Fitness consequences of nest infiltration by the mutualist‐exploiter Megalomyrmex adamsae

Abstract

1. Fungus‐growing ants are obligate mutualists. Their nutrient‐rich fungus garden provides a valuable food store that sustains the ant hosts, but can also attract social parasites.2. The ‘guest ant' Megalomyrmex adamsae Longino parasitises the fungus‐growing Trachymyrmex zeteki Weber queen just after nest founding. The parasitic queen infiltrates the incipient nest, builds a cavity in the fungal garden, and lays eggs that develop into workers and reproductive males and females.3. This study compared young parasitised and non‐parasitised laboratory colonies by measuring garden growth and biomass, and the number of host workers and reproductives. Host queen survival and parasite colony growth were also monitored.4. Parasitised Trachymyrmex colonies had reduced host worker and alate numbers, as well as lower garden biomass, compared with non‐parasitised control colonies, confirming that M. adamsae is a xenobiotic social parasite. Host queen survival was not significantly different between parasitised and control colonies.5. This is the first study that experimentally infects host colonies with a xenobiotic social parasite to measure fitness cost to the host. The natural history of M. adamsae and the fungus‐growing ant mutualism are evaluated in the context of three general predictions of (Bronstein, Ecology Letters, 4, 277–287, 2001a) regarding the cost of mutualism exploiters.