MUTUAL PHEROMONAL INHIBITION AMONG QUEENS IN POLYGYNE COLONIES OF THE FIRE ANT SOLENOPSIS-INVICTA Academic Article

abstract

• Decrease in individual reproductive output with increasing numbers of reproductives is a general feature of social insect colonies. The previously described negative relationship between the fecundity of individual queens and number of resident queens in polygyne (multiple-queen) colonies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta appears to result from mutual pheromonal inhibition. In an experimental test for the presence of fecundity reducing pheromones, corpses of functional (egg-laying) queens were found to effectively inhibit the fecundity of functional queens, suggesting that queen-produced pheromones suppress egg production in such queens. Evidence concerning a possible mechanism mediating this inhibition was also obtained. Treatment of queens with methoprene, a juvenile hormone (JH) analog, increased ovary development, suggesting that fecundity in functional queens may be mediated by the level of endogenous JH. These findings are consistent with the occurrence of mutual pheromonal inhibition among queens achieved by suppression of endogenous JH titers. 1992 Springer-Verlag.

authors

• Vargo, Edward

published proceedings

• BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY

author list (cited authors)

• VARGO, E. L.

citation count

• 56

complete list of authors

• VARGO, EL

publication date

• January 1992

publisher

• Springer Nature  Publisher

published in

• Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology  Journal

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1007/bf00168648

start page

• 205

end page

• 210

volume

• 31

issue

• 3

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00168648