1
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Naug D, Tait C. Slow-Fast Cognitive Phenotypes and Their Significance for Social Behavior: What Can We Learn From Honeybees? Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.766414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive variation is proposed to be the fundamental underlying factor that drives behavioral variation, yet it is still to be fully integrated with the observed variation at other phenotypic levels that has recently been unified under the common pace-of-life framework. This cognitive and the resulting behavioral diversity is especially significant in the context of a social group, the performance of which is a collective outcome of this diversity. In this review, we argue about the utility of classifying cognitive traits along a slow-fast continuum in the larger context of the pace-of-life framework. Using Tinbergen’s explanatory framework for different levels of analyses and drawing from the large body of knowledge about honeybee behavior, we discuss the observed interindividual variation in cognitive traits and slow-fast cognitive phenotypes from an adaptive, evolutionary, mechanistic and developmental perspective. We discuss the challenges in this endeavor and suggest possible next steps in terms of methodological, statistical and theoretical approaches to move the field forward for an integrative understanding of how slow-fast cognitive differences, by influencing collective behavior, impact social evolution.
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2
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Walsh JT, Garonski A, Jackan C, Linksvayer TA. The Collective Behavior of Ant Groups Depends on Group Genotypic Composition. J Hered 2021; 113:102-108. [PMID: 34634803 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, researchers have documented variation between groups in collective behavior. However, how genetic variation within and between groups contributes to population-level variation for collective behavior remains unclear. Understanding how genetic variation of group members relates to group-level phenotypes is evolutionarily important because there is increasing evidence that group-level behavioral variation influences fitness and that the genetic architecture of group-level traits can affect the evolutionary dynamics of traits. Social insects are ideal for studying the complex relationship between individual and group-level variation because they exhibit behavioral variation at multiple scales of organization. To explore how the genetic composition of groups affects collective behavior, we constructed groups of pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) from 33 genetically distinct colonies of known pedigree. The groups consisted of either all workers from the same single colony or workers from two genetically different colonies, and we assayed the exploration and aggression of the groups. We found that collective exploration, but not aggression, depended on the specific genotypic combination of group members, i.e., we found evidence for genotype-by-genotype epistasis for exploration. Group collective behavior did not depend on the pedigree relatedness between genotypes within groups. Overall, this study highlights that specific combinations of genotypes influence group-level phenotypes, emphasizing the importance of considering nonadditive effects of genotypic interactions between group members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin T Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anna Garonski
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Claire Jackan
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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3
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Constantino PB, Valentinuzzi VS, Helene AF. Division of labor in work shifts by leaf-cutting ants. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8737. [PMID: 33888758 PMCID: PMC8062660 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88005-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging rhythms in eusocial insects are determined by the colony´s overall pattern. However, in leaf-cutting ant workers, individual rhythms are not fully synchronized with the colonies' rhythm. The colony as a whole is nocturnal, since most worker activity takes place at night; however some workers forage during the day. Previous studies in individualized ants suggest nocturnal and diurnal workers coexistence. Here observations within the colony, in leaf-cutting ants, showed that workers have differential foraging time preference, which interestingly is associated to body size and differential leaf transportation engagement. Nocturnal ants are smaller and less engaged in leaf transportation whereas diurnal ants are bigger and more engaged in leaf carriage. Mechanisms underlying division of labor in work shifts in ants are still unknown but much can be extrapolated from honeybees; another social system bearing a similar pattern. A collective organization like this favors constant exploitation of food sources while preserving natural individual rhythm patterns, which arise from individual differences, and thermal tolerance, given by the size polymorphism presented by this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro B Constantino
- Department of Physiology, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo (IB-USP), São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil.
