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Gordon DM, Steiner E, Das B, Walker NS. Harvester ant colonies differ in collective behavioural plasticity to regulate water loss. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230726. [PMID: 37736532 PMCID: PMC10509591 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Collective behavioural plasticity allows ant colonies to adjust to changing conditions. The red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus), a desert seed-eating species, regulates foraging activity in response to water stress. Foraging ants lose water to evaporation. Reducing foraging activity in dry conditions sacrifices food intake but conserves water. Within a year, some colonies tend to reduce foraging on dry days while others do not. We examined whether these differences among colonies in collective behavioural plasticity persist from year to year. Colonies live 20-30 years with a single queen who produces successive cohorts of workers which live only a year. The humidity level at which all colonies tend to reduce foraging varies from year to year. Longitudinal observations of 95 colonies over 5 years between 2016 and 2021 showed that differences among colonies, in how they regulate foraging activity in response to day-to-day changes in humidity, persist across years. Approximately 40% of colonies consistently reduced foraging activity, year after year, on days with low daily maximum relative humidity; approximately 20% of colonies never did, foraging as much or more on dry days as on humid days. This variation among colonies may allow evolutionary rescue from drought due to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. M. Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - E. Steiner
- InfoGraphics Lab, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Biplabendu Das
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - N. S. Walker
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
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Das B, Gordon DM. Biological rhythms and task allocation in ant colonies. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2023:101062. [PMID: 37247773 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2023.101062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Task allocation in ant colonies, mediated by social interactions, regulates which individuals perform each task, and when they are active, in response to the current situation. Many tasks are performed in a daily temporal pattern. An ant's biological clock depends on patterns of gene expression that are regulated using a negative feedback loop which is synchronized to earth's rotation by external cues. An individual's biological clock can shift in response to social cues, and this plasticity contributes to task switching. Daily rhythms in individual ant behavior combine, via interactions within and across task groups, to adjust the collective behavior of colonies. Further work is needed to elucidate how the social cues that lead to task switching influence the molecular mechanisms that generate clock outputs associated with each task, and to investigate the evolution of temporal patterns in task allocation in relation to ecological factors.
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Ferguson ST, Bakis I, Edwards ND, Zwiebel LJ. Olfactory sensitivity differentiates morphologically distinct worker castes in Camponotus floridanus. BMC Biol 2023; 21:3. [PMID: 36617574 PMCID: PMC9827628 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01505-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Camponotus floridanus ant colonies are comprised of a single reproductive queen and thousands of sterile female offspring that consist of two morphologically distinct castes: smaller minors and larger majors. Minors perform most of the tasks within the colony, including brood care and food collection, whereas majors have fewer clear roles and have been hypothesized to act as a specialized solider caste associated with colony defense. The allocation of workers to these different tasks depends, in part, on the detection and processing of local information including pheromones and other chemical blends such as cuticular hydrocarbons. However, the role peripheral olfactory sensitivity plays in establishing and maintaining morphologically distinct worker castes and their associated behaviors remains largely unexplored. RESULTS We examined the electrophysiological responses to general odorants, cuticular extracts, and a trail pheromone in adult minor and major C. floridanus workers, revealing that the repertoire of social behaviors is positively correlated with olfactory sensitivity. Minors in particular display primarily excitatory responses to olfactory stimuli, whereas major workers primarily manifest suppressed, sub-solvent responses. The notable exception to this paradigm is that both minors and majors display robust, dose-dependent excitatory responses to conspecific, non-nestmate cuticular extracts. Moreover, while both minors and majors actively aggress non-nestmate foes, the larger and physiologically distinct majors display significantly enhanced capabilities to rapidly subdue and kill their adversaries. CONCLUSIONS Our studies reveal the behavioral repertoire of minors and majors aligns with profound shifts in peripheral olfactory sensitivity and odor coding. The data reported here support the hypothesis that minors are multipotential workers with broad excitatory sensitivity, and majors are dedicated soldiers with a highly specialized olfactory system for distinguishing non-nestmate foes. Overall, we conclude that C. floridanus majors do indeed represent a physiologically and behaviorally specialized soldier caste in which caste-specific olfactory sensitivity plays an important role in task allocation and the regulation of social behavior in ant colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. T. Ferguson
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
| | - I. Bakis
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
| | - N. D. Edwards
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
