Colony genetic structure and queen mating frequency in fire ants of the subgenus Solenopsis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
نویسندگان
چکیده
Colony genetic structure was studied in natural populations of three fire ant taxa, Solenopsis richteri Forel, S. geminata (Fabr.), arid hybrid S. inuicta/richteri, using allozyme markers. All colonies studied exhibited arrays of femalc gcnotypes predicted under a model of monogyny (single functional queen) and monoandry (single insemination of queens). Males produced in the colonies appear to originate exclusively from the foundress queen, rather than from any virgin females present in the colonies. ' Ihus these social insect colonies represent simple, albeit enormous, family groups. Single insemination and foundress parentage of males appear to be conserved reproductive traits in the subgenus Solenopszs, whereas another major determinant of colony genetic structure, the number of functional queens, is evolutionarily labile in this group.
منابع مشابه
Queen Dimorphism and Reproductive Strategies in the Fire Ant Solenopsis Geminata ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Queen Dimorphism and Reproductive Strategies in the Fire Ant Solenopsis Geminata (hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Alate trapping studies of a monogyne population of the fire ant Solenopsis geminata indicate that two sizes of gynes are produced. Macrogynes, which participate in late spring and summer mating flights, are larger, fattier, and more than twice as heavy as microgynes, which participate in fall mating flights. Three patterns of gyne production were observed in 51 colonies studied: 35 produced mac...
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