Fiche du document
2006
Ce document est lié à :
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1098/rspb.2006.3553
Ce document est lié à :
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/16846912
Ce document est lié à :
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0962-8452[print], 0962-8452[linking]
Ce document est lié à :
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/urn/urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_9C4F79A1F0B79
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess , Copying allowed only for non-profit organizations , https://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer
Citer ce document
B. Holzer et al., « Sham nepotism as a result of intrinsic differences in brood viability in ants. », Serveur académique Lausannois, ID : 10.1098/rspb.2006.3553
Métriques
Partage / Export
Résumé
In animal societies, cooperation for the common wealth and latent conflicts due to the selfish interests of individuals are in delicate balance. In many ant species, colonies contain multiple breeders and workers interact with nestmates of varying degrees of relatedness. Therefore, workers could increase their inclusive fitness by preferentially caring for their closest relatives, yet evidence for nepotism in insect societies remains scarce and controversial. We experimentally demonstrate that workers of the ant Formica exsecta do not discriminate between highly related and unrelated brood, but that brood viability differs between queens. We further show that differences in brood viability are sufficient to explain a relatedness pattern that has previously been interpreted as evidence for nepotism. Hence, our findings support the view that nepotism remains elusive in social insects and emphasize the need for further controlled experiments.