The long-lived queen: reproduction and longevity in female eusocial Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis)

The inverse relationship between reproduction and lifespan is one of the main concepts of life history theory. This association has been observed in most taxa, although exceptions have been found in which a breeding female outlives her non-reproductive cohorts. This relationship is well known in social insects, and it has recently come to light that repro-ductive females of certain social mole-rat species also exhibit extended lifespans relative to non-breeders. We analysed mark–recapture data over 13 years in 12 colonies of Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) to assess if colony queens lived longer than non-reproductive adult females. Queens were recaptured up to 8.5 years after initial capture (X = 6.2 years); significantly longer than non-reproductive females (X = 1.3 years), suggesting that a colony queen lives longer than her non-reproductive subor-dinates. This difference may be attributed to both physiological and social factors which may relax reproductive costs in queens. Key words: Fukomys damarensis, reproductive costs, sociality, longevity, trade-offs. One of the central tenets of life history theoryposits that an individual produces offspring at a cost to their own survival and future reproduc-tive success (Williams 1966; Roff 1992; Stearns 1992). Animals that reproduce early and frequently tend to have relatively short lives, and this may be, in part, due to resource partitioning; resources that would be allocated to self-maintenance are instead diverted towards the many functions involved in the production of offspring (William