| | - Veronica S Valentinuzzi
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), UNLAR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - André F Helene
- Department of Physiology, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo (IB-USP), São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil
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4
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Calvo Martín M, Nicolis SC, Planas-Sitjà I, Deneubourg JL. Conflictual influence of humidity during shelter selection of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Sci Rep 2019; 9:20331. [PMID: 31889068 PMCID: PMC6937323 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56504-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In collective decision-making, when confronted with different options, groups usually show a more marked preference for one of the options than do isolated individuals. This results from the amplification of individual preferences by social interactions within the group. We show, in an unusual counter-example, that when facing a binary choice between shelters with different relative humidities, isolated cockroaches of the species Periplaneta americana select the wettest shelter, while groups select the driest one. This inversion of selection results from a conflictual influence of humidity on the probabilities of entering and leaving each shelter. It is shown that the individual probability of entering the wettest shelter is higher than the group probability and is increased by previous entries and exits. The probability of leaving each shelter decreases in the population due to social interactions, but this decrease is less pronounced in the wettest shelter, suggesting weaker social interactions. A theoretical model is developed and highlights the existence of tipping points dependent on population size, beyond which an inversion of selection of a resting place is observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano Calvo Martín
- Biological and Artificial Self-organised Systems Team, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Stamatios C Nicolis
- Biological and Artificial Self-organised Systems Team, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Isaac Planas-Sitjà
- Systematic Zoology Laboratory, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Jean-Louis Deneubourg
- Biological and Artificial Self-organised Systems Team, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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5
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Lemanski NJ, Cook CN, Smith BH, Pinter-Wollman N. A Multiscale Review of Behavioral Variation in Collective Foraging Behavior in Honey Bees. INSECTS 2019; 10:E370. [PMID: 31731405 PMCID: PMC6920954 DOI: 10.3390/insects10110370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of collective behavior from local interactions is a widespread phenomenon in social groups. Previous models of collective behavior have largely overlooked the impact of variation among individuals within the group on collective dynamics. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) provide an excellent model system for exploring the role of individual differences in collective behavior due to their high levels of individual variation and experimental tractability. In this review, we explore the causes and consequences of individual variation in behavior for honey bee foraging across multiple scales of organization. We summarize what is currently known about the genetic, developmental, and neurophysiological causes of individual differences in learning and memory among honey bees, as well as the consequences of this variation for collective foraging behavior and colony fitness. We conclude with suggesting promising future directions for exploration of the genetic and physiological underpinnings of individual differences in behavior in this model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie J. Lemanski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA;
| | - Chelsea N. Cook
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (C.N.C.); (B.H.S.)
| | - Brian H. Smith
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (C.N.C.); (B.H.S.)
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA;
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6
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Page H, Sweeney A, Pilko A, Pinter-Wollman N. Underlying mechanisms and ecological context of variation in exploratory behavior of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb188722. [PMID: 30385482 PMCID: PMC6307874 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.188722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering how and why animals explore their environment is fundamental for understanding population dynamics, the spread of invasive species, species interactions, etc. In social animals, individuals within a group can vary in their exploratory behavior, and the behavioral composition of the group can determine its collective success. Workers of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) exhibit individual variation in exploratory behavior, which affects the colony's collective nest selection behavior. Here, we examine the mechanisms underlying this behavioral variation in exploratory behavior and determine its implications for the ecology of this species. We first establish that individual variation in exploratory behavior is repeatable and consistent across situations. We then show a relationship between exploratory behavior and the expression of genes that have been previously linked with other behaviors in social insects. Specifically, we found a negative relationship between exploratory behavior and the expression of the foraging (Lhfor) gene. Finally, we determine how colonies allocate exploratory individuals in natural conditions. We found that ants from inside the nest are the least exploratory individuals, whereas workers on newly formed foraging trails are the most exploratory individuals. Furthermore, we found temporal differences throughout the year: in early-mid spring, when new resources emerge, workers are more exploratory than at the end of winter, potentially allowing the colony to find and exploit new resources. These findings reveal the importance of individual variation in behavior for the ecology of social animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Page
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Andrew Sweeney
- Biocircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Anna Pilko
- Institute of Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute of Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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7
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Garrison LK, Kleineidam CJ, Weidenmüller A. Behavioral flexibility promotes collective consistency in a social insect. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15836. [PMID: 30367093 PMCID: PMC6203754 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33917-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Deciphering the mechanisms that integrate individuals and their behavior into a functional unit is crucial for our understanding of collective behaviors. We here present empirical evidence for the impressive strength of social processes in this integration. We investigated collective temperature homeostasis in bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) colonies and found that bees are less likely to engage in thermoregulatory fanning and do so with less time investment when confronted with heat stress in a group setting than when facing the same challenge alone and that this down-regulation of individual stimulus-response behavior resulted in a consistent proportion of workers in a group engaged in the task of fanning. Furthermore, the bees that comprised the subset of fanning individuals changed from trial to trial and participation in the task was predominately unpredictable based on previous response behavior. Our results challenge basic assumptions in the most commonly used class of models for task allocation and contrast numerous collective behavior studies that emphasize the importance of fixed inter-individual variation for the functioning of animal groups. We demonstrate that bumblebee colonies maintain within-group behavioral heterogeneity and a consistent collective response pattern based on social responsiveness and behavioral flexibility at the individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Karen Garrison
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Anja Weidenmüller
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany.
