THE ORIGINS AND RELATEDNESS OF MULTIPLE REPRODUCTIVES IN COLONIES OF THE TERMITE NASUTITERMES CORNIGER

Colonies of the termite Nasutitermes corniger often contain multiple r eproductive queens and kings. We used double-strand conformation polym orphism (DSCP) analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to determine the probable origins of co-occurring reproductives. Colonies differed in q ueen and king number, in the number of nests containing reproductives, and in the genetic relationships among reproductives. Most of the 44 colonies contained a single pair of maternally unrelated reproductives . In the two single-nest colonies with a pair of queens, the two queen s differed in mtDNA haplotype, suggesting nest-founding by unrelated q ueens. In the seven single-nest colonies with larger numbers of reprod uctives (11-49), all reproductives shared the same haplotype, a patter n consistent with replacement of a single pair by several offspring. A s predicted by theory, the number of coexisting queens was greater for replacement reproductives than for co-foundresses. Several complex co lonies contained multiple queens of two or more haplotypes distributed among several interconnected nests. This indicates that several matri lines can persist within a colony through one or more generations of b udding and replacement, a hypothesis confirmed by orphaning experiment s. The various modes of termite colony formation rival the diversity s een in ant species and demonstrate the remarkable convergence of behav iours between the two groups.