| | - L. J. Zwiebel
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
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Baudier KM, Ostwald MM, Haney BR, Calixto JM, Cossio FJ, Fewell JH. Social Factors in Heat Survival: Multiqueen Desert Ant Colonies Have Higher and More Uniform Heat Tolerance. Physiol Biochem Zool 2022; 95:379-389. [PMID: 35914287 DOI: 10.1086/721251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractInvestigations of thermally adaptive behavioral phenotypes are critical for both understanding climate as a selective force and predicting global species distributions under climate change conditions. Cooperative nest founding is a common strategy in harsh environments for many species and can enhance growth and competitive advantage, but whether this social strategy has direct effects on thermal tolerance was previously unknown. We examined the effects of alternative social strategies on thermal tolerance in a facultatively polygynous (multiqueen) desert ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus, asking whether and how queen number affects worker thermal tolerances. We established and reared lab colonies with one to four queens, then quantified all colony member heat tolerances (maximum critical temperature [CTmax]). Workers from colonies with more queens had higher and less variant CTmax. Our findings resemble weak link patterns, in which colony group thermal performance is improved by reducing frequencies of the most temperature-vulnerable individuals. Using ambient temperatures from our collection site, we show that multiqueen colonies have thermal tolerance distributions that enable increased midday foraging in hot desert environments. Our results suggest advantages to polygyny under climate change scenarios and raise the question of whether improved thermal tolerance is a factor that has enabled the success of polygyne species in other climatically extreme environments.
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Wiernasz DC, Cole BJ. The ontogeny of selection on genetic diversity in harvester ants. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220496. [PMID: 35673867 PMCID: PMC9174731 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Selection may favour traits throughout an individual's lifetime or at a particular life stage. In many species of social insects, established colonies that are more genetically diverse outperform less diverse colonies with respect to a variety of traits that contribute to fitness, but whether selection favours high diversity in small colonies is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that selection favours genetically diverse colonies during the juvenile period using a multi-year field experiment with the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. We used controlled matings to generate colonies that varied in genetic diversity and transplanted them into the field. We monitored their survival for seven (the 2015 cohort, n = 149) and six (the 2016 cohort, n = 157) years. Genetically more diverse colonies had greater survival, resulting in significant viability selection. However, in both cohorts survival was not influenced by genetic diversity until colonies were three years old. We suggest that changes in their internal organization enabled colonies to use the benefits of multiple genotypes, and discuss possible mechanisms that can generate this pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane C. Wiernasz
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Blaine J. Cole
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
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Menzel F, Feldmeyer B. How does climate change affect social insects? CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 46:10-15. [PMID: 33545433 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change poses a major threat to global biodiversity, already causing sharp declines of populations and species. In some social insect species we already see advanced phenologies, changes in distribution ranges, and changes in abundance Rafferty (2017) and Diamond et al. (2017). Physiologically, social insects are no different from solitary insects, but they possess a number of characteristics that distinguish their response to climate change. Here, we examine these traits, which might enable them to cope better with climate change than solitary insects, but only in the short term. In addition, we discuss how climate change will alter biotic interactions and ecosystem functions, and how it will affect invasive social insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Feldmeyer
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Lei Y, Jaleel W, Faisal Shahzad M, Ali S, Azad R, Muhammad Ikram R, Ali H, Ghramh HA, Ali Khan K, Qiu X, He Y, Lyu L. Effect of constant and fluctuating temperature on the circadian foraging rhythm of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 28:64-72. [PMID: 33424284 PMCID: PMC7783663 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding circadian foraging rhythms activity of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) foragers at different temperatures is an important step towards developing control measures in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. In this study, the circadian foraging rhythm activities of S. invicta foragersat different temperature were investigated under laboratory and field conditions. Results indicated that the foraging activity increased after sunrise, and maximum foraging occurred at 14:00 (foraging rate was 69.22 ± 0.57 and 72.58 ± 1.15 foragers/min in the first and second year, respectively) in the tea fields of Guangzhou during autumn. Furthermore, foragers demonstrated circadian rhythms and exhibited a unimodal after 24 h. A significant correlation was found between foraging activity and temperature. S. invicta colonies were active at moderate soil temperatures (approximately 26.65 °C to 29.24 °C). The preferred temperature of the colonies was 26 °C, followed by 22 °C and 18 °C in the laboratory. The individual S. invicta activity was maximum at 17:00 (18.67 ± 1.66 times /10 min) and minimum at 5:00 (8.33 ± 2.51 times/10 min) at 26 °C. The fluctuating temperature had a significant impact on individual locomotor activity (r = 0.8979, P < 0.01) but did not alter the rhythm activity. Our results demonstrated that temperature might play an important role in circadian foraging rhythms activity of S. invicta. These results may have implications for the development of more effective fire ant management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyuan Lei
