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Moore D, Liebig J. Innate and learned components of egg recognition in the ant Camponotus floridanus. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231837. [PMID: 39100179 PMCID: PMC11295788 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231837] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Insect societies discriminate against foreigners to avoid exploitation. In ants, helper workers only accept individuals with the familiar chemical cues of their colony. Similarly, unfamiliar eggs may get rejected at their first appearance in the nest. We investigated egg acceptance mechanisms by introducing different types of foreign eggs into worker groups of the ant Camponotus floridanus. Workers from established colonies familiar with queen-laid eggs always accepted eggs from highly fecund queens, but worker-laid eggs only after exposure for several weeks. Workers naive to eggs only rejected worker-laid eggs once they had prior exposure to eggs laid by highly fecund queens, suggesting that prior exposure to such eggs is necessary for discrimination. The general acceptance of eggs from highly fecund queens, irrespective of previous worker egg exposure, suggests an innate response to the queen pheromone these eggs carry. Workers learned to accept queen-laid eggs from different species, indicating high flexibility in learning egg-recognition cues. In incipient colonies with queen-laid eggs that carry a weak queen pheromone, worker-laid eggs were more likely to get accepted than queen-laid eggs from a different species, suggesting that the similarity of egg-recognition cues between the two types of C. floridanus eggs increases acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Moore
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287, USA
| | - Juergen Liebig
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287, USA
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2
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Ozan M, Helanterä H, d'Ettorre P, Sundström L. Queen fecundity, worker entourage and cuticular chemistry in the ant Formica fusca. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230861. [PMID: 37554034 PMCID: PMC10410219 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperative breeding entails conflicts over reproductive shares that may be settled in different ways. In ants, where several queens simultaneously reproduce in a colony, both queens and workers may influence the reproductive apportionment and offspring quality. Queens may vary in their intrinsic fecundity, which may influence the size of the worker entourage attending individual queens, and this may eventually dictate the reproductive output of a queen. We tested whether the reproductive success of queens is affected by the size of their worker entourage, their fecundity at the onset of the reproductive season, and whether the queen cuticular hydrocarbon profile carries information on fecundity. We show that in the ant Formica fusca both queen fecundity and egg hatching success increase with the size of their entourage, and that newly hatched larvae produced by initially highly fecund queens are smaller. Furthermore, higher relatedness among workers increased queen fecundity. Finally, the queens that received a large worker entourage differed in the cuticular chemistry from those that received a small worker entourage. Our results thus show that workers play a pivotal role in determining queen fitness, that high intracolony relatedness among workers enhances the overall reproductive output in the colony, and that queen fecundity is reflected in their cuticular hydrocarbon profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Ozan
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménintie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménintie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
- Faculty of Science, Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, 90014, Finland
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, UR 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménintie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
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3
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de Fouchier A, Leroy C, Khila A, d'Ettorre P. Discrimination of non-nestmate early brood in ants: behavioural and chemical analyses. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
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4
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Pulliainen U, Morandin C, Bos N, Sundström L, Schultner E. Social environment affects sensory gene expression in ant larvae. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 31:1-9. [PMID: 34418191 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Social insects depend on communication to regulate social behaviour. This also applies to their larvae, which are commonly exposed to social interactions and can react to social stimulation. However, how social insect larvae sense their environment is not known. Using RNAseq, we characterized expression of sensory-related genes in larvae of the ant Formica fusca, upon exposure to two social environments: isolation without contact to other individuals, and stimulation via the presence of other developing individuals. Expression of key sensory-related genes was higher following social stimulation, and larvae expressed many of the same sensory-related genes as adult ants and larvae of other insects, including genes belonging to the major insect chemosensory gene families. Our study provides first insights into the molecular changes associated with social information perception in social insect larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Pulliainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - C Morandin
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - N Bos
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - E Schultner
- Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Pulliainen U, Bos N, d'Ettorre P, Sundström L. The Scent of Ant Brood: Caste Differences in Surface Hydrocarbons of Formica exsecta Pupae. J Chem Ecol 2021; 47:513-524. [PMID: 33900528 PMCID: PMC8217064 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-021-01275-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Chemical communication is common across all organisms. Insects in particular use predominantly chemical stimuli in assessing their environment and recognizing their social counterparts. One of the chemical stimuli used for recognition in social insects, such as ants, is the suite of long-chain, cuticular hydrocarbons. In addition to providing waterproofing, these surface hydrocarbons serve as a signature mixture, which ants can perceive, and use to distinguish between strangers and colony mates, and to determine caste, sex, and reproductive status of another individual. They can be both environmentally and endogenously acquired. The surface chemistry of adult workers has been studied extensively in ants, yet the pupal stage has rarely been considered. Here we characterized the surface chemistry of pupae of Formica exsecta, and examine differences among sexes, castes (reproductive vs. worker), and types of sample (developing individual vs. cocoon envelope). We found quantitative and qualitative differences among both castes and types of sample, but male and female reproductives did not differ in their surface chemistry. We also found that the pupal surface chemistry was more complex than that of adult workers in this species. These results improve our understanding of the information on which ants base recognition, and highlights the diversity of surface chemistry in social insects across developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unni Pulliainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Tväminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nick Bos
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, University of Paris, 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Tväminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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6
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Peignier M, Pokorny T, Heinze J, Lindgren R, Helanterä H, Schultner E. Honesty of Larval Begging Signals Covaries With Colony Kin Structure in Formica Ants. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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7
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Pulliainen U, Helanterä H, Sundström L, Schultner E. The possible role of ant larvae in the defence against social parasites. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182867. [PMID: 30836870 PMCID: PMC6458323 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporary social parasite ant queens initiate new colonies by entering colonies of host species, where they begin laying eggs. As the resident queen can be killed during this process, host colonies may lose their entire future reproductive output. Selection thus favours the evolution of defence mechanisms, before and after parasite intrusion. Most studies on social parasites focus on host worker discrimination of parasite queens and their offspring. However, ant larvae can also influence brood composition by consuming eggs. This raises the question whether host larvae can aid in preventing colony takeover by consuming eggs laid by parasite queens. To test whether larvae could play a role in anti-parasite defence, we compared the rates at which larvae of a common host species, Formica fusca, consumed eggs laid by social parasite, non-parasite, nest-mate, or conspecific non-nest-mate queens. Larvae consumed social parasite eggs more than eggs laid by a heterospecific non-parasite queen, irrespective of the chemical distance between the egg cuticular profiles. Also, larvae consumed eggs laid by conspecific non-nest-mate queens more than those laid by nest-mate queens. Our study suggests that larvae may act as players in colony defence against social parasitism, and that social parasitism is a key factor shaping discrimination behaviour in ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unni Pulliainen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heikki Helanterä
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Liselotte Sundström
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eva Schultner
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Biologie I, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Elia M, Khalil A, Bagnères AG, Lorenzi MC. Appeasing their hosts: a novel strategy for parasite brood. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Saitoh F, Choh Y. Role of kin recognition in oviposition preference and cannibalism by the predatory mite Gynaeseius liturivorus. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2018; 76:149-160. [PMID: 30251068 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-018-0298-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Animals often select oviposition sites to minimize the predation risk for eggs and juveniles, which are more vulnerable to predation than adults. When females produce eggs in clusters, the eggs and juveniles are likely to suffer from cannibalism. Although cannibalism among siblings is known to be lower than among non-siblings, there have been few investigations into the possibility that females select oviposition sites that reduce the risk of cannibalism for the offspring. To test this possibility, we examined oviposition preference by adult females of the predatory mite Gynaeseius liturivorus in response to the presence of her own eggs and to eggs of other females, offering plastic discs as oviposition substrates. Although females did not clearly show a preference for plastic discs on which they had oviposited, they avoided plastic discs on which other females had oviposited. When eggs of other females were artificially placed on clean plastic discs, adult female mites avoided these discs, suggesting that the eggs were used as cues for oviposition preference. Cannibalism among juvenile siblings was lower than among non-siblings. These observations show that adult females and juveniles of G. liturivorus discriminate kin relationships among conspecific individuals. Therefore, oviposition preference by adult female G. liturivorus may lead to the reduced risk of cannibalism among offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Saitoh
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Department of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Chiba, 271-8510, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Choh
- Laboratory of Applied Entomology, Department of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Chiba, 271-8510, Japan.
