Morphogenesis of an extended phenotype: four-dimensional ant nest architecture

Minter, Nicholas J.; Franks, Nigel R.; Brown, Katharine A Robson

doi:10.1098/rsif.2011.0377

Cited by 28 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Vertically oriented arenas were created from two sheets of glass separated by a steel spacer, forming a 27 Â 34 Â 0.3 cm digging chamber (figure 2). Similar to previous studies [23,24,28], we used approximately spherical, wetted 0.25 + 0.04 mm diameter glass particles as a digging substrate. The arenas were initially filled with dry particles to a height of approximately 20 cm, leaving a 7 cm gap at the top of the arena.…”

Section: Digging Arenasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The excavation behaviours of social insects and the dynamics of tunnel network formation have been studied extensively through laboratory experiment [18,[23][24][25][26][27][28]. Environmental factors such as soil granularity and cohesiveness influence the morphology and orientation of tunnels [23,24,29] while the excavation dynamics (digging rate, network growth rate) are a function of group size [25,30] and worker age [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental factors such as soil granularity and cohesiveness influence the morphology and orientation of tunnels [23,24,29] while the excavation dynamics (digging rate, network growth rate) are a function of group size [25,30] and worker age [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction

Gravish

Garcia

Mazouchova

et al. 2012

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Social insects work together to complete tasks. However, different individuals within a colony may vary in task proficiency. We investigated if fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) worker body size influenced the ability to construct tunnels-a key component of subterranean nests. We monitored excavation by worker groups in a substrate of small wetted glass particles in quasi-two-dimensional arenas. Morphological and network features of the tunnel system were measured. Total tunnel area did not differ significantly between groups of large and small workers, although the tunnel area of control sized workers was significantly larger than that of large workers. Moreover, large workers created wider but shorter tunnels, with slower growth rate of tunnel number. However, edge -vertex scaling and degree distribution of the tunnel network were similar across all treatments. In all cases, the amount of excavated material was correlated with the number of active workers. Our study reveals that morphological features of excavated tunnels show modest variation when constructed by workers of varying sizes, but topological features associated with the tunnel network are conserved. These results suggest that important behavioural aspects of tunnel construction-and thus nest building-are similar among morphologically distinct members of fire ant societies.

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Section: Digging Arenasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction

Gravish

Garcia

Mazouchova

et al. 2012

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…Only members of the same species are able to recognize the chemicals in the track and to respond to them properly. The same is true for ant nests, another example of extended phenotype used for several individuals of the same group (Minter et al, 2012).…”

Section: Predictions and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Short Communication "Extended Fitness" hypothesis: a link between individual and group selection

Souza¹

2013

Genet. Mol. Res.

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ABSTRACT.What are the targets of natural selection remains a controversial issue in Biology. Here I propose the "Extended Fitness" hypothesis, in which extended phenotypes emerge as a link between individual and group selection. The basic premise of the extended fitness hypothesis is that extended phenotypes can be used by members of the same group since they are adapted to use them. Thus, extended phenotypes can also contribute to the fitness of members of the same species. Group selection emerges as a natural consequence of the shared use of extended phenotypes, which allow the evolutionary forces acting on individuals to become effective at the group level. The extended fitness hypothesis is supported by several observations found in nature. The hypothesis presented here provides a theoretical framework for the design of both modeling and experimental approaches to studying the role of extended phenotypes in group selection.

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“…Physical features of the soil (i.e. moisture, composition or sediment boundaries) are known to influence the digging behavior of ant workers, and thus the shape of the excavated structures (Espinoza and Santamarina, 2010;Minter et al, 2011;Toffin et al, 2010). However, it appears unlikely that queens may respond to environmental soil conditions while digging across the soil profile, and switch to chamber digging once a physical discontinuity, or a specific temperature, moisture or soil composition, is encountered.…”

Section: Discussion the Control Of Nest Depth: Underlying Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The determination of nest depth in founding queens of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri): idiothetic and temporal control

Fröhle

Roces

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYLeaf-cutting ant queens excavate a founding nest consisting of a vertical tunnel and a final horizontal chamber. Nest foundation is very time consuming, and colony success depends on the excavated depth. Although shallow nests may be energetically cheaper to dig, queens may be more exposed to the changing environment. Deeper chambers, in contrast, may be climatically more stable, but are more expensive to dig. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the control of nest depth in queens of the leaf-cutting ant Atta vollenweideri. We focused on the use of internal information for the control of nest depth, and therefore maintained the soil and environmental conditions invariant during the different laboratory experiments. We compared the tunnel lengths excavated by queens that were able to complete their nests earlier, faster or slower than under standard conditions. An earlier and faster nest completion was obtained by offering queens either pre-excavated tunnels of different lengths, soils at different temperatures, or soft sandy soils. A slower nest excavation was induced by offering queens harder dry soils, and by delaying the start of digging several days after the nuptial flight. Results indicate that the determination of nest depth was a regulated process involving the use of internal references: queens excavated their tunnels either until a particular depth was reached or for some predetermined length of time. Queens appear to monitor their movements while walking up und down the tunnel, and to compare this sensory information with a motor command that represents a preset tunnel length to be excavated before switching to chamber digging. In addition to this form of idiothetic control, results indicate that the elapsed digging time also feeds back onto the control system. It is argued that the determination of nest depth, i.e. the transition from tunnel to chamber digging, is initiated either after a preset tunnel length is reached, or as soon as a maximal time interval has elapsed, irrespective of the excavated tunnel length. A control system using both idiothetic and temporal information, as demonstrated in the present study, allows queens to flexibly react to different soil conditions, and therefore avoid excessive time and energy investments. Possible mechanisms underlying the control of chamber size are also discussed.

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Morphogenesis of an extended phenotype: four-dimensional ant nest architecture

Cited by 28 publications

References 43 publications

Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction

Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction

Short Communication "Extended Fitness" hypothesis: a link between individual and group selection

The determination of nest depth in founding queens of leaf-cutting ants (Atta vollenweideri): idiothetic and temporal control

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