The Frequency of Multi-queen Colonies Increases with Altitude in a Nearctic Ant
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Olav Rueppell, Associate Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: 1. Most ants in boreal and alpine habitats are facultatively polygynous, i.e. their colonies may contain one or several queens. It was investigated how the proportion of polygynous colonies varies along an elevation gradient from 60 to 2700?m in the Nearctic antTemnothorax rugatulus (Emery).2. Across all populations, the proportion of polygynous colonies was positively correlated with altitude. The correlation was considerably stronger when only populations in the narrow area of the Chiricahua Mts, Arizona, were compared.3. The dominance of polygynous colonies at high altitudes may be associated with selection against solitary colony founding by young queens. In areas with short summers and long winters, hibernation mortality of solitarily founding queens may select for alternative reproductive tactics, such as polygyny and colony founding by budding.4. Colony founding tactics need to be taken into account to more fully understand altitudinal and latitudinal patterns of ant faunas.
The Frequency of Multi-queen Colonies Increases with Altitude in a Nearctic Ant
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Created on 12/19/2014
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Ecological Entomology, 39(2), 527–529
- Language: English
- Date: 2014
- Keywords
- Altitude, colony founding, polygyny, queen number, Temnothorax rugatulus