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Nehring V, Steiger S. Sociality and communicative complexity: insights from the other insect societies. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 28:19-25. [PMID: 30551763 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Recognition and communication are essential processes when it comes to interaction of organisms with their biotic environment. As especially social interactions are coordinated by communication, it has been predicted that social evolution drives communicative complexity. However, studies comparing olfactory signals or receptor repertoires of solitary and eusocial insects found only mixed evidence for the social complexity hypothesis. We present some possible explanations and especially argue that our current knowledge of intermediate levels of sociality is insufficient to fully test the hypothesis, for which a more balanced comparative dataset would be required. We illustrate with chosen examples how complex communication within the other insect societies can be: Many messages are not unique to eusocial insects. Studying the other insect societies will provide us with a more detailed picture of the link between social and communicative complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Nehring
- Department for Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sandra Steiger
- Institute of Insect Biotechnology, University of Gießen, 35392 Gießen, Germany.
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11
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Pulliainen U, Bos N, d'Ettorre P, Sundström L. Caste-dependent brood retrieval by workers in the ant Formica exsecta. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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12
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Schultner E, Oettler J, Helanterä H. The Role of Brood in Eusocial Hymenoptera. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2018; 92:39-78. [PMID: 29558609 DOI: 10.1086/690840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Study of social traits in offspring traditionally reflects on interactions in simple family groups, with famous examples including parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry in birds and mammals. In contrast, studies of complex social groups such as the societies of ants, bees, and wasps focus mainly on adults and, in particular, on traits and interests of queens and workers. The social role of developing individuals in complex societies remains poorly understood. We attempt to fill this gap by illustrating that development in social Hymenoptera constitutes a crucial life stage with important consequences for the individual as well as the colony. We begin by describing the complex social regulatory network that modulates development in Hymenoptera societies. By highlighting the inclusive fitness interests of developing individuals, we show that they may differ from those of other colony members. We then demonstrate that offspring have evolved specialized traits that allow them to play a functional, cooperative role within colonies and give them the potential power to act toward increasing their inclusive fitness. We conclude by providing testable predictions for investigating the role of brood in colony interactions and giving a general outlook on what can be learned from studying offspring traits in hymenopteran societies.
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13
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Menzel F, Radke R, Foitzik S. Odor diversity decreases with inbreeding in the ant Hypoponera opacior. Evolution 2016; 70:2573-2582. [PMID: 27641363 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Reduction in heterozygosity can lead to inbreeding depression. This loss of genetic variability especially affects diverse loci, such as immune genes or those encoding recognition cues. In social insects, nestmates are recognized by their odor, that is their cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Genes underlying hydrocarbon production are thought to be under balancing selection. If so, inbreeding should result in a loss of chemical diversity. We show here that cuticular hydrocarbon diversity decreases with inbreeding. Studying an ant with a facultative inbreeding lifestyle, we found inbred workers to exhibit both a lower number of hydrocarbons and less diverse, that is less evenly proportioned profiles. The association with inbreeding was strong for methyl-branched alkanes, which play a major role in nestmate recognition, and for n-alkanes, whereas unsaturated compounds were unaffected. Shifts in allocation strategies with inbreeding in our focal species indicate that these ants can detect their inbreeding level and use this information to adjust their reproductive strategy. Our study is the first to demonstrate that odor profiles can encode information on inbreeding, with broad implications not only for social insects, but for sexual selection and mate choice in general. Odor profiles may constitute an honest signal of inbreeding, a fitness-relevant trait in many species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Menzel
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - René Radke
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Foitzik
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Leonhardt SD, Menzel F, Nehring V, Schmitt T. Ecology and Evolution of Communication in Social Insects. Cell 2016; 164:1277-1287. [PMID: 26967293 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Insect life strategies comprise all levels of sociality from solitary to eusocial, in which individuals form persistent groups and divide labor. With increasing social complexity, the need to communicate a greater diversity of messages arose to coordinate division of labor, group cohesion, and concerted actions. Here we summarize the knowledge on prominent messages in social insects that inform about reproduction, group membership, resource locations, and threats and discuss potential evolutionary trajectories of each message in the context of social complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Diana Leonhardt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Menzel
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Zoology, University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Volker Nehring
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Animal Ecology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmitt
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
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