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Changes in behavior and gene expression show which worker will come out on top in the first days of a month-long battle between worker ants to establish new leadership after their queen dies, researchers report. “Despite prolonged social upheaval in ant colonies following the loss of the queen, the winners of these dueling tournaments are rapidly determined,” says Claude Desplan, a professor of biology at New York University. “Our findings may provide clues on adaptability in reproduction and aging, given that the workers who win the duel, or ‘pseudoqueens,’ gain the ability to lay eggs and live much longer than the average worker ant. This suggests that changes in the environment are able to dramatically affect the structure of a society.” ....
Date Time Share In Dueling Ants Vying to Become Replacement Queen, Behavioral and Molecular Cues Quickly Determine Who Will Win “Pseudoqueens” rapidly emerge after social structure is disrupted by the loss of queen In Indian jumping ants, workers duel with their antennae to establish new leadership after the death of their queen. Photo credit: Giacomo Mancini, NYU In one species of ants, workers duel to establish new leadership after the death of their queen. While these sparring matches stretch for more than a month, changes in behavior and gene expression in the first three days of dueling can accurately predict who will triumph, according to a New York University study published in the journal Genes & Development. ....