Dominance Hierarchy and Nutrient Acquisition in the Slave-Making Ant Protomognathus americanus (Hymenoptera:Formicidae)

摘要

A reproductive dominance hierarchy exists among workers of the slave-making ant Protomognathus americanus (Emery). Previous studies have shown that dominant workers receive more food from the slaves than the subordinates and interrupt food transfer between subordinates and slaves. However, the levels of macronutrients within the individuals of P. americanus have not been measured. This study determined if the more dominant workers have higher levels of protein, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipidsthan their subordinates as predicted by previous studies. The results show that there is no correlation between rank in the hierarchy and levels of macronutrients of the workers. Thus, the more dominant workers do not always have higher levels of nutrients than their subordinates. Possible explanations for these results may include the queen taking nutrients from the most dominant worker, subordinates waiting at entrances to receive food from returning foragers, or subordinates receiving nutrients fromlarvae or trophic eggs.