Do unicolonial wood ants favor kin?
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK
Journal of Biology 2009, 8:56 doi:10.1186/jbiol154
Published: 18 June 2009Abstract
Vast supercolonies of interconnected nests formed by unicolonial ant species are the largest cooperative groups of animals known. Research published recently in BMC Evolutionary Biology reveals that a supercolony can be more genetically structured than previously thought, comprising several extended families. Surprisingly, the families coexist peacefully, even though they seem to recognize each other as non-kin.
