Variation in social structure alters queen body mass and productivity in the desert seed-harvester ant Messor pergandei

摘要: Parent–offspring conflict theory predicts between parents and their offspring over per-offspring resource investment. Across the range of desert seed-harvester ant, Messor pergandei, daughter queens use three different social strategies during colony founding that are expected to alter optimal level parental To test whether strategy variation is associated with shifts in body mass, we surveyed queen live mass 3 years at 25 sites spanned behavioral group sizes. reduction investment into individual negatively impacts productivity, were individually isolated allowed produce a single worker cohort under common garden conditions. Queen was highly variable, from 24 mg on average site lightest 1.5 times size, 37 mg, heaviest queens. As predicted by parent–offspring investment, solitary contained queens, followed secondary monogyny. Polygynous lightest, strong negative relationship size mass. Reductions had effect productivity across all types; however, where queen–queen aggression typical significantly more efficient brood rearing, resulting lower loss per unit biomass. This may represent an adaptation competition gain strength advantage potential rivals.