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 7 Jinying Rd., Tianhe District 510640, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Waqar Jaleel
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 7 Jinying Rd., Tianhe District 510640, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Muhammad Faisal Shahzad
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
| | - Shahbaz Ali
- Fareed Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Rashid Azad
- Department of Entomology, The University of Haripur, Pakistan
| | - Rao Muhammad Ikram
- Department of Agronomy, MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan 60,000 Pakistan
| | - Habib Ali
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Hamed A Ghramh
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.,Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production, Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Ali Khan
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.,Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production, Biology Department, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xiaolong Qiu
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Yurong He
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Lihua Lyu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 7 Jinying Rd., Tianhe District 510640, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Robertson IC, Robertson WG. Colony dynamics and Plant Community Associations of the Harvester Ant, Pogonomyrmex salinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Sagebrush-Steppe Habitat. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2020; 49:983-992. [PMID: 32559281 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvaa070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We present the results of a 5-yr field study on colony dynamics and plant community associations of Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus (Olsen), in sagebrush-steppe habitat in southwestern Idaho. Over a 5-yr period, the total number of ant colonies across 16 sites increased from 843 to 878 (4.15%) as a result of 315 colony deaths and 350 colony initiations. Up to 7.1% of colony initiations may have been instances of nest relocation. Colonies had a higher rate of failure in their first year than in subsequent years (12.4 vs 4.6-8.4% over the next 3 yr). Of the 11 sites analyzed for colony dispersion, one was significantly clumped and the others did not differ from random. Population density in the final year of study ranged from 0.1 to 62.9 colonies/ha and was best described by an inverse relationship with sagebrush cover and positive relationship with coverage of non-Bromus (non-cheatgrass) understory vegetation. We interpret these results both in terms of 1) food resources-harvester ants avoid cheatgrass seeds in their diet, preferring instead small-seeded grasses and forbs, and 2) habitat structure-harvester ants prefer nesting in open areas where the ground is exposed to sun and they can clear vegetation from the vicinity of their nests. Given the habitat associations we report, the transition from sagebrush-dominated habitat to open grasslands that is occurring rapidly throughout much of the western United States may prove costly to native plant species whose seeds are readily consumed by harvester ants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wilma G Robertson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID
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9
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Kolay S, Boulay R, d'Ettorre P. Regulation of Ant Foraging: A Review of the Role of Information Use and Personality. Front Psychol 2020; 11:734. [PMID: 32425852 PMCID: PMC7212395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals live in heterogeneous environments where food resources are transient and have to be exploited rapidly. Ants show a wide range of foraging strategies and this activity is tightly regulated irrespective of the mode of recruitment used. Individual foragers base their decision to forage on information received from nestmates (social information). Transmission of information can be in the form of direct physical interactions such as antennation or indirect exchange of information such as laying of pheromone trails. Foragers also rely on information from their internal states or experience (personal information). The interaction between these two sources of information gives rise to plasticity in foraging behavior. Recent studies have examined the role of personality (consistent inter-individual variation in behavioral traits) during ant foraging. Since colonies differ from each other in the distribution of personalities of their members, colonies may consistently differ in behavioral traits, giving rise to colony level personality. However, the interaction between information use and personality, especially at the individual level, remains unexplored. Here, we briefly summarize the literature on the effect of social and personal information on the regulation of ant foraging and the effect of personality on this behavior. We point out that a more focused examination of the interplay between personality and information use will help us understand how behavioral plasticity in the context of foraging is shaped at the colony and individual levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetashree Kolay
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC) UR4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Raphaël Boulay
- Institute of Insect Biology (IRBI), UMR CNRS 7261, University of Tours, Tours, France
