Intracolonial distribution and phylogeny of kin recognition in ants

蚂蚁亲属识别的群体内分布和系统发育

基本信息

批准号：
04640601
负责人：
HIGASHI Seigo
金额：
$ 0.9万
依托单位：
HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY
依托单位国家：
日本
项目类别：
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
财政年份：
1992
资助国家：
日本
起止时间：
1992 至 1993
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

Although intracolonial kin recognition was tested in various species of ant, no evidence of kin discrimination was obtained. However, only one species Pachycondyla sublaevis suggested that they may be able to discriminate each nestmate from others within a colony as follows :This and species had small colonies (2-18 workers) and no morphologically distinct queens. Instead, it exhibited a well-defined dominance hierarchy in which only the top-ranked worker was inseminated by males and had a well-developed ovary with matured oocytes. The dominance order was related to the age of workers but not their body size. That is, the top rank was occupied by young workers in most colonies and newly eclosed callows always filled the position next to the top. The high-ranked workers were engaged in extranidal tasks such as hunting and nest defende.The existence of kin recognition was suggested when demotion within the hierarchy occurred occasionally. For instance, when the top-ranked worker was artificially removed in a colony, second-ranked worker immediately became top as usual. Soon later, however, some workers helped new third and aggressively attacked new top and second until the third finally monopolized the top position.It is suggested that the dominance hierarchy of this ant species has evoloved as a consequence of intra-colonial competition for reproduction, and it is also likely that close kins can help each other even with a colony to raise their addaptive fitness.

尽管在不同种类的蚂蚁中测试了群体内亲属识别，但没有获得亲属歧视的证据。然而，只有一种 Pachycondyla sublaevis 表明它们可能能够将群体内的每个巢友与其他同伴区分开来，如下所示：该物种的群体较小（2-18 名工蚁），并且没有形态上不同的蚁后。相反，它表现出明确的统治等级，其中只有排名最高的工蜂才能由雄性授精，并且拥有发育良好的卵巢和成熟的卵母细胞。支配顺序与工人的年龄有关，但与他们的体型无关。也就是说，在大多数群体中，最顶端的位置都被年轻的工蚁占据，而新被圈养的幼崽总是占据着顶端旁边的位置。高级工蚁从事狩猎、守巢等巢外任务。当等级内部偶尔发生降级时，就暗示了亲属承认的存在。例如，当蚁群中排名第一的工蚁被人为移除时，排名第二的工蚁会像往常一样立即成为顶级工蚁。然而不久之后，一些工蚁帮助了新的第三者，并积极攻击新的第一和第二，直到第三者最终垄断了第一的位置。这表明，这种蚂蚁物种的优势等级是由于殖民地内部繁殖竞争的结果而演变的，即使是一个群体，近亲也可能互相帮助，以提高他们的适应性。