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Recognition of nestmate eggs in the ant Formica fusca is based on queen derived cues

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 20:21 authored by Heikki Helanterä, Stephen J Martin, Francis Ratnieks
Inclusive fitness benefits depend on recognizing the right individuals to interact with. Social insect nests protect themselves from non-kin intruders through nestmate recognition based on chemical cues. The recognition cues on adult individuals are from a mixture of genetic and environmental sources, but the ontogeny and use of recognition cues on eggs has not been previously assessed. We studied recognition by workers of eggs that were either nestmates or non-nestmates. and the ontogeny of recognition cues on eggs in the ant Formica fusca, a species with precise egg recognition abilities. Workers were able to discriminate among freshly laid eggs with no nest derived cues on them, and the egg surface chemicals varied among nests in these eggs, suggesting that queen derived cues are used in nestmate recognition. The results are discussed in the light of their implications on deceptive social parasite strategies and within colony conflicts.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Current Zoology

ISSN

1674-5507

Publisher

Current Zoology

Issue

1

Volume

60

Page range

131-136

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-03-18

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2015-03-17

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