Queen ants achieve extreme longevity through specialized caste physiology and social protection
Queen ants achieve extreme longevity through specialized physiological adaptations—such as altered metabolic and aging pathways—combined with social protection and specialized care from workers.
The retrieved papers consistently support the claim that queen longevity in social insects is facilitated by a combination of intrinsic caste-specific physiological mechanisms (metabolic, genetic, and hormonal pathways) and social protection (such as worker care, feeding, and reduced extrinsic mortality).
O Rueppell, F Königseder, J Heinze, A Schrempf. Intrinsic survival advantage of social insect queens depends on reproductive activation.. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12749
Demonstrates that queen longevity is directly linked to caste-specific reproductive activation and intrinsic survival mechanisms.
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Judith Korb, Karen Meusemann, Denise Aumer, Abel Bernadou, Daniel Elsner, Barbara Feldmeyer, Susanne Foitzik, Jürgen Heinze, Romain Libbrecht, Silu Lin, Megha Majoe, José Manuel Monroy Kuhn, Volker Nehring, Matteo A Negroni, Robert J Paxton, Alice C Séguret, Marah Stoldt, Thomas Flatt. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the mechanisms underpinning ageing and fecundity in social insects.. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0728
Identifies conserved molecular networks (such as IIS, TOR, and vitellogenins) that govern caste-specific aging and fecundity trade-offs in social insects.
Maïly Kervella, Fabrice Bertile, Alexandra Granger-Farbos, Benoît Pinson, Claire Villette, Dimitri Heintz, Alain Schmitt, Martin Quque, Frédéric Bouillaud, François Criscuolo. Inter-Caste Comparison Reveals a Unique Bioenergetic Signature in Long-Lived Ant Queens.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.70127
Reveals specialized bioenergetic adaptations and oxidative balance mechanisms in long-lived ant queens.
Eisuke Tasaki, Yuki Mitaka, Yutaka Takahashi, A S M Waliullah, Zinat Tamannaa, Takumi Sakamoto, Ariful Islam, Masaki Kamiya, Tomohito Sato, Shuhei Aramaki, Kenji Kikushima, Makoto Horikawa, Katsumasa Nakamura, Tomoaki Kahyo, Mamoru Takata, Mitsutoshi Setou, Kenji Matsuura. The royal food of termites shows king and queen specificity.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad222
Shows that specialized royal nutrition provided by workers underpins the extraordinary longevity of social insect queens.
Jack da Silva. The Extension of Foundress Life Span and the Evolution of Eusociality in the Hymenoptera.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1086/718594
Explains how social structure, division of labor, and protective colony environments reduce extrinsic mortality and extend foundress lifespan.
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