Tag Archives: queen

The Parasitic Ant Deceives Workers into Assassinating the Queen and Seizing Her Throne.

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The parasitic ant queen Lasius orientalis (left) invading the nest of Lasius flavus and approaching the queen (right)

Keizo Takasuka/Kyushu University

Some parasitic ants usurp colonies of related species by prompting worker ants to eliminate and replace the resident queen.

Approximately 230 species of ants are classified as parasitic, depositing eggs within the nests of other species or pilfering larvae and pupae. Certain species eliminate the host queen before laying their eggs and manipulate the worker ants to care for these eggs instead.

Professors Keizo Takasuka and his colleagues at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, observed this behavior when the queen of the parasitic species Lasius orientalis inadvertently invaded a relative’s nest, Lasius flavus. The workers proceeded to kill their own queen.

While many parasitic queens face elimination by worker ants upon discovery, some manage to camouflage themselves with the colony’s scent and evade detection.

To gauge the effectiveness of the parasitic queens, the researchers aided the intruders by disguising them with the scent of worker ants before placing them into the colony.

“It reminds me of the TV series The Walking Dead, where characters pass through hordes of zombies with walker blood smeared on them, operating under a disguise that often fails, leading to brutal deaths for those exposed,” Takasuga remarks.

Once the parasite breaches a colony, it emits a chemical, likely formic acid, through a gland at the end of its abdomen to target a rival queen.

Worker ants perceive this chemical as a threat and attack the rival queen upon detecting it. However, the process is gradual, necessitating multiple sprays and numerous assaults before the queen is ultimately killed. The parasitic queen can then lay her eggs, which are nurtured by the worker ants.

“If the parasitic strategy succeeds, the new queen can navigate the delicate establishment phase much more securely than if she were to start a colony independently,” Takasuga comments. “This approach might be more prevalent than we currently acknowledge.”

Researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, including Chris Reid, assert that the intricate behaviors of ants are challenging to observe due to their subterranean nests.

“This form of natural history detective work is crucial for enhancing our understanding of these immensely significant insects,” Reid notes. “Further investigations may even pave the way for novel methods to target invasive ant queens, a major challenge facing ecosystems globally.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Queen Ant Produces New Male Species for Daughter’s Mating

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Male ants of distinct species laid by the same mother: Messor ibericus (left) and Messor structor (right)

Jonathan Romiguier

In the clutches of the Iberian Harvester Ant queens, another male species, the Builder Harvester Ant, emerges. These males are responsible for siring all the workers in the colony.

“This assertion appears utterly unbelievable, akin to the impossible,” remarks Jonathan Romiguier from the University of Montpellier, France. Nonetheless, he has confirmed its validity.

Romiguier’s curiosity was piqued by the Iberian harvester ants (Messor ibericus) after he discovered that all the workers were hybrids. About half of their DNA aligned with that of the builder harvester ant (Messor structor).

The most plausible explanation is that the queen of M. ibericus mated with a male of M. structor. This occurrence is seen in other ant species. The reasons remain unclear, but two main theories have emerged. One is that hybrids of closely related species could benefit from what’s known as hybrid vigor, where various genes can compensate for each other’s deficiencies.

Another theory suggests this may address a peculiar challenge faced by M. ibericus and several other harvester ant species: whenever M. ibericus queens mate with males of their own species, all offspring become queens. This might stem from a genetic tendency to secure their lineage, but it becomes detrimental for colonies that need worker ants for survival. Breeding with another species may provide a solution.

However, M. ibericus colonies are widespread across various Mediterranean locales, unlike M. structor colonies, which are exclusive to Sicily. Nonetheless, Romiguier and his team encountered peculiar, hairless males of M. structor within an M. ibericus nest. So, where did they originate?

The genetic examination of these unusual males yielded perplexing insights. A tiny segment of the mitochondrial DNA—passed solely from the mother—indicated that these males derive from the M. ibericus queen.

This hinted that the eggs produced by the queen of M. ibericus could encompass males of a different species. To verify this theory, Romiguier brought several M. ibericus colonies into his lab. “Under laboratory conditions, it’s nearly impossible to find a male,” he comments. “We maintained about 50 colonies and observed one male for two years without success. Then, fortune smiled upon us.”

From three M. structor males born in the lab, the evidence was undeniable: the queen of M. ibericus produced males from both species. The only explanation for this phenomenon is that the queen ant cloned M. structor males using stored sperm in specialized organs called spermathecae. The resulting eggs were almost entirely devoid of M. ibericus DNA, except for its mitochondrial component.

