Premium
Polyandry and fitness in the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
Author(s) -
Wiernasz Diane C.,
Perroni Christina L.,
Cole Blaine J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2004.02153.x
Subject(s) - biology , mating , queen (butterfly) , mating system , population , allele , zoology , ecology , evolutionary biology , hymenoptera , genetics , demography , gene , sociology
Using four highly polymorphic microsatellite markers (12–28 alleles), we gentoyped workers from 63 colonies of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis . Colonies have a single, multiply mated queen, and an average number of 6.3 patrilines per colony. Colony growth was measured over an 8‐year period in the study population. Intracolonial relatedness and colony growth are correlated negatively, indicating a substantial fitness benefit to multiple mating.