Queen lifespan and colony characteristics in ants and termites

@article{Keller1998QueenLA,
  title={Queen lifespan and colony characteristics in ants and termites},
  author={Laurent Keller},
  journal={Insectes Sociaux},
  year={1998},
  volume={45},
  pages={235-246}
}
  • L. Keller
  • Published 1 August 1998
  • Biology
  • Insectes Sociaux
Summary: Comparative studies are increasingly used to identify factors responsible for the evolution of plant and animal phenotypes and social insects provide ideal systems for such studies as a result of their modular growth and their bewildering diversity in social organization. Here I review data on the lifespan of queens in ants and termites because such data are highly relevant for comparative analyses on life-history. Lifespan has been reported in 53 ant and 10 termite species… 
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191 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
11
Background Citations
110
Methods Citations
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Results Citations
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191 Citations

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BIDIRECTIONAL SHIFTS IN COLONY QUEEN NUMBER IN A SOCIALLY POLYMORPHIC ANT POPULATION

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Overall, the regular and bidirectional changes in queen number indicate that social structure is a labile trait in F. selysi, with neither form being favored within a time‐frame of 15 years.

Evolution and mechanisms of long life and high fertility in queen honey bees

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The importance of understanding both proximate and ultimate causes of the unusual life history of honey bee queens is emphasized, and the mechanisms that allow queen honey bees to achieve their long lifespan without sacrificing fecundity are reviewed.

Colony size explains the lifespan differences between queens and workers in eusocial Hymenoptera

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It is argued that division of labour is acting to increase colony efficiency, which in turn shapes the investments made into individuals leading to short-lived workers and long-lived queens, and maintenance investments may be shaped due to the variable extrinsic risk faced by different castes.

Ants as Object of Gerontological Research

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A large spectrum of rigidly determined ontogenetic trajectories in different castes with identical genomes and the possibility of comparison between “evolutionarily advanced” and “primitive” subfamilies make ants an attractive object in the studies of both normal aging and effects of anti–aging drugs.

The plasticity of lifespan in social insects

TLDR
It is shown that individual lifespan may vary within species with several reproductive and social traits, such as egg-laying rate, queen number, task, colony size and colony composition, and hypothesize that this plasticity of lifespan serves to maximize the reproductive output of the colony as a whole and thus the inclusive fitness of all individuals.

Eusociality is linked to caste-specific differences in metabolism, immune system, and somatic maintenance-related processes in an ant species.

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It is shown that specific metabolic signatures match specific social roles, and the links between such molecular pathways and aging being found in an increasing number of taxa, confirm and strengthen their potential universality.

Aging and Reproduction in Social Insects – A Mini-Review

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It is felt that the explanation for the comparatively short lifespan of queens in multi-queen societies is as yet not satisfactory and needs further attention, both concerning its proximate and ultimate basis.

Queen execution in a monogynous ant

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Queen expulsion and matricide in a monogynous, monandrous ant with perennial societies led to a significant decrease in the number of workers and brood, but eventually increased the direct fitness of workers through significant male production.

Iterative evolution of supergene-based social polymorphism in ants

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The five cases of supergene-based social polymorphism in ants are synthesized, highlighting interesting commonalities, idiosyncrasies and implications for the evolution of polymorphisms in general.
...

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