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8
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Carere C, Audebrand C, Rödel HG, d'Ettorre P. Individual behavioural type and group performance in Formica fusca ants. Behav Processes 2018; 157:402-407. [PMID: 30036642 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The link between individual and group-level behaviour may help understanding cooperation and division of labour in social animals. Despite the recent surge of studies, especially in social insects, the way individual differences translate into group performance remains debated. One hypothesis is that groups may simply differ in the average personality of their members and this would translate into inter-group differences in collective behaviour. We tested the hypothesis of a linear relationship between individual and group phenotype in the ant Formica fusca by using same-age groups of workers after measuring an individual behavioural trait. Individual exploratory activity in an open-field arena was significantly repeatable. Based on this trait, groups were composed, each consisting of 6 individuals with similar exploration tendency housed with 3 cocoons and a refuge. Individual exploratory activity was associated with the performance in cocoon recovery at the group level: groups composed of high exploratory individuals started transporting displaced cocoons significantly earlier and transported more cocoons into the refuge than groups with low exploratory workers. When in a group, more exploratory animals showed significantly more returns to the refuge than less exploratory ones and tended to transport more cocoons. These results show a direct linear link between individual and collective behaviour, suggesting that colony personality reflects the average personality of workers involved in a given task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Carere
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France; Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Italy.
| | - Celine Audebrand
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Heiko G Rödel
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée EA4443, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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9
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Kleineidam CJ, Heeb EL, Neupert S. Social interactions promote adaptive resource defense in ants. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183872. [PMID: 28910322 PMCID: PMC5598949 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Social insects vigorously defend their nests against con- and heterospecific competitors. Collective defense is also seen at highly profitable food sources. Aggressive responses are elicited or promoted by several means of communication, e.g. alarm pheromones and other chemical markings. In this study, we demonstrate that the social environment and interactions among colony members (nestmates) modulates the propensity to engage in aggressive behavior and therefore plays an important role in allocating workers to a defense task. We kept Formica rufa workers in groups or isolated for different time spans and then tested their aggressiveness in one-on-one encounters with other ants. In groups of more than 20 workers that are freely interacting, individuals are aggressive in one-on-one encounters with non-nestmates, whereas aggressiveness of isolated workers decreases with increasing isolation time. We conclude that ants foraging collectively and interacting frequently, e.g. along foraging trails and at profitable food sources, remain in a social context and thereby maintain high aggressiveness against potential competitors. Our results suggest that the nestmate recognition system can be utilized at remote sites for an adaptive and flexible tuning of the response against competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eva Linda Heeb
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Stefanie Neupert
- Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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10
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Evans LJ, Smith KE, Raine NE. Fast learning in free-foraging bumble bees is negatively correlated with lifetime resource collection. Sci Rep 2017; 7:496. [PMID: 28356567 PMCID: PMC5428240 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00389-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite widespread interest in the potential adaptive value of individual differences in cognition, few studies have attempted to address the question of how variation in learning and memory impacts their performance in natural environments. Using a novel split-colony experimental design we evaluated visual learning performance of foraging naïve bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) in an ecologically relevant associative learning task under controlled laboratory conditions, before monitoring the lifetime foraging performance of the same individual bees in the field. We found appreciable variation among the 85 workers tested in both their learning and foraging performance, which was not predicted by colony membership. However, rather than finding that foragers benefited from enhanced learning performance, we found that fast and slow learners collected food at comparable rates and completed a similar number of foraging bouts per day in the field. Furthermore, bees with better learning abilities foraged for fewer days; suggesting a cost of enhanced learning performance in the wild. As a result, slower learning individuals collected more resources for their colony over the course of their foraging career. These results demonstrate that enhanced cognitive traits are not necessarily beneficial to the foraging performance of individuals or colonies in all environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa J Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK.
