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Pleiotropic effects of juvenile hormone in ant queens and the escape from the reproduction–immunocompetence trade-off
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 00:32 authored by Tobias Pamminger, David Treanor, William HughesWilliam HughesThe ubiquitous trade-off between survival and costly reproduction is one of the most fundamental constraints governing life-history evolution. In numerous animals, gonadotropic hormones antagonistically suppressing immunocompetence cause this trade-off. The queens of many social insects defy the reproduction–survival trade-off, achieving both an extraordinarily long life and high reproductive output, but how they achieve this is unknown. Here we show experimentally, by integrating quantification of gene expression, physiology and behaviour, that the long-lived queens of the ant Lasius niger have escaped the reproduction–immunocompetence trade-off by decoupling the effects of a key endocrine regulator of fertility and immunocompetence in solitary insects, juvenile hormone (JH). This modification of the regulatory architecture enables queens to sustain a high reproductive output without elevated JH titres and suppressed immunocompetence, providing an escape from the reproduction–immunocompetence trade-off that may contribute to the extraordinary lifespan of many social insect queens.
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Publication status
- Published
Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological SciencesISSN
0962-8452Publisher
Royal Society, TheExternal DOI
Volume
283Page range
20152409Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-03-11Usage metrics
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