--- _id: '3922' abstract: - lang: eng text: Dispersal is advantageous, but, at the same time, it implies high costs and risks. Due to these counteracting selection pressures, many species evolved dispersal polymorphisms, which, in ants, are typically restricted to the female sex (queens). Male polymorphism is presently only known from a few genera, such as Cardiocondyla, in which winged dispersing males coexist with wingless fighter males that mate exclusively inside their maternal nests. We studied the developmental mechanisms underlying these alternative male morphs and found that, first, male dimorphism is not genetically determined, but is induced by environmental conditions (decreasing temperature and density). Second, male morph is not yet fixed at the egg stage, but it differentiates during larval development. This flexible developmental pattern of male morphs allows Cardiocondyla ant colonies to react quickly to changes in their environment. Under good conditions, they invest exclusively in philopatric wingless males. But, when environmental conditions turn bad, colonies start to produce winged dispersal males, even though these males require a many times higher investment by the colony than their much smaller wingless counterparts. Cardiocondyla ants share this potential of optimal resource allocation with other colonial animals and some seed dimorphic plants. author: - first_name: Sylvia full_name: Cremer, Sylvia id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87 last_name: Cremer orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868 - first_name: Jürgen full_name: Heinze, Jürgen last_name: Heinze citation: ama: 'Cremer S, Heinze J. Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants. Current Biology. 2003;13(3):219-223. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5' apa: 'Cremer, S., & Heinze, J. (2003). Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants. Current Biology. Cell Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5' chicago: 'Cremer, Sylvia, and Jürgen Heinze. “Stress Grows Wings: Environmental Induction of Winged Dispersal Males in Cardiocondyla Ants.” Current Biology. Cell Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5.' ieee: 'S. Cremer and J. Heinze, “Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants,” Current Biology, vol. 13, no. 3. Cell Press, pp. 219–223, 2003.' ista: 'Cremer S, Heinze J. 2003. Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants. Current Biology. 13(3), 219–223.' mla: 'Cremer, Sylvia, and Jürgen Heinze. “Stress Grows Wings: Environmental Induction of Winged Dispersal Males in Cardiocondyla Ants.” Current Biology, vol. 13, no. 3, Cell Press, 2003, pp. 219–23, doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5.' short: S. Cremer, J. Heinze, Current Biology 13 (2003) 219–223. date_created: 2018-12-11T12:05:54Z date_published: 2003-02-04T00:00:00Z date_updated: 2021-01-12T07:53:13Z day: '04' doi: 10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00012-5 extern: '1' intvolume: ' 13' issue: '3' language: - iso: eng month: '02' oa_version: None page: 219 - 223 publication: Current Biology publication_status: published publisher: Cell Press publist_id: '2234' status: public title: 'Stress grows wings: Environmental induction of winged dispersal males in Cardiocondyla ants' type: journal_article user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87 volume: 13 year: '2003' ...