Making the right choice: how Crematogaster scutellaris queens choose to co-found in relation to nest availability

Masoni, Alberto; Frizzi, Filippo; Turillazzi, Stefano; Santini, Giacomo

doi:10.1007/s00040-018-00683-8

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This point confirms that such a multifaceted Mediterranean ecosystem can support high levels of biodiversity at the landscape level [62,63], and also that some habitats like olive orchards, where anthropogenic disturbance is higher, can partly contribute to high biodiversity. Moreover, habitats like olive orchards simultaneously provides suitable habitat for both open-habitat species such as Messor spp., which require large, unshaded portions of grasslands [64], and tree-nesting species such as Crematogaster scutellaris [65,66]. These results agree with the findings of Reyes-López et al [24], who found that the presence of a few isolated trees in an open habitat can produce a significant increase in local ant diversity.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Day-Night and Inter-Habitat Variations in Ant Assemblages in a Mosaic Agroforestry Landscape

Frizzi

Tucci

Ottonetti

et al. 2021

Land

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Throughout the Mediterranean basin, the long-term interaction between human activities and natural processes has led to the formation of unique ecosystems whose biodiversity may be higher than that of the “original” systems. This is particularly true in the case of transformations of continuous stretches of closed forest into a complex mosaic of open and closed habitat over the course of centuries. In this study, we assessed the variation in diversity of ant assemblages in a typical patchy landscape, sampling ants in the three most important constituting habitats: olive plantation, harvested forest, and mature forest. In the study we used two different sampling methods—pitfall traps and observation at baits—which provided information on species presence at different temporal scales. The three habitats displayed different species assemblages, and considerable variation in species composition was observed at different times of the day, particularly in the harvested forest. Functional group analysis showed that the olive plantation, although the most artificial habitat, displayed the highest number of functional groups, suggesting a wider spectrum of available ecological niches for ant species within this habitat type. Overall, it was concluded that each of the three habitats contributes to enhance diversity at the landscape scale, which is greater than that expected from a more homogeneous habitat composition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Day-Night and Inter-Habitat Variations in Ant Assemblages in a Mosaic Agroforestry Landscape

Frizzi

Tucci

Ottonetti

et al. 2021

Land

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“…That is, the initial associations of unrelated queens persist through colony ontogeny. The proximate mechanisms leading to such associations have been investigated in some ant taxa (Clark and Fewell, 2014;Helmkampf et al, 2016;Overson et al, 2016;Shaffer et al, 2016;Eriksson et al, 2019;Masoni et al, 2019;Aron and Deneubourg, 2020). Despite the initial benefits of primary polygyny, it is believed to be relatively rare for pleometrotic associations to result in permanent polygyny (Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990;Bernasconi and Strassmann, 1999;Eriksson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Primary Polygynymentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-kin Cooperation in Ants

Suarez

Goodisman

2021

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Eusociality represents an extreme form of social behavior characterized by a reproductive division of labor. Eusociality necessarily evolved through kin selection, which requires interactions among related individuals. However, many eusocial taxa also show cooperation between non-kin groups, challenging the idea that cooperative actions should only occur among relatives. This review explores the causes and consequences of non-kin cooperation in ants. Ants display a diversity of behaviors that lead to non-kin cooperation within and between species. These interactions occur among both reproductive and non-reproductive individuals. The proximate and ultimate mechanisms leading to non-kin cooperative interactions differ substantially depending on the biotic and abiotic environment. We end this review with directions for future research and suggest that the investigation of non-kin cooperative actions provides insight into processes leading to social evolution.

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“…This is a widespread and dominant species found in tree trunks and dead logs throughout the western Mediterranean basin (Casevitz-Weulersse 1972, 1991. We used this ant as a model species because many aspects of its biology and ecology are well-known (e.g., Marlier et al 2004;Giannetti et al 2019;Masoni et al 2019). This species forms large polydomous colonies, is widespread in both natural and managed habitats (Gramigni et al 2013;Frizzi et al 2014), and has a generalist diet, being both an aphid tender and a top predator (Schatz et al 2003;Ottonetti et al 2008;Frizzi et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palatability of glyphosate in ants: a field experiment reveals broad acceptance of highly polluted solutions in a Mediterranean ant

Frizzi

Masoni

Balzani

et al. 2020

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide still used in many countries, though there are several known detrimental effects on animals. Previous studies concerning its effects on social insects are available, but they are primarily focused on honeybees; little is known about the interactions of this compound with ants. Here, we assessed whether different concentrations of glyphosate can be perceived by ant workers and to what extent. As a model species, we used the Mediterranean ant Crematogaster scutellaris, commonly found in agroecosystems. We performed 3,000 individual tests of acceptance using ten different solutions of various concentrations of the herbicide. Half of the solutions contained added sucrose in order to test the possible masking effect of the sugar taste on glyphosate. We used comparable glyphosate concentrations to those previously used in other studies on social insects or suggested by the producer. We found that the acceptance of the solutions decreased as the concentration of the herbicide increased. However, a significant percentage of ants drank the solutions with concentrations up to dozens of times higher than those inducing toxic effects in bees. In light of these results, we urge further assessment of the effects of glyphosate on ants, particularly because the food ingested by workers is transferred to the brood and queens, posing a potential threat to the health of the entire colony. Surprisingly, we did not record any difference in acceptance between solutions with and without sugar; this point is discussed regarding drought stress.

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Making the right choice: how Crematogaster scutellaris queens choose to co-found in relation to nest availability

Cited by 7 publications

References 45 publications

Day-Night and Inter-Habitat Variations in Ant Assemblages in a Mosaic Agroforestry Landscape

Day-Night and Inter-Habitat Variations in Ant Assemblages in a Mosaic Agroforestry Landscape

Non-kin Cooperation in Ants

Palatability of glyphosate in ants: a field experiment reveals broad acceptance of highly polluted solutions in a Mediterranean ant

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