Nestmate recognition and the genetic gestalt in the mound-building ant Formica polyctena

The genetic gestalts of nests of the mound-building ant Formica polyctena were determined and its impact on nestmate recognition was tested in two populations in Eastern Germany (Berlin/Schwedt). Nestmate recognition was measured by testing aggression levels between single workers of different nests in arena tests. Multilocus fingerprinting was used to determine the genetic gestalts of nests using pooled worker samples. Therefore we proposed a new metric for quantifying resemblance using DNA fingerprint data. The levels of aggression differed substantially between the two sampling locations. Nests in site A showed a strong relationship of genetic gestalt distances and aggressive behavior between individual nest members (P<0.0001). Nests in site B showed low levels of aggression, with no detectable differences in the genetic gestalt. Nestmate recognition seems to be strongly genetically influenced in F. polyctena.