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Recognition of nestmate eggs in the ant Formica fusca is based on queen derived cues
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 20:21 authored by Heikki Helanterä, Stephen J Martin, Francis RatnieksInclusive fitness benefits depend on recognizing the right individuals to interact with. Social insect nests protect themselves from non-kin intruders through nestmate recognition based on chemical cues. The recognition cues on adult individuals are from a mixture of genetic and environmental sources, but the ontogeny and use of recognition cues on eggs has not been previously assessed. We studied recognition by workers of eggs that were either nestmates or non-nestmates. and the ontogeny of recognition cues on eggs in the ant Formica fusca, a species with precise egg recognition abilities. Workers were able to discriminate among freshly laid eggs with no nest derived cues on them, and the egg surface chemicals varied among nests in these eggs, suggesting that queen derived cues are used in nestmate recognition. The results are discussed in the light of their implications on deceptive social parasite strategies and within colony conflicts.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Current ZoologyISSN
1674-5507Publisher
Current ZoologyIssue
1Volume
60Page range
131-136Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-03-18First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2015-03-17Usage metrics
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