Biology Unfertilized eggs decide the fate of ants
Unfertilized eggs probably determine the fate of ants. According to a study, whether an ant larva becomes a worker or a queen depends on whether it was fed with special, unfertilized eggs or not.
19.08.2025, 17:00
SDA
For a long time, the so-called trophic eggs were only regarded as an additional source of food. However, in a study published on Tuesday in the journal "eLife", a Lausanne research team has now shown that they play an active role in the development of ant larvae. Larvae of the desert ant Pogonomyrmex rugosus that had access to these eggs developed almost exclusively into workers, while larvae without this food were significantly more likely to grow into queens.
Biologists have long known that queens and workers, although they share the same genetic material, differ greatly in morphology, behavior and function, as Laurent Keller, former professor at the University of Lausanne (Unil), explained to the Keystone-SDA news agency. However, the question of how one and the same genome can produce such differences remains unanswered.
Mechanism possibly widespread
The researchers discovered that the answer could lie in the unfertilized eggs through an experiment in which they fed one group of larvae with trophic eggs and another group without. "Many ant species produce trophic eggs. It is therefore likely that this mechanism is widespread in ants," said Keller.
An analysis of the eggs showed clear differences between "normal" and trophic eggs. In particular, the composition of the micro-RNA - small molecules that can switch genes on or off - differed. According to the researchers, this suggests that the eggs could directly control the development of the larvae.
