Alternative reproductive tactics in the ant genus Hypoponera

Hypoponera opacior exhibits alternative reproductive morphs in both sexes The ant associated with distinct sexual behaviours. Our long-term study reports strong seasonality in sexual production with two separated mating seasons in early and late summer. Alate reproductives emerge in June, swarm during the monsoon season and establish new colonies independently. In contrast, wingless reproductives appear in late August, mate within their natal or adjacent nests and either do not disperse or reproduce by budding. The divergent dispersal patterns allow to analyse the impact of local factors on investment strategies by comparing sex allocation between the two reproductive phases. The optimal allocation ratio for wingless reproductives should be influenced by both competition for matings between brothers (local mate competition) and rivalry among young queens for workers, nest sites or food (local resource competition). A more male-biased allocation ratio for wingless reproductives demonstrates the greater importance of local resource competition.