Inferring polydomy: a review of functional, spatial and genetic methods for identifying colony boundaries

Ellis, Stephen; Procter, Duncan; Buckham-Bonnett, Phillip; Robinson, Elva J. H.

doi:10.1007/s00040-016-0534-7

Cited by 37 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 127 publications

(208 reference statements)

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“…Standardised behaviour assays are often used across various vertebrate and invertebrate taxa 1–4 , and especially aggression assays are widely used 5–8 . In social insects, for example ants, such behaviour assays are conducted to characterise aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour in analysing, among others, associations and symbioses 9–11 , behavioural syndromes 12–14 , competitive abilities 15,16 , colony boundaries 17–19 , and supercolonies 20–22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing ant behaviour indices for fine-scale analyses

Krapf

Hochenegger

Arthofer

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Animal behaviour often is characterised by standardised assays. In social insects such as ants, behaviour assays are for example used to characterise aggressive and peaceful behaviour. Such assays differ in the number of individuals, the duration and place of assays, and the scoring scales. Also the behaviour indices used to summarise the results differ. Here, we compared five behaviour indices (Aggression Index, Mean Maximum Aggression Index; and the newly introduced Mean Maximum Peace Index, Mean Behaviour Index aggressive, and Mean Behaviour Index peaceful) using a scoring scale that comprises peaceful and aggressive behaviour. The indices were applied on eight simulations and three observed data sets. The five indices were correlated but frequently differed in their means. Multiple indices were needed to capture the complete behaviour range. Furthermore, subtle differences in workers’ behaviour, that is, differences that go beyond the presence/absence of aggression, were only identified when considering multiple indices. We infer that the indices applied are differently suited for different analyses. Fine-scale analyses of behavioural variation profit from using more than one index. The particular choice of index or indices likely influences the interpretation of behaviour and should be carefully done in the light of study species and research question.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing ant behaviour indices for fine-scale analyses

Krapf

Hochenegger

Arthofer

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…Many ant species inhabit multiple spatially separated, but socially connected nests, a strategy called polydomy (Debout, Schatz, Elias, & Mckey, ; Robinson, ). Nests within a polydomous system often exchange resources (e.g., Buczkowski, ; Ellis, Procter, Buckham‐Bonnett, & Robinson, in press; Hoffmann, ). A nest's access to resources will depend not only on its location within the foraging environment but also on its position relative to other nests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological consequences of colony structure in dynamic ant nest networks

Ellis

Franks

Robinson

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Access to resources depends on an individual's position within the environment. This is particularly important to animals that invest heavily in nest construction, such as social insects. Many ant species have a polydomous nesting strategy: a single colony inhabits several spatially separated nests, often exchanging resources between the nests. Different nests in a polydomous colony potentially have differential access to resources, but the ecological consequences of this are unclear. In this study, we investigate how nest survival and budding in polydomous wood ant (Formica lugubris) colonies are affected by being part of a multi‐nest system. Using field data and novel analytical approaches combining survival models with dynamic network analysis, we show that the survival and budding of nests within a polydomous colony are affected by their position in the nest network structure. Specifically, we find that the flow of resources through a nest, which is based on its position within the wider nest network, determines a nest's likelihood of surviving and of founding new nests. Our results highlight how apparently disparate entities in a biological system can be integrated into a functional ecological unit. We also demonstrate how position within a dynamic network structure can have important ecological consequences.

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“…In the latter case, assays that determine whether two nests merge into a single colony may provide more unequivocal results (Boulay, Katzav-Gozansky, Vander Meer, & Hefetz, 2003). To date, only a few studies have employed multiple methods to assess social and population structures (Ellis, Procter, Buckham-Bonnett, & Robinson, 2017). In the present study, we employed all three methods: genetic (microsatellite analysis), chemical (CHC nest profiles), and behavioral (colony insularity/openness tests), and demonstrate that none of the methods when applied individually is sufficient in itself for delineating colony boundaries.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining social and population structures requires multiple approaches: A case study of the desert antCataglyphis israelensis

Brodetzki

Hefetz

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The remarkable diversity of ant social organization is reflected in both their life history and population kin structure. Different species demonstrate a high variation with respect to both social structure and mating strategies: from the ancestral colony type that is composed of a single queen (monogyny), singly inseminated (monoandry), to the more derived states of colonies headed by a multiply inseminated queen (polyandry), to colonies composed of multiple queens (polygyny) that are either singly or multiply inseminated. Moreover, the population structure of an ant species can range from multicoloniality to polydomy to supercoloniality, and Cataglyphis is considered to be a model genus in regard to such diversity. The present study sought to determine the social and population structure of the recently described C. israelensis species in Israel. For this purpose we employed a multidisciplinary approach, rather than the commonly used single approach that is mostly based on genetics. Our study encompassed behavior (nest insularity/openness), chemistry (composition of nestmate recognition signals and cuticular hydrocarbons), and genetics (microsatellite polymorphism). Each approach has been shown to possess both advantages and disadvantages, depending on the studied species. Our findings reveal that C. israelensis colonies are headed by a single, multiply inseminated queen and that the population structure is polydomous, with each colony comprising one main nest and several additional satellite nests. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that none of the above‐noted approaches, when employed individually, is suitable or sufficient in itself for delineating population structure, thus emphasizing the importance of using multiple approaches when assessing such complex systems.

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Inferring polydomy: a review of functional, spatial and genetic methods for identifying colony boundaries

Cited by 37 publications

References 127 publications

Comparing ant behaviour indices for fine-scale analyses

Comparing ant behaviour indices for fine-scale analyses

Ecological consequences of colony structure in dynamic ant nest networks

Determining social and population structures requires multiple approaches: A case study of the desert antCataglyphis israelensis

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