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC) UR4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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10
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Lei Y, Zhou Y, Lü L, He Y. Rhythms in Foraging Behavior and Expression Patterns of the Foraging Gene in Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in relation to Photoperiod. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 112:2923-2930. [PMID: 31237954 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toz175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The foraging gene (for) is associated with foraging and other associated behaviors in social insect species. Photoperiod is known to entrain the rhythmic biological functions of ants; however, how photoperiod might influence the intensity and duration of foraging, and the expression of for, remains unexplored. This study determined the correlation between rhythm in foraging behavior and expression of the foraging gene (Sifor) mRNA in red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Foragers were exposed to three photoperiod conditions (12:12 [L:D], 24:0 [L:D], and 0:24 [L:D]) in the laboratory and foraging activities were recorded using a video-computer recording system. Sifor expression in the foragers was tested using real-time reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Results revealed that foraging activity rhythm and Sifor expression profile were unimodal under all three photoperiod conditions. Levels of foraging activity were associated with photoperiodic modification, a stable phase difference between the onset of activity and the onset of gene expression was discovered. Light-dark transients stimulated foraging activity in 12:12 (L:D). There were significant daily oscillations (amplitude of 0.21 ± 0.08 for 12:12 [L:D], 0.12 ± 0.02 for 24:0 [L:D], and 0.09 ± 0.01 for 0:24 [L:D]) in the expression of Sifor. A positive relationship (r = 0.5903, P < 0.01) was found between the expression level of Sifor and foraging activity, which indicated that Sifor is linked to some extent to foraging behavior. Our results demonstrated that foragers could adjust the rhythms in foraging behavior according to light-dark cycle and suggested that Sifor may play an important role in the response of S. invicta to photoperiod.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyuan Lei
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Lihua Lü
- Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yurong He
- College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P. R. China
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11
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Friedman DA, Greene MJ, Gordon DM. The physiology of forager hydration and variation among harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) colonies in collective foraging behavior. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5126. [PMID: 30914705 PMCID: PMC6435751 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41586-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Ants are abundant in desiccating environments despite their high surface area to volume ratios and exposure to harsh conditions outside the nest. Red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) colonies must spend water to obtain water: colonies lose water as workers forage outside the nest, and gain water metabolically through seeds collected in foraging trips. Here we present field experiments showing that hydrated P. barbatus foragers made more foraging trips than unhydrated nestmates. The positive effect of hydration on foraging activity is stronger as the risk of desiccation increases. Desiccation tests showed that foragers of colonies that reduce foraging in dry conditions are more sensitive to water loss, losing water and motor coordination more rapidly in desiccating conditions, than foragers of colonies that do not reduce foraging in dry conditions. Desiccation tolerance is also associated with colony reproductive success. Surprisingly, foragers that are more sensitive to water loss are from colonies more likely to produce offspring colonies. This could be because the foragers of these colonies conserve water with a more cautious response to desiccation risk. An ant's hydration status may influence its response to the olfactory interactions that regulate its decision to leave the nest to forage. Thus variation among ant colonies in worker physiology and response to ambient conditions may contribute to ecologically significant differences among colonies in collective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Friedman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
| | - Michael J Greene
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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12
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Wright CM, Lichtenstein JLL, Doering GN, Pretorius J, Meunier J, Pruitt JN. Collective personalities: present knowledge and new frontiers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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13
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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: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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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14
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Genetic diversity within honey bee colonies affects pathogen load and relative virus levels in honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1965-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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15
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Tizón R, Wulff JP, Peláez DV. The effect of increase in the temperature on the foraging of Acromyrmex lobicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Zool Stud 2014. [DOI: 10.1186/s40555-014-0040-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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16
