Occurrence of Different Gynandromorphs and Ergatandromorphs in Laboratory Colonies of the Urban Ant,<i>Monomorium floricola</i>

Campos, A. E. de Carvalho; Kato, Luciane M.; Zarzuela, Maria Fernanda Miori de

doi:10.1673/031.011.0117

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Some gynandromorphs can have bilateral symmetry with one side female and the other male, while other gynandromorphs are mosaics with male and female tissues spread across the body [51,52]. Our four males which had one eye that was oversized compared to the other eye may be sex mosaics with a conspicuous phenotype.…”

Section: Size and Genotypes Of Males And Implications For A Gracilipmentioning

confidence: 82%

Origin, Behaviour, and Genetics of Reproductive Workers in an Invasive Ant

Lenancker

Feldhaar

Holzinger

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Worker reproduction has an important influence on the social cohesion and efficiency of social insect colonies, but its role in the success of invasive ants has been neglected. We used observations of 233 captive colonies, laboratory experiments, and genetic analyses to investigate the conditions for worker reproduction in the invasive Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant) and its potential cost on interspecific defence. We determined how common worker production of males is and whether it is triggered by queen absence; whether physogastric workers with enlarged abdomens are more likely to be reproductive, how normal workers and physogastric workers compare in their contributions to colony labour and defence; and whether worker-produced males and males that could have been queen- or worker-produced differ in their size and heterozygosity. Results: Sixty-six of our 233 captive colonies produced males, and in 25 of these, some males could only have been produced by workers. Colonies with more workers were more likely to produce males, especially for queenless colonies. The average number of days between the first appearance of eggs and adult males in our colonies was 54.1± 10.2 (mean ± SD, n=20). In our laboratory experiment, queen removal triggered an increase in the proportion of physogastric workers. Physogastric workers were more likely to have yolky oocytes (37-54.9%) than normal workers (2-25.6%), which is an indicator of fertile or trophic egg production. Physogastric workers were less aggressive during interspecific aggression tests and foraged less than normal workers. The head width and wing length of worker-produced males were on average 4.0% and 4.3% greater respectively than those of males of undetermined source. Our microsatellite DNA analyses indicate that 4.9% of worker-produced males and 21.1% of males of undetermined source were heterozygous, which suggests the presence of diploid males and/or genetic mosaics in A. gracilipes. Conclusions: Our experimental work provides crucial information on worker reproduction in A. gracilipes and its potential cost to colony defence. The ability of A. gracilipes workers to produce males in the absence of queens may also contribute to its success as an invasive species if intranidal mating can take place between virgin queens and worker-produced males.

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Section: Size and Genotypes Of Males And Implications For A Gracilipmentioning

confidence: 82%

Origin, Behaviour, and Genetics of Reproductive Workers in an Invasive Ant

Lenancker

Feldhaar

Holzinger

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…2020), Dolichoderinae (Campos et al . 2011; Yang & Abouheif 2011; Skvarla & Dowling 2014), and Formicinae (Wheeler 1914, 1919, 1937; Creighton 1928; Parapura 1972; Tsuneoka 2008). Ergatandromorphs typically share the common feature of having either their head or their head and mesosoma divided into sexes, with one sex phenotype predominating in the remaining parts of their body (Skvarla & Dowling 2014; Schifani et al .…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Morphology and behavior of ergatandromorph in Camponotus yamaokai Terayama & Satoh, 1990 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Chiyoda,

Yoshimura,

Inoue

et al. 2023

Entomological Science

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Ergatandromorphs are examples of genetic chimeras found in ants, in which they exhibit features of both minor workers and males. In this study, we report a lateral ergatandromorph of Camponotus yamaokai Terayama & Satoh, 1990. The right side of this specimen was characterized as a male and the left side as a minor worker, although some body parts did not show a clear division. The specimen had partially atrophied genitalia on the right side of the metasoma while the genital structures on the left side were absent. The individual engaged in frequent self‐grooming and received trophallaxis and allogrooming from the nestmates. This is the first report of the lateral ergatandromorph in the genus Camponotus, which has few documented cases of gynandromorphism.

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“…Instead, heterozygous males may be produced as a result of genetic mosaicism in which an individual possesses two distinct genotypes i.e. two sets of cells that are genetically different and spread across the body [44,45]. In the case of A. gracilipes worker-produced males, heterozygous individuals could be hemizygous but combine the two genomes of a single worker, which would explain why they possess two different alleles at some loci.…”

Section: Size and Genotypes Of Males And Implications For A Gracilipmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gynandromorphs, can occur in Hymenoptera and may combine the morphological features of males and females [49][50][51]. Some gynandromorphs can have bilateral symmetry with one side female and the other male, while other gynandromorphs are mosaics with male and female tissues spread across the body [45,52]. The four males which had one eye that was oversized compared to the other eye (Fig.…”

Section: Size and Genotypes Of Males And Implications For A Gracilipes Reproductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin, behaviour, and genetics of reproductive workers in an invasive ant

Lenancker

Feldhaar

Holzinger

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Worker reproduction has an important influence on the social cohesion and efficiency of social insect colonies, but its role in the success of invasive ants has been neglected. We used observations of 233 captive colonies, laboratory experiments, and genetic analyses to investigate the conditions for worker reproduction in the invasive Anoplolepis gracilipes (yellow crazy ant) and its potential cost on interspecific defence. We determined the prevalence of worker production of males and whether it is triggered by queen absence; whether physogastric workers with enlarged abdomens are more likely to be reproductive, how normal workers and physogastric workers compare in their contributions to foraging and defence; and whether worker-produced males and males that could have been queen- or worker-produced differ in their size and heterozygosity.Results: Sixty-six of our 233 captive colonies produced males, and in 25 of these, some males could only have been produced by workers. Colonies with more workers were more likely to produce males, especially for queenless colonies. The average number of days between the first appearance of eggs and adult males in our colonies was 54.1± 10.2 (mean ± SD, n=20). In our laboratory experiment, queen removal triggered an increase in the proportion of physogastric workers. Physogastric workers were more likely to have yolky oocytes (37-54.9%) than normal workers (2-25.6%), which is an indicator of fertile or trophic egg production. Physogastric workers were less aggressive during interspecific aggression tests and foraged less than normal workers. The head width and wing length of worker-produced males were on average 4.0% and 4.3% greater respectively than those of males of undetermined source. Our microsatellite DNA analyses indicate that 5.5% of worker-produced males and 14.3% of males of undetermined source were heterozygous, which suggests the presence of diploid males and/or genetic mosaics in A. gracilipes. Conclusions: Our experimental work provides crucial information on worker reproduction in A. gracilipes and its potential cost to colony defence. The ability of A. gracilipes workers to produce males in the absence of queens may also contribute to its success as an invasive species if intranidal mating can take place between virgin queens and worker-produced males.

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Occurrence of Different Gynandromorphs and Ergatandromorphs in Laboratory Colonies of the Urban Ant,Monomorium floricola

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Origin, Behaviour, and Genetics of Reproductive Workers in an Invasive Ant

Origin, Behaviour, and Genetics of Reproductive Workers in an Invasive Ant

Morphology and behavior of ergatandromorph in Camponotus yamaokai Terayama & Satoh, 1990 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Origin, behaviour, and genetics of reproductive workers in an invasive ant

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