The use of communication to resolve conflicts is widespread in
animals. The high degree of sociality in ants makes them ideal
organisms to study communication in relation to conflicts.
Ants can reduce conflicts over the reproductive division of
labour by means of either aggressive or pheromonal inhibition.
Whether pheromones that represent an honest signal of queen
fecundity are evolutionary stable remains controversial.
By comparative investigation of the mechanisms in which
agression and pheromones influence the reproductive apparatus
of individuals, and the origin and chemical properties of
involved pheromones, we want to gain insight in the evolution
of hones pheromonals signals.
Tags
Keywords
communication, conflict resolving, dominance behaviour, exocrine glands, pheromones, reproductive division of labour, signals, social insects
