Species differ in worker body size effects on critical thermal limits in seed-harvesting desert ants (Messor ebeninus and M. arenarius)

O’Donnell, Sean; Bulova, Susan J.; Caponera, Virginia; Oxman, Karmi L.; Giladi, Itamar

doi:10.1007/s00040-020-00782-5

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…It is possible that a trade‐off exists between CT max and CT min : simultaneously maintaining a high CT max and a low CT min could be energetically costly (Sinclair et al ., 2016). Research investigating both variables in ants has generally found only a weak positive correlation between them (Diamond & Chick, 2018a) or no correlation (Kaspari et al ., 2015; Baudier & O'Donnell, 2018; Andrew et al ., 2019; O'Donnell et al ., 2020). In a global meta‐analysis, Diamond & Chick (2018a) found a positive relationship between CT max and CT min , concluding that the two variables had likely been differentially shaped by evolutionary history and geographical variation in climate.…”

Section: Abiotic and Biotic Determinants Of Ant Thermal Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ant genera such as Atta (Dalling & Wirth, 1998; Leal & Oliveira, 1998; Oliveira et al ., 2019), Acromyrmex (Leal & Oliveira, 1998), Messor (Azcárate et al ., 2005; Arnan et al ., 2010), and Aphaenogaster (Ness, Morin & Giladi, 2009; Warren, Giladi & Bradford, 2010) play important roles in seed dispersal. While a number of studies have characterised CTLs in these taxa [ Atta (Ribeiro et al ., 2012; Baudier & O'Donnell, 2020; Welch, Baudier & Harrison, 2020); Acromyrmex (Rissing, Johnson & Pollock, 1986; Yela et al ., 2020); Messor (O'Donnell et al ., 2020); Aphaenogaster (Warren & Chick, 2013; Warren et al ., 2016; Warren, Bayba & Krupp, 2018)] or for the seed‐dispersing community in general (Stuble et al ., 2014), only one (Stuble et al ., 2014) examined the effect of ant thermal tolerance on seed dispersal. Species with higher CT max values collected more Asarum canadense seeds at hotter temperatures.…”

Section: Physiological Thermal Limits and Functional Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Critical thermal limits in ants and their implications under climate change

2022

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Critical thermal limits (CTLs) constrain the performance of organisms, shaping their abundance, current distributions, and future distributions. Consequently, CTLs may also determine the quality of ecosystem services as well as organismal and ecosystem vulnerability to climate change. As some of the most ubiquitous animals in terrestrial ecosystems, ants are important members of ecological communities. In recent years, an increasing body of research has explored ant physiological thermal limits. However, these CTL data tend to centre on a few species and biogeographical regions. To encourage an expansion of perspectives, we herein review the factors that determine ant CTLs and examine their effects on present and future species distributions and ecosystem processes. Special emphasis is placed on the implications of CTLs for safeguarding ant diversity and ant-mediated ecosystem services in the future. First, we compile, quantify, and categorise studies on ant CTLs based on study taxon, biogeographical region, methodology, and study question. Second, we use this comprehensive database to analyse the abiotic and biotic factors shaping ant CTLs. Our results highlight how CTLs may affect future distribution patterns and ecological performance in ants. Additionally, we identify the greatest remaining gaps in knowledge and create a research roadmap to promote rapid advances in this field of study.

