Temnothorax longispinosus acorn ant colonies respond to parasitic raids by emigrating

Koenig, P. A.; Moreau, C. S.

doi:10.1007/s00040-024-00957-4

Insect. Soc.

2024

DOI: 10.1007/s00040-024-00957-4

|View full text |Cite

Temnothorax longispinosus acorn ant colonies respond to parasitic raids by emigrating

P. A. Koenig,

C. S. Moreau

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2024

Publication Types

Select...

Article1

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 1 publication

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Acorn ant exhibits age-dependent induced defence in response to parasitic raids

Koenig,

Moreau

2024

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When risk is unpredictable, organisms may evolve induced defenses, which are activated after an indication of increased risk. In colonies with behavioural specialization, investment in defence may not be uniformly beneficial among group members. Instead, it should depend on the individual’s likelihood of participating in defence. The ant Temnothorax longispinosus uses venom to defend against raids by the social parasite Temnothorax americanus . We tested whether T. longispinosus upregulate investment in venom after experiencing a raid, investigating the relationship between venom volume and worker behavioural caste. Overall, raided colonies had more venom per capita than unraided colonies. When divided into behavioural castes, foragers had more venom after experiencing a raid, while nurses did not. These results demonstrate that T. longispinosus have an induced chemical defence against parasitic raids. However, instead of this defence being deployed uniformly among all workers, the induction of the defence depends on the behavioural caste, and therefore age, of the worker, implying that plasticity in venom production increases with age. Since older social insect workers tend to perform riskier tasks, inducibility may align with an increase in expected risk of death, especially if foragers are more likely to defend the colony against parasites than younger workers.

show abstract

Acorn ant exhibits age-dependent induced defence in response to parasitic raids

Koenig,

Moreau

2024

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Temnothorax longispinosus acorn ant colonies respond to parasitic raids by emigrating

Cited by 1 publication

References 23 publications

Acorn ant exhibits age-dependent induced defence in response to parasitic raids

Acorn ant exhibits age-dependent induced defence in response to parasitic raids

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About