Ant nutritional ecology: linking the nutritional niche plasticity on individual and colony-level to community ecology

Feldhaar, Heike

doi:10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.007

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In addition, colonies preferred to move brood and the queen towards the nest near the protein source irrespective of treatment. Previous studies on the dietary requirements of different castes in ant colonies revealed that the queen and larvae rely on protein-rich food for growth and egg production, whereas the workers' diet has a higher carbohydrate content [74,75]. In agreement with dispersed centralplace foraging theory, moving brood and the queen towards a nest close to a stable protein source or to an area with high protein productivity should therefore be beneficial, because it decreases the costs of transporting protein-rich food towards its main consumers [22,23,36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polydomy enhances foraging performance in ant colonies

2017

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Collective foraging confers benefits in terms of reduced predation risk and access to social information, but it heightens local competition when resources are limited. In social insects, resource limitation has been suggested as a possible cause for the typical decrease in per capita productivity observed with increasing colony size, a phenomenon known as Michener's paradox. Polydomy (distribution of a colony's brood and workers across multiple nests) is believed to help circumvent this paradox through its positive effect on foraging efficiency, but there is still little supporting evidence for this hypothesis. Here, we show experimentally that polydomy enhances the foraging performance of food-deprived Temnothorax nylanderi ant colonies via several mechanisms. First, polydomy influences task allocation within colonies, resulting in faster retrieval of protein resources. Second, communication between sister nests reduces search times for far away resources. Third, colonies move queens, brood and workers across available nest sites in response to spatial heterogeneities in protein and carbohydrate resources. This suggests that polydomy represents a flexible mechanism for space occupancy, helping ant colonies adjust to the environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polydomy enhances foraging performance in ant colonies

2017

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“…inform the foragers about the colony's nutritional state and to dictate their foraging behavior. In ants, this signal comprises a chain of demand [37,[40][41][42]. Larvae solicit food from nurses, which in turn solicit food from foragers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant Foragers Compensate for the Nutritional Deficiencies in the Colony

et al. 2020

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“…In terms of numbers and omnipresence, ants must be regarded as one of the most successful groups of animals. This may be due to the division of labor (resulting from polyethism) expressed in reproduction, food collection and feeding, and in defense (Dall, Bell, Bolnick, & Ratnieks, ; Feldhaar, ; Nowak et al, ; Robinson, ). Task allocation is often ensured by the development of a system of castes, which are so differentiated that none can survive without the others (Beattie ; Brian, ; Dumpert, ), with subtle variations with evolutionary potential, dependent on individuals' preferences (see Dall et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social community structure is a feature observed in, but not exclusive to, the Insecta. Among the insects, levels of highly developed eusociality are varied, but probably most familiar in the orders: Dictyoptera, which includes termites, and Hymenoptera, which includes ants (Feldhaar, ; Krishna & Weesner ,; Nowak, Tarnita & Wilson, ; Robinson, ). Throughout the world, ants have evolved societies exploiting nearly every conceivable way of living in the terrestrial environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion of development processes in insect‐fungus association derived from the shaggy parasol fruiting on the nests of hairy wood ants

Fraser

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Chlorophyllum rhacodes, typically regarded as a rich grassland or open forest “mushroom” species, was found fruiting abundantly on nests of Formica lugubris, occurring in a Pinus silvestris plantation. Fruiting was absent from the rest of the woodland.Research focussed on the activities in the nests that could explain this. Within nests, there was a spatial relationship between C. rhacodes mycelium, insect cadavers, fruitbody initiation, and roots of adjacent trees.In vitro experiments found that C. rhacodes was not mycorrhizal with P. silvestris, but that it had qualities which rendered it suitable for colonization of the rhizosphere in the conditions of the nest mound and for further niche development.Implications of the unusual presence of fruit‐bodies and the distribution of associated hyphae are discussed in relation to the nutritional biology (and recent taxonomical reassignment) of the fungus. This includes reference to the relevant physiology of insects and to the accepted evolution of mutualistic symbioses between fungi and the Attini and Termitidae.An argument is presented that the situation observed in vivo provides evidence of a degree of facultative association and what could be tangible support for the theory for the developmental origin of mutualistic fungus cultivation by insects. It is presented as a context for continued experimental research.

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Ant nutritional ecology: linking the nutritional niche plasticity on individual and colony-level to community ecology

Cited by 24 publications

References 36 publications

Polydomy enhances foraging performance in ant colonies

Polydomy enhances foraging performance in ant colonies

Ant Foragers Compensate for the Nutritional Deficiencies in the Colony

Discussion of development processes in insect‐fungus association derived from the shaggy parasol fruiting on the nests of hairy wood ants

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