Conflict and cooperation in ant societies

Heinze, Juergen; Hölldobler, Bert; Peeters, Christian

doi:10.1007/bf01132680

Cited by 90 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The reduced trophallaxis under acute mortality may reflect the tendency of selfishly refusing to engage in trophallaxis, especially in polygynous, genetically heterogeneous colonies (Heinze et al, 1994). In contrast, queen mortality seems to trigger an increase of trophallaxis towards queens (Liebig et al, 1997), as predicted by the superorganism concept (Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990;Amdam et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extraordinary starvation resistance in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) colonies: Demography and adaptive behavior

Rueppell

Kirkman

2005

Insectes Soc.

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SummaryAnt colony mortality has not been sufficiently studied, even though it is crucial for understanding social insect population biology and can serve as an important model for general aging and mortality processes. Particularly, studies on proximate mechanisms on mortality and stress resistance of ant colonies are lacking. This study explores the long-term colony starvation resistance of the small myrmecine ant Temnothorax rugatulus. We report extraordinary starvation resistance in the 21 colonies investigated, as most survived the eight months of total starvation. Furthermore, we studied demographic and behavioral changes over the experimental period. Brood decline began first (after two months) and mortality was highest, worker decline was intermediate, and queen mortality started latest and remained lowest. We found brood (its relative change during the first four months and the level of brood relative to colony size) to be the only significant predictor of colony starvation resistance, but not the degree of polygyny. As expected, rates of trophallaxis increased during the starvation period while colony activity bouts occurred more frequently but were much shorter, leading to an overall decrease in activity levels. This study is the first to comprehensively study mechanisms of starvation resistance in ant colonies, linking demography and behavior.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extraordinary starvation resistance in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) colonies: Demography and adaptive behavior

Rueppell

Kirkman

2005

Insectes Soc.

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“…Social insects have been held as models of cooperation, but closer inspection of their societies has revealed complex dominance orders and high levels of intracolonial aggression in some species (Heinze et al, 1994). Similar to vertebrate societies, social insects may engage in aggressive tournaments to compete over reproductive rights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurohormonal changes associated with ritualized combat and the formation of a reproductive hierarchy in the antHarpegnathos saltator

Penick

Brent

Dolezal

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Dominance rank in animal societies is correlated with changes in both reproductive physiology and behavior. In some social insects, dominance status is used to determine a reproductive division of labor, where a few colony members reproduce while most remain functionally sterile. Changes in reproduction and behavior in this context must be coordinated through crosstalk between the brain and the reproductive system. We investigated a role for biogenic amines in forming this connection in the ant Harpegnathos saltator. In this species, workers engage in an elaborate dominance tournament to establish a group of reproductive workers termed gamergates. We analyzed biogenic amine content in the brains of gamergates, insideworkers and foragers under stable colony conditions and found that gamergates had the highest levels of dopamine. Dopamine levels were also positively correlated with increased ovarian activity among gamergates. Next, we experimentally induced workers to compete in a reproductive tournament to determine how dopamine may be involved in the establishment of a new hierarchy. Dopamine levels rose in aggressive workers at the start of a tournament, while workers that were policed by their nestmates (a behavior that inhibits ovarian activity) showed a rapid decline in dopamine. In addition to dopamine, levels of serotonin and tyramine differed among castes, and these changes could contribute to differences in caste-specific behavioral patterns observed among non-reproductive workers. Overall, these results provide support that biogenic amines link changes in behavior and dominance with reproductive activity in H. saltator as well as drive differences in worker task performance.

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“…When the founding queen of a colony dies some mated workers become gamergates while the others remain infertile. During the di¡erentiation of the gamergates two di¡erent dominance behaviours occur: (i) duelling where two gamergates mutually box each other's antennae while running back and forth (Heinze et al 1994) and (ii) the biting of body parts, mostly followed by violent jerking, usually directed from gamergates to infertile workers (Liebig 1998). These conspicuous behaviours were routinely used by us for correct identi¢cation of egg layers, since observation of oviposition is inappropriate due to their low fertility (less than one egg produced per day; Liebig 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worker policing limits the number of reproductives in a ponerine ant

Liebig¹,

Peeters

Hölldobler³

1999

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

122

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Reproductive division of labour is an essential feature of insect sociality, but the regulation of sterility among colony members remains incompletely understood. Ant workers and queens are morphologically divergent and workers are only capable of producing males in a colony, although they usually do not do so. Worker policing is one mechanism proposed for their infertility and it can be expressed as either aggressive inhibition of ovarian activity among workers or destruction of worker-laid eggs. A few studies have shown that workers with developed ovaries are preferentially attacked by nest-mates, but adequate demonstration of worker policing also requires evidence that these attacks result in the suppression of ovarian activity or death. We investigated worker policing in the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator in which workers are able to mate and replace the founding queen. Five colonies were each divided into two groups, one of which consisted exclusively of infertile workers. Some individuals in the orphaned groups began laying eggs during the three-week separation and upon reuni¢cation these were vigorously attacked by infertile workers of the other groups. The ovarian activity of these new egg layers became inhibited, as revealed by subsequent dissection of marked individuals. Worker policing in H. saltator appears to function primarily in preventing an excess of reproductive workers.

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Conflict and cooperation in ant societies

Cited by 90 publications

References 62 publications

Extraordinary starvation resistance in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) colonies: Demography and adaptive behavior

Extraordinary starvation resistance in Temnothorax rugatulus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) colonies: Demography and adaptive behavior

Neurohormonal changes associated with ritualized combat and the formation of a reproductive hierarchy in the antHarpegnathos saltator

Worker policing limits the number of reproductives in a ponerine ant

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