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Nest-seeking rock ants (Temnothorax albipennis) trade off sediment packing density and structural integrity for ease of cavity excavation. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1582-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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17
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Pinter-Wollman N, Bala A, Merrell A, Queirolo J, Stumpe MC, Holmes S, Gordon DM. Harvester ants use interactions to regulate forager activation and availability. Anim Behav 2013; 86:197-207. [PMID: 24031094 PMCID: PMC3767282 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Social groups balance flexibility and robustness in their collective response to environmental changes using feedback between behavioural processes that operate at different timescales. Here we examine how behavioural processes operating at two timescales regulate the foraging activity of colonies of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, allowing them to balance their response to food availability and predation. Previous work showed that the rate at which foragers return to the nest with food influences the rate at which foragers leave the nest. To investigate how interactions inside the nest link the rates of returning and outgoing foragers, we observed outgoing foragers inside the nest in field colonies using a novel observation method. We found that the interaction rate experienced by outgoing foragers inside the nest corresponded to forager return rate, and that the interactions of outgoing foragers were spatially clustered. Activation of a forager occurred on the timescale of seconds: a forager left the nest 3-8 s after a substantial increase in interactions with returning foragers. The availability of outgoing foragers to become activated was adjusted on the timescale of minutes: when forager return was interrupted for more than 4-5 min, available foragers waiting near the nest entrance went deeper into the nest. Thus, forager activation and forager availability both increased with the rate at which foragers returned to the nest. This process was checked by negative feedback between forager activation and forager availability. Regulation of foraging activation on the timescale of seconds provides flexibility in response to fluctuations in food abundance, whereas regulation of forager availability on the timescale of minutes provides robustness in response to sustained disturbance such as predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
| | - Ashwin Bala
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
| | - Andrew Merrell
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
| | - Jovel Queirolo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
| | | | - Susan Holmes
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A
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18
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Gordon DM, Dektar KN, Pinter-Wollman N. Harvester ant colony variation in foraging activity and response to humidity. PLoS One 2013; 8:e63363. [PMID: 23717415 PMCID: PMC3662670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective behavior is produced by interactions among individuals. Differences among groups in individual response to interactions can lead to ecologically important variation among groups in collective behavior. Here we examine variation among colonies in the foraging behavior of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Previous work shows how colonies regulate foraging in response to food availability and desiccation costs: the rate at which outgoing foragers leave the nest depends on the rate at which foragers return with food. To examine how colonies vary in response to humidity and in foraging rate, we performed field experiments that manipulated forager return rate in 94 trials with 17 colonies over 3 years. We found that the effect of returning foragers on the rate of outgoing foragers increases with humidity. There are consistent differences among colonies in foraging activity that persist from year to year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
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19
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Jandt JM, Bengston S, Pinter-Wollman N, Pruitt JN, Raine NE, Dornhaus A, Sih A. Behavioural syndromes and social insects: personality at multiple levels. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2013; 89:48-67. [PMID: 23672739 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2012] [Revised: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Animal personalities or behavioural syndromes are consistent and/or correlated behaviours across two or more situations within a population. Social insect biologists have measured consistent individual variation in behaviour within and across colonies for decades. The goal of this review is to illustrate the ways in which both the study of social insects and of behavioural syndromes has overlapped, and to highlight ways in which both fields can move forward through the synergy of knowledge from each. Here we, (i) review work to date on behavioural syndromes (though not always referred to as such) in social insects, and discuss mechanisms and fitness effects of maintaining individual behavioural variation within and between colonies; (ii) summarise approaches and principles from studies of behavioural syndromes, such as trade-offs, feedback, and statistical methods developed specifically to study behavioural consistencies and correlations, and discuss how they might be applied specifically to the study of social insects; (iii) discuss how the study of social insects can enhance our understanding of behavioural syndromes-research in behavioural syndromes is beginning to explore the role of sociality in maintaining or developing behavioural types, and work on social insects can provide new insights in this area; and (iv) suggest future directions for study, with an emphasis on examining behavioural types at multiple levels of organisation (genes, individuals, colonies, or groups of individuals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Jandt