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand.
| | - Karen E Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Nigel E Raine
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
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11
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LeBoeuf AC, Waridel P, Brent CS, Gonçalves AN, Menin L, Ortiz D, Riba-Grognuz O, Koto A, Soares ZG, Privman E, Miska EA, Benton R, Keller L. Oral transfer of chemical cues, growth proteins and hormones in social insects. eLife 2016; 5:e20375. [PMID: 27894417 PMCID: PMC5153251 DOI: 10.7554/elife.20375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange - trophallaxis - between adults, and between adults and larvae. Although trophallaxis is widely considered a food-sharing mechanism, we hypothesized that endogenous components of this fluid might underlie a novel means of chemical communication between colony members. Through protein and small-molecule mass spectrometry and RNA sequencing, we found that trophallactic fluid in the ant Camponotus floridanus contains a set of specific digestion- and non-digestion related proteins, as well as hydrocarbons, microRNAs, and a key developmental regulator, juvenile hormone. When C. floridanus workers' food was supplemented with this hormone, the larvae they reared via trophallaxis were twice as likely to complete metamorphosis and became larger workers. Comparison of trophallactic fluid proteins across social insect species revealed that many are regulators of growth, development and behavioral maturation. These results suggest that trophallaxis plays previously unsuspected roles in communication and enables communal control of colony phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adria C LeBoeuf
- Center for Integrative GenomicsUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Patrice Waridel
- Protein Analysis FacilityUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Colin S Brent
- Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARSMaricopaUnited States
| | - Andre N Gonçalves
- Department of Biochemistry and ImmunologyInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisMinas GeraisBrazil
- Gurdon InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Laure Menin
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and EngineeringEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Daniel Ortiz
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and EngineeringEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Oksana Riba-Grognuz
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Akiko Koto
- The Department of Genetics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical SciencesThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Zamira G Soares
- Department of Biochemistry and ImmunologyInstituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisMinas GeraisBrazil
- Gurdon InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Eyal Privman
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Institute of EvolutionUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Eric A Miska
- Gurdon InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Sanger InstituteWellcome Trust Genome CampusCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Richard Benton
- Center for Integrative GenomicsUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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12
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Crall JD, Ravi S, Mountcastle AM, Combes SA. Bumblebee flight performance in cluttered environments: effects of obstacle orientation, body size and acceleration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 218:2728-37. [PMID: 26333927 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.121293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Locomotion through structurally complex environments is fundamental to the life history of most flying animals, and the costs associated with movement through clutter have important consequences for the ecology and evolution of volant taxa. However, few studies have directly investigated how flying animals navigate through cluttered environments, or examined which aspects of flight performance are most critical for this challenging task. Here, we examined how body size, acceleration and obstacle orientation affect the flight of bumblebees in an artificial, cluttered environment. Non-steady flight performance is often predicted to decrease with body size, as a result of a presumed reduction in acceleration capacity, but few empirical tests of this hypothesis have been performed in flying animals. We found that increased body size is associated with impaired flight performance (specifically transit time) in cluttered environments, but not with decreased peak accelerations. In addition, previous studies have shown that flying insects can produce higher accelerations along the lateral body axis, suggesting that if maneuvering is constrained by acceleration capacity, insects should perform better when maneuvering around objects laterally rather than vertically. Our data show that bumblebees do generate higher accelerations in the lateral direction, but we found no difference in their ability to pass through obstacle courses requiring lateral versus vertical maneuvering. In sum, our results suggest that acceleration capacity is not a primary determinant of flight performance in clutter, as is often assumed. Rather than being driven by the scaling of acceleration, we show that the reduced flight performance of larger bees in cluttered environments is driven by the allometry of both path sinuosity and mean flight speed. Specifically, differences in collision-avoidance behavior underlie much of the variation in flight performance across body size, with larger bees negotiating obstacles more cautiously. Thus, our results show that cluttered environments challenge the flight capacity of insects, but in surprising ways that emphasize the importance of behavioral and ecological context for understanding flight performance in complex environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Crall
- Concord Field Station, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 100 Old Causeway Rd, Bedford, MA 01730, USA
| | - Sridhar Ravi
- School of Aerospace Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
| | - Andrew M Mountcastle
- Concord Field Station, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 100 Old Causeway Rd, Bedford, MA 01730, USA
| | - Stacey A Combes
- Concord Field Station, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 100 Old Causeway Rd, Bedford, MA 01730, USA
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13
