER: Giehr J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5541571 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature