Mating frenzies, sperm hoards, and brood raids: The life of a fire ant queen - Walter R. Tschinkel

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

It’s June, just after a heavy rainfall,

Jun je i upravo je pala jaka kiša,

and the sky is filling with creatures we wouldn’t normally expect to find there.

i nebo se ispunjava bićima koja obično ne očekujemo da budu tu.

At first glance, this might be a disturbing sight.

Na prvi pogled, moglo bi da se radi o uznemirujućem prizoru.

But for the lucky males and females of Solenopsis invicta,

Međutim, za srećne mužjake i ženke Solenopsis invicte,

otherwise known as fire ants, it’s a day of romance.

koje inače znamo kao vatrene mrave, danas je dan za romansu.

This is the nuptial flight,

Radi se o svadbenom letu,

when thousands of reproduction-capable male and female ants,

kada na hiljade reproduktivno sposobnih mužjaka i ženki mrava,

called alates, take wing for the first and last time.

koji se nazivaju dronovima, poleću prvi i poslednji put.

But even for successful males who manage to avoid winged predators,

Međutim, čak i za uspešne mužjake koji uspeju da izbegnu krilate grabljivice,

this mating frenzy will prove lethal.

ove bahanalije parenja će da budu smrtonosne.

And for a successfully mated female, her work is only beginning.

A za uspešno oplođenu ženku, njen posao tek počinje.

Having secured a lifetime supply of sperm from her departed mate,

Obezbedivši doživotne zalihe sperme od svog preminulog partnera,

our new queen must now single-handedly start an entire colony.

naša nova matica sada mora sama da osnuje čitavu koloniju.

Descending to the ground,

Spustivši se na tlo,

she searches for a suitable spot to build her nest.

ona traga za odgovarajućim mestom za izgradnju svog gnezda.

Ideally, she can find somewhere with loose, easy-to-dig soil—

Idealno bi bilo da nađe meku zemlju koju je lako kopati -

like farmland already disturbed by human activity.

poput obrađene zemlje koju je već poremetila ljudska aktivnost.

Once she finds the perfect spot, she breaks off her wings—

Čim pronađe savršeno mesto, čupa svoja krila -

creating the stubs that establish her royal status.

stvarajući ispupčenja koja uspostavljaju njen plemićki status.

Then, she starts digging a descending tunnel ending in a chamber.

Potom ona počinje da kopa podzemni tunel koji se završava odajom.

Here the queen begins laying her eggs, about ten per day,

Ovde matica počinje da nosi jaja, oko deset dnevno,

and the first larvae hatch within a week.

a prve larve se legu u roku od jedne nedelje.

Over the next three weeks,

Tokom naredne tri nedelje,

the new queen relies on a separate batch of unfertilized eggs

nova matica se oslanja na posebnu seriju neoplođenih jaja

to nourish both herself and her brood,

kako bi hranila sebe i svoje potomstvo,

losing half her body weight in the process.

gubeći polovinu telesne težine tokom tog procesa.

Thankfully, after about 20 days,

Srećom, nakon dvadesetak dana,

these larvae grow into the first generation of workers,

ove larve odrastaju u prvu generaciju radnika,

ready to forage for food and sustain their shrunken queen.

spremnih da tragaju za hranom i održavaju svoju omršavelu maticu.

Her daughters will have to work quickly though—

Njene kćerke moraju, pak, brzo da rade -

returning their mother to good health is urgent.

hitno je povratiti dobro zdravlje majke.

In the surrounding area,

U blizini,

dozens of neighboring queens are building their own ant armies.

desetine susednih matica grade sopstvene mravlje armije.

These colonies have peacefully coexisted so far,

Ove kolonije su do sada mirno živele jedne blizu drugih,

but once workers appear,

međutim, čim se pojave radnici,

a phenomenon known as brood-raiding begins.

pojava poznata kao pohara potomaka počinje.

Workers from nests up to several meters away

Radnici iz gnezda udaljenih i do nekoliko metara

begin to steal offspring from our queen.

počinju da kradu mlade našoj matici.

Our colony retaliates,

Naša kolonija se sveti,

but new waves of raiders from even further away

međutim, novi talasi napadača sa još veće udaljenosti

overwhelm the workers.

savladavaju radnike.