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Jandt JM, Gordon DM. The behavioral ecology of variation in social insects. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2016; 15:40-44. [PMID: 27436730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the ecological relevance of variation within and between colonies has been an important and recurring theme in social insect research. Recent research addresses the genomic and physiological factors and fitness effects associated with behavioral variation, within and among colonies, in regulation of activity, cognitive abilities, and aggression. Behavioral variation among colonies has consequences for survival and reproductive success that are the basis for evolutionary change.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Jandt
- Iowa State University, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, 251 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
| | - D M Gordon
- Stanford University, Department of Biology, Gilbert Biological Sciences Building, rm 410, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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14
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15
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Crall JD, Souffrant AD, Akandwanaho D, Hescock SD, Callan SE, Coronado WM, Baldwin MW, de Bivort BL. Social context modulates idiosyncrasy of behaviour in the gregarious cockroach Blaberus discoidalis. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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16
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Farine DR, Montiglio PO, Spiegel O. From Individuals to Groups and Back: The Evolutionary Implications of Group Phenotypic Composition. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:609-621. [PMID: 26411618 PMCID: PMC4594155 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in understanding the processes that maintain phenotypic variation in groups, populations, or communities. Recent studies have investigated how the phenotypic composition of groups or aggregations (e.g., its average phenotype or phenotypic variance) affects ecological and social processes, and how multi-level selection can drive phenotypic covariance among interacting individuals. However, we argue that these questions are rarely studied together. We present a unified framework to address this gap, and discuss how group phenotypic composition (GPC) can impact on processes ranging from individual fitness to population demography. By emphasising the breadth of topics affected, we hope to motivate more integrated empirical studies of the ecological and evolutionary implications of GPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien R Farine
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, República de Panamá; Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Orr Spiegel
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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Pruitt JN. The legacy effects of keystone individuals on collective behaviour scale to how long they remain within a group. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20151766. [PMID: 26336171 PMCID: PMC4571716 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The collective behaviour of social groups is often strongly influenced by one or few individuals, termed here 'keystone individuals'. We examined whether the influence of keystone individuals on collective behaviour lingers after their departure and whether these lingering effects scale with their tenure in the group. In the social spider, Stegodyphus dumicola, colonies' boldest individuals wield a disproportionately large influence over colony behaviour. We experimentally manipulated keystones' tenure in laboratory-housed colonies and tracked their legacy effects on collective prey capture following their removal. We found that bolder keystones caused more aggressive collective foraging behaviour and catalysed greater inter-individual variation in boldness within their colonies. The longer keystones remained in a colony, the longer both of these effects lingered after their departure. Our data demonstrate that, long after their disappearance, keystones have large and lasting effects on social dynamics at both the individual and colony levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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Bockoven AA, Wilder SM, Eubanks MD. Intraspecific Variation among Social Insect Colonies: Persistent Regional and Colony-Level Differences in Fire Ant Foraging Behavior. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133868. [PMID: 26197456 PMCID: PMC4510567 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals vary within a species in many ecologically important ways, but the causes and consequences of such variation are often poorly understood. Foraging behavior is among the most profitable and risky activities in which organisms engage and is expected to be under strong selection. Among social insects there is evidence that within-colony variation in traits such as foraging behavior can increase colony fitness, but variation between colonies and the potential consequences of such variation are poorly documented. In this study, we tested natural populations of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, for the existence of colony and regional variation in foraging behavior and tested the persistence of this variation over time and across foraging habitats. We also reared single-lineage colonies in standardized environments to explore the contribution of colony lineage. Fire ants from natural populations exhibited significant and persistent colony and regional-level variation in foraging behaviors such as extra-nest activity, exploration, and discovery of and recruitment to resources. Moreover, colony-level variation in extra-nest activity was significantly correlated with colony growth, suggesting that this variation has fitness consequences. Lineage of the colony had a significant effect on extra-nest activity and exploratory activity and explained approximately half of the variation observed in foraging behaviors, suggesting a heritable component to colony-level variation in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison A. Bockoven
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Shawn M. Wilder
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Micky D. Eubanks
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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Lichtenstein JLL, Pruitt JN. Similar patterns of frequency-dependent selection on animal personalities emerge in three species of social spiders. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1248-56. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - J. N. Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh PA USA
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Bengston SE, Jandt JM. The development of collective personality: the ontogenetic drivers of behavioral variation across groups. Front Ecol Evol 2014. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2014.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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