Data from: Genetic components to caste allocation in a multiple-queen ant species

Reproductive division of labor and the coexistence of distinct castes are hallmarks of insect societies. In social insect species with multiple queens per colony, the fitness of nestmate queens directly depends on the process of caste allocation (i.e., the relative investment in queen, sterile worker and male production). The aim of this study is to investigate the genetic components to the process of caste allocation in a multiple-queen ant species. We conducted controlled crosses in the Argentine ant Linepithema humile and established single-queen colonies to identify maternal and paternal family effects on the relative production of new queens, workers and males. There were significant effects of parental genetic backgrounds on various aspects of caste allocation: the paternal lineage affected the proportion of queens and workers produced while the proportions of queens and males, and females and males were influenced by the interaction between parental lineages. In addition to revealing non-additive genetic effects on female caste determination in a multiple-queen ant species, this study reveals strong genetic compatibility effects between parental genomes on caste allocation components.

生殖劳动分工与不同社会品级的共存，是昆虫社会的标志性特征。在每巢拥有多只蚁后的社会性昆虫物种中，同巢蚁后的适合度直接取决于品级分配（caste allocation）过程，即对蚁后、无生殖能力的工蚁以及雄蚁产出的相对资源投入。本研究旨在探究一种多蚁后蚂蚁物种中，品级分配过程的遗传组分。我们以阿根廷蚁（Linepithema humile）为实验对象，通过可控杂交实验并建立单蚁后实验群落，以鉴定母系与父系家族效应对新生蚁后、工蚁及雄蚁相对产出的影响。亲本的遗传背景对品级分配的多个维度存在显著影响：父系谱系会影响新生蚁后与工蚁的产出比例，而蚁后与雄蚁、雌性与雄性的产出比例则受亲本谱系间的互作效应影响。本研究不仅揭示了多蚁后蚂蚁物种中雌性品级决定的非加性遗传效应，还阐明了亲本基因组间的强遗传相容性效应对品级分配各组分的影响。