Packaging of offspring by nests of the ant, Leptothorax longispinosus: parent-offspring conflict and queen-worker conflict

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 95; no. 2; p. 283
• Main Author: Backus, Vickie Lynn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.08.1993
• Subjects: Queen-worker conflict; Formicidae; Parent-offspring conflict
• ISSN: 1432-1939
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00323501

Models of the packaging of offspring predict that parental fitness is maximized by following a set of rules, including the rule to invest the minimal amount in each offspring. Offspring can maximize their fitness by demanding more resources than the parent is selected to give, leading to parent-offspring conflict over packaging. Social insect nests may also experience queen-worker conflict over packaging. Experiments were conducted, using two populations of the ant Leptothorax longispinosus, in order to determine the role of both parent-offspring conflict and queen-worker conflict in packaging. Parent-offspring conflict over packaging was detected towards males and workers, but not to females. This may be because both parental and offspring fitness are maximized by investing as much in possible in females so both parties benefit by cooperating over packaging of females. Queen-worker conflict over packaging was detected for females, males, and workers. The direction taken by the queen-worker conflict is best explained by asymmetries in genetic relatedness among nestmates.