Alternative reproductive strategies in ant queens: Can chemical differentiation lead to sympatric speciation?

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Myrmica ruginodis is a widely distributed ant species in Europe and was described to harbour two queen morphs (macrogynes and microgynes), which show different morphology and reproductive behaviour. We recently uncovered that these queen morphs and their workers also differ in their chemical profile. Male ants recognize conspecific queens by their cuticular hydrocarbons, so that chemical differences could potentially lead to sympatric speciation. Indeed, this was speculated for Myrmica microrubra, an evolutionary young social parasite of Myrmica rubra. Behavioral experiments and chemical analyses will be conducted to demonstrate whether males indeed prefer to mate with queens of their own morph, which could lead to reproductive isolation.