Abstract
In social species, the phenotype and fitness of an individual depend in part on the genotype of its social partners. However, how these indirect genetic effects affect genotype fitness in competitive situations is poorly understood in animal societies. We therefore studied phenotypic plasticity and fitness of two clones of the ant Cerapachys biroi in monoclonal and chimeric colonies. Here we show that, while clone B has lower fitness in isolation, surprisingly, it consistently outcompetes clone A in chimeras. The reason is that, in chimeras, clone B produces more individuals specializing in reproduction rather than cooperative tasks, behaving like a facultative social parasite. A cross-fostering experiment shows that the proportion of these individuals depends on intergenomic epistasis between larvae and nursing adults, explaining the flexible allocation strategy of clone B. Our results suggest that intergenomic epistasis can be the proximate mechanism for social parasitism in ants, revealing striking analogies between social insects and social microbes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
