Ant colonies are intricate societies where the queen ant is the central figure, and her demise carries significant implications. This event marks a turning point, setting in motion a series of changes that can ultimately determine the colony’s future.
The Queen’s Central Role
The queen ant is the sole or main reproductive individual within the colony. She is responsible for laying all the eggs that develop into new workers, soldiers, and future reproductive ants. Her egg-laying is essential for the colony’s growth and long-term sustainability.
Beyond reproduction, the queen maintains colony cohesion through chemical signals, pheromones. These pheromones regulate colony life, such as worker behavior, the development of young ants, and the suppression of reproduction in worker ants. The queen’s chemical presence ensures social order and guides the collective activities of the colony.
Immediate Colony Response
Her death immediately halts her pheromonal signals. This disruption in chemical communication can lead to noticeable changes in worker behavior. Workers may exhibit agitation and disorientation as the familiar cues that maintain their social structure fade.
Foraging patterns might become altered, and there could be shifts in how the brood, or young ants, are cared for. The halt in new egg-laying is a direct consequence for colony growth. As worker ants have limited lifespans, the absence of new generations means the colony cannot replenish its population.
Pathways to Colony Survival or Decline
The long-term fate of an ant colony after its queen dies varies by species. For many species, especially those with a single queen, known as monogynous colonies, the common outcome is a gradual decline. As existing worker ants age and die, and with no new ants to replace them, the colony slowly dwindles until it eventually collapses.
In some ant species, workers can develop the ability to lay eggs in the queen’s absence, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “worker reproduction”. These workers, known as gamergates or pseudogynes, typically lay unfertilized eggs that develop into males. While this can extend the colony’s lifespan by producing male offspring, these males cannot produce new workers or queens, leading to an eventual decline for the colony.
Rarely, some species might attempt to raise a new queen from existing larvae if fertile brood is present and conditions are suitable. However, this is uncommon for established colonies after the natural death of their original queen. The process requires specific larval nutrition, and success is not guaranteed.
Colonies with multiple queens, referred to as polygynous colonies, are less impacted by the death of a single queen. The remaining queens can continue their reproductive functions, allowing the colony to persist and maintain its population. This multi-queen structure provides a buffer against the loss of a single reproductive individual.