Sanitizing the fortress: protection of ant brood and nest material by worker antibiotics

Tranter, Christopher; Graystock, Peter; Shaw, Chris; Lopes, Juliane Floriano Santos; Hughes, William O.

doi:10.1007/s00265-013-1664-9

Cited by 32 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…,b; Tranter et al. ; ). Previous comparative studies have shown that fungus‐growing ants vary substantially in the size of their MG, the chemical composition of its secretion and their use of active MG grooming to spread the secretion, with the more evolutionary‐derived Atta and Acromyrmex leaf‐cutting ants that live in larger, more complex societies, having particularly large MG (Fernández‐Marín et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Graystock and Hughes ; Tranter et al. ), the gland is energetically costly to maintain (Poulsen et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Graystock and Hughes ; Tranter et al. ), the importance of the metapleural gland in disease resistance of individual ants from multiple different species has not previously been quantified directly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality and quantity: transitions in antimicrobial gland use for parasite defense

Tranter

Fernández‐Marín

Hughes

2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Parasites are a major force in evolution, and understanding how host life history affects parasite pressure and investment in disease resistance is a general problem in evolutionary biology. The threat of disease may be especially strong in social animals, and ants have evolved the unique metapleural gland (MG), which in many taxa produce antimicrobial compounds that have been argued to have been a key to their ecological success. However, the importance of the MG in the disease resistance of individual ants across ant taxa has not been examined directly. We investigate experimentally the importance of the MG for disease resistance in the fungus‐growing ants, a group in which there is interspecific variation in MG size and which has distinct transitions in life history. We find that more derived taxa rely more on the MG for disease resistance than more basal taxa and that there are a series of evolutionary transitions in the quality, quantity, and usage of the MG secretions, which correlate with transitions in life history. These shifts show how even small clades can exhibit substantial transitions in disease resistance investment, demonstrating that host–parasite relationships can be very dynamic and that targeted experimental, as well as large‐scale, comparative studies can be valuable for identifying evolutionary transitions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Graystock and Hughes ; Tranter et al. ), the gland is energetically costly to maintain (Poulsen et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality and quantity: transitions in antimicrobial gland use for parasite defense

Tranter

Fernández‐Marín

Hughes

2015

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Blockage of the venom gland opening in the weaver ants Polyrhachis dives, in the fungus-growing ant Acromyrmex echinatior, and in the garden ant Lasius neglectus all resulted in a reduced survival of adults and pupae cared by them when challenged with the entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae (Graystock and Hughes 2011;Tragust et al 2013a;Tranter et al 2014) (Fig. 6).…”

Section: Venom On the Cuticlementioning

confidence: 94%

“…An involvement of venom compounds in the sanitation of nests is likely for the weaver ant Polyrhachis dives. In this species, the blockage of the venom gland opening resulted in an increased risk of the nest material being overgrown by fungi, compared with nest material that was tended by workers with a functional gland (Tranter et al 2014) (Fig. 8).…”

Section: Venom On the Nest Surfacementioning

confidence: 95%

Venom as a Component of External Immune Defense in Hymenoptera

Baracchi¹,

Tragust²

2015

Evolution of Venomous Animals and Their Toxins

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An intriguing feature of most hymenopteran venoms is that they display broad antimicrobial activity. In particular, the venoms of social Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, and bees) represent the most conspicuous source of antimicrobial secretions. In solitary and parasitic species, venom is used to immobilize or kill prey and to preserve them as stored food for their immature brood. In social species, venom is frequently also externalized both onto the cuticle and the nest surface. This indicates that venom use in Hymenoptera is not just restricted to hunting activities or to deter predators, but is also actively used as an externalized defensive agent, providing a first chemical barrier against microorganisms present in the environment. This chapter will discuss the importance and biological significance of venom as part of an external immune defense in Hymenoptera with special emphasis on social species. In addition ecological and environmental factors constraining the use of venom as external immune defense will be highlighted.

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Ants: Ecology and Impacts in Dead Wood

et al. 2018

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Sanitizing the fortress: protection of ant brood and nest material by worker antibiotics

Abstract: 16Social groups are at particular risk from parasite infection, which is heightened in eusocial

Cited by 32 publications

References 69 publications

Quality and quantity: transitions in antimicrobial gland use for parasite defense

Quality and quantity: transitions in antimicrobial gland use for parasite defense

Venom as a Component of External Immune Defense in Hymenoptera

Ants: Ecology and Impacts in Dead Wood

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