Facultative polygyny in the plant-ant Petalomyrmex phylax (Hymenoptera: Formicinae): sociogenetic and ecological determinants of queen number

In polygynous ants it has been proposed that the coexistence of several queens in a colony evolved as a response to ecological, social and genetic parameters. We present demographic, histological and genetic data showing that the plant‐ant Petalomyrmex phylax is facultatively and secondarily polygyn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological journal of the Linnean Society 2005-10, Vol.86 (2), p.133-151
Main Authors: DALECKY, AMBROISE, GAUME, LAURENCE, SCHATZ, BERTRAND, MCKEY, DOYLE, KJELLBERG, FINN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ant-plant interactions
Biodiversity
Biodiversity and Ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biological evolution
Cameroon
Ecology, environment
Environmental Sciences
Formicidae
Formicinae
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Hymenoptera
inbreeding
Insecta
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
microsatellites
monogyny
myrmecophyte
nest site limitation
Populations and Evolution
rainforest
relatedness
social insects
Symbiosis
Vegetal Biology
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Summary:In polygynous ants it has been proposed that the coexistence of several queens in a colony evolved as a response to ecological, social and genetic parameters. We present demographic, histological and genetic data showing that the plant‐ant Petalomyrmex phylax is facultatively and secondarily polygynous. Polygyny is functional, lowers the reproductive output per queen, and is a kin‐selected trait as new queens accepted in polygynous colonies are highly related females that never left their natal colony. The degree of polygyny varies according to a geographical gradient. Northern colonies can be strongly polygynous, while at the southern edge of the species’ distribution, colonies are almost exclusively monogynous. However, ecological studies of the host‐plant populations revealed that this cline could not be explained by variations in the degree of nest site limitation. We discuss selective costs and benefits associated with these social structures, and propose that this cline may result from historical processes such as selection of a more dispersive strategy along a colonization front. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 86, 133–151.
ISSN:0024-4066
1095-8312
DOI:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00524.x