This also clarifies the origin of M. structor sperm: by producing two types of males, the queen guarantees that her daughters who evolve into queens can mate with both male types. The females use M. ibericus sperm to generate new queens, while M. structor sperm is utilized for hybrid workers and new male ants.

There are notable instances from other species—including ants, mollusks, and stick insects—where female eggs are manipulated by male sperm from different species, leading to the elimination of egg DNA and the production of unrelated individuals. However, this scenario mainly benefits males. This is the sole known instance where both male and female offspring from distinct species rely on each other for reproduction.

“The queen of M. ibericus is entirely dependent on her cloned males. Without them, she cannot produce workers,” states Romiguier. Moreover, the clones of M. structor need the males of M. ibericus for rearing workers and sustaining their colonies—there is no sign that they mate exclusively within their species.

While these findings may seem far-fetched, they have garnered the support of other specialists. “The researchers conducted thorough investigations into these ants,” comments Nathan Law from the University of Sydney. “Their results robustly affirm their conclusions.”

He speculates that cloned males could accumulate harmful genetic mutations that may not be purged over time due to the lack of interbreeding with other strains. “Eventually, this system may start to decline, especially as environmental conditions shift.”

Romiguier agrees that this exceptional situation might eventually lead to collapse. Yet, at present, it appears that M. ibericus and M. structor have navigated their relationship with ingenious adaptability, propelling their expansion throughout the Mediterranean, while M. structor colonies have not established themselves elsewhere.

Insects and Ecosystem Expedition Safari: Sri Lanka

A voyage into the depths of Sri Lanka’s vast biodiversity through a unique entomology and ecosystem-centered expedition.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Queen ants have a valid explanation for consuming their young.

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A colony of black garden ants in a nest with several eggs, pupae, larvae and a large queen bee

Nick Bruning/Shutterstock

When a black ant queen notices that her young are sick, she eats them before the disease spreads to other parts of the nest.

Cannibal queens may not win the “Mother of the Year” award, but research suggests this strategy could be an effective way to protect the kingdom. The findings provide insight into the evolution of “filial cannibalism,'' the practice of parents consuming their children.

Ants and other colony-dwelling social insects can prevent the spread of disease by forcing workers to self-isolate when they become sick and by eliminating infected nestmates. These “social immunity” obligations are well known, he writes. Flynn Bizzell and christopher pull at Oxford University. But since the ant queen starts colonies alone, how does she protect herself from disease as she builds and grows her nest?

To find out, Bizell and Puru collected newly mated black ants (Lasius Niger) took the queen to the laboratory. Once the ants had laid eggs and started building nests, the researchers removed the larvae from the queen and exposed some to deadly ant spores. Metahydium A fungus that infects wild ant nests. After a period of time during which these larvae developed a potentially fatal infection, the researchers returned all of the larvae to their mothers, even though they were not yet contagious.

The queen ate 92 percent of the diseased larvae, but only 6 percent of the larvae were uninfected, indicating that the queen was able to detect infection and intervene. Failure to catch the infection can have dire consequences. When the researchers exposed the colonies to the carcasses of highly infectious larvae that had sprouted spore-producing fungi, all the larvae died. And even after spraying the carcasses with an acidic antibacterial toxin, only 20 percent of the queens survived.

Despite these risks, queen bees that feed on infected larvae appear to avoid harm. Researchers suggest that queen bees may be ingesting their own antimicrobial toxins to make their intestines hostile to fungal spores. Based on this conclusion, they Observation of worker ants before they swallow the poison The team then observed the queen bee tending to the openings of her venom glands.

“If the queen gets infected and dies, the colony dies as well,” he says. sebastian stockmeyer She is at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as she is the only one with the ability to reproduce. Therefore, it makes sense that evolved strategies to deal with disease would emphasize queen survival.

There are other benefits to eating sick babies as well. The researchers found that queens that ate sick offspring laid 55% more eggs than queens that did not, suggesting that they recycled these caloric resources. The researchers argue that this benefit and the elimination of disease risk could indicate how filial cannibalism evolves in some species.

Joel Meunier Researchers at the University of Tours in France believe that offspring that hatch after their older siblings are eaten may have immune systems that better protect against fungal infections. If so, proving this may reveal the “double benefit” of filial cannibalism for both mother and offspring.

This finding suggests that there is overlap in the behaviors needed to care for young and prevent disease in young colonies. As a result, Bizell and Pule argue that workers' disease prevention behaviors may have evolved from common parental care found in many types of insects.

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Source: www.newscientist.com