In this study the Libbrecht group investigated the effects of increased genetic diversity in Lasius niger ants. By combining pupae from three different colonies with an unrelated queen they experimentally increased worker diversity and controlled for maternal effects. The findings of increased larva production, possibly via enhanced divison of labor, confirm that high genetic diversity can be beneficial for colony performance. Moreover, such benefits could have led to the evolution in some social insects of multiply mated queens and multiple-queen colonies. Read the full paper here.
Psalti MN, Gohlke D and Libbrecht R (2021)
Experimental increase of worker diversity benefits brood production in ants. BMC Evology and Evolution, 21:163. Link
