Seed drops and caches by the harvester ant Messor barbarus : do they contribute to seed dispersal in Mediterranean grasslands?

2000 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
pp. 373-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Detrain ◽  
Olivier Tasse
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Messor Barbarus ◽  
Harvester Ant ◽  
Mediterranean Grasslands

scholarly journals Cryptic lineages hybridize for worker production in the harvester ant Messor barbarus

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 20160542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Norman ◽  
Hugo Darras ◽  
Christopher Tranter ◽  
Serge Aron ◽  
William O. H. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Messor Barbarus ◽  
Harvester Ant ◽  
Mitochondrial Data ◽  
Genetic Caste Determination ◽  
Worker Castes ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Reproductive Division

The reproductive division of labour between queen and worker castes in social insects is a defining characteristic of eusociality and a classic example of phenotypic plasticity. Whether social insect larvae develop into queens or workers has long been thought to be determined by environmental cues, i.e. larvae are developmentally totipotent. Contrary to this paradigm, several recent studies have revealed that caste is determined by genotype in some ant species, but whether this is restricted to just a few exceptional species is still unclear. Here, we show that the Mediterranean harvester ant Messor barbarus possesses an unusual reproductive system, in which the female castes are genetically determined. Using both nuclear and mitochondrial data, we show that Iberian populations have two distinct, cryptic lineages. Workers are always inter-lineage hybrids whereas queens are always produced from pure-lineage matings. The results suggest that genetic caste determination may be more widespread in ants than previously thought, and that further investigation in other species is needed to understand the frequency and evolution of this remarkable reproductive system.

Assessing yield losses caused by the harvester ant Messor barbarus (L.) in winter cereals

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1144-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bàrbara Baraibar ◽  
Raquel Ledesma ◽  
Aritz Royo-Esnal ◽  
Paula R. Westerman
Keyword(s):  
Yield Losses ◽  
Messor Barbarus ◽  
Winter Cereals ◽  
Harvester Ant

The spatial distribution of nests of the harvester ant Messor barbarus in dryland cereals

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Blanco-Moreno ◽  
P. R. Westerman ◽  
V. Atanackovic ◽  
J. Torra
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Messor Barbarus ◽  
Harvester Ant
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