Natural history, plastic traits and reproduction in ants [Elektronische Ressource] / Jan Oettler

Natural History, Plastic Traits and Reproduction in Ants Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) der Fakultät III der Universität Regensburg Jan Oettler July 2008 Promotionsgesuch eingereicht am: 15.07.2008 Die Arbeit wurde angeleitet von: Prof. Dr. J. Heinze Prüfungsausschuss: Vorsitzender: Prof. Dr. G. Längst 1. Prüfer: Prof. Dr. J. Heinze 2. Prüfer: Dr. J. Gadau Prüfer: Prof. Dr. C. Oberprieler II Can love of insects make a difference? I am not sure. But I would like to believe that it does. Thomas Eisner III Acknowledgments Ant science rocks! I am very grateful to Bob Johnson for showing me the road some ten years ago and to Jürgen Heinze for guiding me along these past three years. Because of my limited abilities this would not have been possible without Chris R. Smith (I want that child to be a long haired child), Thomas Schmitt, Mischa Dijkstra and John Wang. Various help came from different sources, namely Helmut Durchschlag, Alex Schrempf, Yannick Wurm, Laurent Keller, Alex Wild, Adam Kay, Birgit Fischer, Barry Bolton, Corrie S. Moreau, Andi Trindl and Gudrun Herzner. Many thanks to Kathrin Stangel for much of the microsatellite lab work. Cheers to my almost-Doktorvater Jürgen Gadau. And of course Masaki: ど う も あ り が とfor helping out whenever I needed it.