26/03/2024 | The queens of social insects, such as ants, bees or wasps, are generally regarded as the pinnacle of specialization in the animal kingdom. Queens, it is widely believed, are only there to lay eggs – and this trait is innate and not influenced by external factors. Contrary to this view, researchers at the iomE of the FB10 show that in ant colonies the social environment can play a decisive role in the behavioural specialization of ant queens. The work was carried out in Dr. Libbrecht’s research group at JGU and published in Functional Ecology.