Within hours, the raiders have taken our queen’s entire brood supply

Za nekoliko sati, napadači su uzeli celokupnu zalihu potomaka od naše matice

to the largest nearby nest—

i odneli ih u obližnje gnezdo -

and the queen’s surviving daughters abandon her.

a matičine preživele kćerke je napuštaju.

Chasing her last chance of survival,

Koristeći poslednju šansu za opstanak,

the queen follows the raiding trail to the winning nest.

matica prati stazu napadača do pobedničkog gnezda.

She fends off other losing queens and the defending nest’s workers,

Odbija napade drugih matica gubitnica kao i radnika čuvara gnezda,

fighting her way to the top of the brood pile.

probijajući se do vrha hrpe potomaka.

Her daughters help their mother succeed where other queens fail—

Njene kćerke pomažu majci da uspe tamo gde druge matice nisu -

defeating the reigning monarch, and usurping the brood pile.

da porazi vladajuću kraljicu i preuzme hrpu potomaka.

Eventually, all the remaining challengers fail,

Vremenom, svi ostali izazivači gube,

until only one queen— and one brood pile— remains.

sve dok samo jedna matica - i jedna hrpa potomaka - ostane.

Now presiding over several hundred workers in the neighborhood’s largest nest,

Sada, predsedavajući nekoliko stotina radnika u susednom najvećem gnezdu,

our victorious queen begins aiding her colony in its primary goal:

naša pobednička matica počinje da pomaže koloniji u njenom primarnom cilju:

reproduction.

razmnožavanju.

For the next several years, the colony only produces sterile workers.

U narednih nekoliko godina, kolonija jedino proizvodi sterilne radnike.

But once their population exceeds about 23,000,

Međutim, čim im populacija premaši oko 23 000 jedinki,

it changes course.

menjaju smer.

From now on, every spring,

Od sad, svakog proleća

the colony will produce fertile alate males and females.

kolonija će da proizvodi plodne dronove mužjake i ženke.

The colony spawns these larger ants throughout the early summer,

Kolonija izleže ove krupnije mrave tokom ranog leta

and returns to worker production in the fall.

i vraća se proizvodnji radnika tokom jeseni.

After heavy rainfalls, these alates take to the skies,

Nakon jakih kiša, ovi dronovi kreću ka nebesima

and spread their queen’s genes up to a couple hundred meters downwind.

i šire gene svoje matice i do nekoliko stotina metara niz vetar.

But to contribute to this annual mating frenzy,

Međutim, kako bi doprinela ovim godišnjim bahanalijama parenja,

the colony must continue to thrive as one massive super-organism.

kolonija mora da nastavi da bude uspešna kao jedan ogromni superorganizam.

Every day, younger ants feed the queen and tend to the brood,

Svakog dana, mladi mravi hrane maticu i paze na potomstvo,

while older workers forage for food and defend the nest.

dok stariji radnici tragaju za hranom i brane gnezdo.

When intruders strike,

Kada uljezi napadnu,

these older warriors fend them off using poisonous venom.

ovi stariji ratnici ih odbijaju upotrebom otrova.

After rainfalls, the colony comes together,

Nakon kiša, kolonija se sakuplja,

using the wet dirt to expand their nest.

koristeći vlažnu zemlju da proširi gnezdo.

And when a disastrous flood drowns their home,

A kada razorne poplave potope njihov dom,

the sisters band together into a massive living raft—

sestre se spajaju i stvaraju ogroman živi splav -

carrying their queen to safety.

koji nosi njihovu maticu na bezbedno mesto.

But no matter how resilient,

Međutim, bez obzira na njenu otpornost,

the life of a colony must come to an end.

život kolonije mora da se okonča.

After about 8 years, our queen runs out of sperm

Nakon oko osam godina, našoj matici ponestaje sperme

and can no longer replace dying workers.

i ona više ne može da nadomesti izumrle radnike.

The nest’s population dwindles, and eventually,

Populacija u gnezdu se osipa i vremenom

they’re taken over by a neighboring colony.

ih preuzima susedna kolonija.

Our queen’s reign is over, but her genetic legacy lives on.

Vladavina naše matice je gotova, ali njeno genetsko nasleđe opstaje.