The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members
The first workers produced by an ant queen with a claustral founding mode are much smaller than the workers after the second generation and are thus called “nanitics.” These nanitics shoulder the initial fate of the colony and thus may be different morphometric morph from the other workers in mature...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2017-01-01
|
| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/4520109 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832548704507133952 |
|---|---|
| author | Saori Watanabe Mamoru Terayama Ryota Kawauchiya Natsuki Ogusu Yusuke Fujita Syunta Mikami Yuuka Murakami Eisuke Hasegawa |
| author_facet | Saori Watanabe Mamoru Terayama Ryota Kawauchiya Natsuki Ogusu Yusuke Fujita Syunta Mikami Yuuka Murakami Eisuke Hasegawa |
| author_sort | Saori Watanabe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The first workers produced by an ant queen with a claustral founding mode are much smaller than the workers after the second generation and are thus called “nanitics.” These nanitics shoulder the initial fate of the colony and thus may be different morphometric morph from the other workers in mature colony to optimize the survival of their own colony. We report here that, in the ant Camponotus obscuripes Mayr, the allometric rules of the nanitics are different from those of other workers in mature colonies, suggesting that the nanitics constitute an independent caste as with soldiers or queens in other species. In addition, the antennae of the nanitics show the minimum absolute length-difference with the mother queen compared to the other traits measured. This result suggests that this small size difference enables C. obscuripes nanitics to communicate with the other members of the colony. Our results indicate that polymorphic societies affect the growth rules of workers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d29a3cb9752a4eff8d7cfe829ddf6bd7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d29a3cb9752a4eff8d7cfe829ddf6bd72025-02-03T06:13:20ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382017-01-01201710.1155/2017/45201094520109The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony MembersSaori Watanabe0Mamoru Terayama1Ryota Kawauchiya2Natsuki Ogusu3Yusuke Fujita4Syunta Mikami5Yuuka Murakami6Eisuke Hasegawa7Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanLaboratory of Applied Entomology, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, JapanInstitute of Entomology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanLaboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanLaboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanLaboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanDepartment of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, JapanLaboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, JapanThe first workers produced by an ant queen with a claustral founding mode are much smaller than the workers after the second generation and are thus called “nanitics.” These nanitics shoulder the initial fate of the colony and thus may be different morphometric morph from the other workers in mature colony to optimize the survival of their own colony. We report here that, in the ant Camponotus obscuripes Mayr, the allometric rules of the nanitics are different from those of other workers in mature colonies, suggesting that the nanitics constitute an independent caste as with soldiers or queens in other species. In addition, the antennae of the nanitics show the minimum absolute length-difference with the mother queen compared to the other traits measured. This result suggests that this small size difference enables C. obscuripes nanitics to communicate with the other members of the colony. Our results indicate that polymorphic societies affect the growth rules of workers.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/4520109 |
| spellingShingle | Saori Watanabe Mamoru Terayama Ryota Kawauchiya Natsuki Ogusu Yusuke Fujita Syunta Mikami Yuuka Murakami Eisuke Hasegawa The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members |
| title_full | The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members |
| title_fullStr | The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members |
| title_full_unstemmed | The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members |
| title_short | The First Workers of the Ant Camponotus obscuripes Are a Different Allometric Morph with Relatively Long Antennae to Communicate with Other Larger Colony Members |
| title_sort | first workers of the ant camponotus obscuripes are a different allometric morph with relatively long antennae to communicate with other larger colony members |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/4520109 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT saoriwatanabe thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT mamoruterayama thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT ryotakawauchiya thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT natsukiogusu thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT yusukefujita thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT syuntamikami thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT yuukamurakami thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT eisukehasegawa thefirstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT saoriwatanabe firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT mamoruterayama firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT ryotakawauchiya firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT natsukiogusu firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT yusukefujita firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT syuntamikami firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT yuukamurakami firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers AT eisukehasegawa firstworkersoftheantcamponotusobscuripesareadifferentallometricmorphwithrelativelylongantennaetocommunicatewithotherlargercolonymembers |