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Section: Abiotic and Biotic Determinants Of Ant Thermal Limitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Physiological Thermal Limits and Functional Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Critical thermal limits in ants and their implications under climate change

2022

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“…Since CT max often correlates positively with body size both within and across species (O'Donnell et al, 2020;Wendt & Verble-Pearson, 2016), high heat resistance of the minute weevils tested here (a few milligrams) is unexpected and calls for further investigations. These results show that in addition to ants and tenebrionid beetles, weevils should be considered among the handful of arthropod lineages whose CT max values exceed 50 C (Bennett et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…It should be noted that these previous records were measured on tenebrionid beetles from the Namib desert with putative morphological adaptations to heat such as long legs, larger size, and thick cuticle (Marden, 1987; Naidu, 2001). Since CT max often correlates positively with body size both within and across species (O'Donnell et al, 2020; Wendt & Verble‐Pearson, 2016), high heat resistance of the minute weevils tested here (a few milligrams) is unexpected and calls for further investigations. These results show that in addition to ants and tenebrionid beetles, weevils should be considered among the handful of arthropod lineages whose CT max values exceed 50°C (Bennett et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Comparative assessment of heat tolerance in weevils associated with a fire‐prone ecosystem

Javal

Terblanche

Smit

et al. 2022

Ecological Entomology

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1. Fire is an important cause of disturbance which directly shapes many ecosystems worldwide. While the effect of fire on the distribution and regeneration of plant species has been widely documented, little is known on how phytophagous insects are reacting to these disturbances.2. This study explores the survival strategies of various weevil species, a highly diverse phytophagous beetle group in fire-prone ecosystems of the biodiversity hotspot of the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa. More specifically, we investigated how the lifestyle of species (location of larval development, phenology of adults, and flight ability) correlates with heat tolerance. We hypothesized that wingless species in particular will show better tolerance to heat as they have a limited ability to escape fire rapidly and usually remain hidden in the soil.3. The thermal tolerance of a set of sixteen species with divergent lifestyles and geographic distribution was measured using a standard heat knockdown protocol at 48 C. Respirometry was then performed on the most resistant species using a ramping protocol in order to determine CT max .

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“…The other granivore, M. arenarius , mainly forages solitarily, but occasionally exhibits modest recruitment along pheromone trails, with up to 100 workers at a time. The worker size ranges from 4–18 mm, but almost all foraging individuals are 13–18 mm long [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]. The nest has at least one mound (at other seasons it sometimes has two openings with two mounds several meters apart), which is 0.4–0.8 m wide [ 38 , 39 ] and contains seed particles and other waste and debris.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant Guild Identity Determines Seed Fate at the Post-Removal Seed Dispersal Stages of a Desert Perennial

Ben-Zvi

Seifan

Giladi

2021

Insects

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Ants play a dual role in their interaction with plant seeds. In deserts, the consumption of seeds by granivorous ants is common, whereas mutualistic seed dispersal, often associated with scavenging ants, is rarely documented. We evaluated the contribution of both ant guilds to efficient seed dispersal of an ant-dispersed plant, Sternbergia clusiana, in a desert ecosystem. We presented seed to colonies of three species of desert ants from the Cataglyphis (scavengers) and Messor (granivorous) genera. We recorded seed consumption, ejection from the nest, and seed transportation to potentially beneficial microhabitats. We evaluated microhabitat quality by testing the association between habitat types and the plant at various life stages. As expected, granivores mainly consumed the seeds, whereas scavengers consumed the elaiosome (seed appendage serving as a reward), but left the seeds intact. Moreover, scavenging ants relocated the seeds much further than granivores, mainly to shrub patches. The disproportional distribution of the plant under shrubs at several life stages suggests that this microhabitat is beneficial for the plant. Overall, while granivores seem to mainly harm seed dispersal, we provide the first evidence for the beneficial contribution of scavenging ants in deserts, showing they exhibit the same suite of characteristics that render them efficient seed dispersers in other ecosystems.

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Species differ in worker body size effects on critical thermal limits in seed-harvesting desert ants (Messor ebeninus and M. arenarius)

Cited by 12 publications

References 31 publications

Critical thermal limits in ants and their implications under climate change

Critical thermal limits in ants and their implications under climate change

Comparative assessment of heat tolerance in weevils associated with a fire‐prone ecosystem

Ant Guild Identity Determines Seed Fate at the Post-Removal Seed Dispersal Stages of a Desert Perennial

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