- Department of Ecology, Evolutionary and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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20
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Pinter-Wollman N, Gordon DM, Holmes S. Nest site and weather affect the personality of harvester ant colonies. Behav Ecol 2012; 23:1022-1029. [PMID: 22936841 PMCID: PMC3431114 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2011] [Revised: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 03/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions and physical constraints both influence an animal's behavior. We investigate whether behavioral variation among colonies of the black harvester ant, Messor andrei, remains consistent across foraging and disturbance situations and ask whether consistent colony behavior is affected by nest site and weather. We examined variation among colonies in responsiveness to food baits and to disturbance, measured as a change in numbers of active ants, and in the speed with which colonies retrieved food and removed debris. Colonies differed consistently, across foraging and disturbance situations, in both responsiveness and speed. Increased activity in response to food was associated with a smaller decrease in response to alarm. Speed of retrieving food was correlated with speed of removing debris. In all colonies, speed was greater in dry conditions, reducing the amount of time ants spent outside the nest. While a colony occupied a certain nest site, its responsiveness was consistent in both foraging and disturbance situations, suggesting that nest structure influences colony personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA
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21
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Temperature limits trail following behaviour through pheromone decay in ants. Naturwissenschaften 2011; 98:1009-17. [PMID: 22038287 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-011-0852-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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22
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Amor F, Ortega P, Cerdá X, Boulay RR. Solar Elevation Triggers Foraging Activity in a Thermophilic Ant. Ethology 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01955.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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23
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Anderson KE, Wheeler DE, Yang K, Linksvayer TA. Dynamics of an ant-ant obligate mutualism: colony growth, density dependence and frequency dependence. Mol Ecol 2011; 20:1781-93. [PMID: 21366750 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05043.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In insect societies, worker vs. queen development (reproductive caste) is typically governed by environmental factors, but many Pogonomyrmex seed-harvester ants exhibit strict genetic caste determination, resulting in an obligate mutualism between two reproductively isolated lineages. Same-lineage matings produce fertile queens while alternate-lineage matings produce sterile workers. Because new virgin queens mate randomly with multiple males of each lineage type, and both worker and queen phenotypes are required for colony growth and future reproduction, fitness is influenced by the relative frequency of each lineage involved in the mutualistic breeding system. While models based solely on frequency-dependent selection predict the convergence of lineage frequencies towards equal (0.5/0.5), we surveyed the lineage ratios of 49 systems across the range of the mutualism and found that the global lineage frequency differed significantly from equal. Multiple regression analysis of our system survey data revealed that the density and relative frequency of one lineage decreases at lower elevations, while the frequency of the alternate lineage increases with total colony density. While the production of the first worker cohort is largely frequency dependent, relying on the random acquisition of worker-biased sperm stores, subsequent colony growth is independent of lineage frequency. We provide a simulation model showing that a net ecological advantage held by one lineage can lead to the maintenance of stable but asymmetric lineage frequencies. Collectively, these findings suggest that a combination of frequency-dependent and frequency-independent mechanisms can generate many different localized and independently evolving system equilibria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirk E Anderson
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Gordon DM, Guetz A, Greene MJ, Holmes S. Colony variation in the collective regulation of foraging by harvester ants. Behav Ecol 2011; 22:429-435. [PMID: 22479133 PMCID: PMC3071749 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2010] [Revised: 12/01/2010] [Accepted: 12/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates variation in collective behavior in a natural population of colonies of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Harvester ant colonies regulate foraging activity to adjust to current food availability; the rate at which inactive foragers leave the nest on the next trip depends on the rate at which successful foragers return with food. This study investigates differences among colonies in foraging activity and how these differences are associated with variation among colonies in the regulation of foraging. Colonies differ in the baseline rate at which patrollers leave the nest, without stimulation from returning ants. This baseline rate predicts a colony's foraging activity, suggesting there is a colony-specific activity level that influences how quickly any ant leaves the nest. When a colony's foraging activity is high, the colony is more likely to regulate foraging. Moreover, colonies differ in the propensity to adjust the rate of outgoing foragers to the rate of forager return. Naturally occurring variation in the regulation of foraging may lead to variation in colony survival and reproductive success.
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