The 84th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Japan・The 68th AEZ annual meeting

Presentation information

Workshops

[W16] 第4回社会性昆虫研究会:social material exchange in antsー栄養交換と栄養卵

Sun. Mar 31, 2024 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM Site B (Hagi)

世話人:藤岡春菜、Adam Khalife

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

[W16-01] Nutritional and adaptive value of worker-laid trophic eggs in ant colonies

◯Adam Khalife1, Masahiro Ogawa1, Fuminori Ito1 (1. Kagawa University)

Storing and sharing food is crucial in sedentary group-living organisms. Several strategies exist in ants, such as using their social stomach (crop) to store and redistribute nutrients through trophallaxis, or laying trophic eggs. Trophic eggs are non-viable eggs that can be laid by queens, but also workers as long as they have ovaries. Even though trophic eggs are morphologically distinct from reproductive eggs, their difference in nutritional value has been overlooked. Furthermore, trophic eggs have been argued to buffer periods of food scarcity, but trophic egg production and fate in such conditions has not been monitored yet. In this study, we compare the nutritional value of reproductive and trophic eggs in two species of ants, Aphaenogaster rugulosa (Myrmicinae, endemic to Yonaguni Island, Japan) and Anoplolepis gracilipes (Formicinae, invasive). We also monitor trophic egg production and fate in A. rugulosa colonies when starved or given contaminated food. We discuss the adaptive value of worker-laid trophic eggs in ant societies.