Two castes sizes of leafcutter ants in task partitioning in foraging activity

Toledo, Marcelo; Ribeiro, Paulo A.; Carrossoni, Priscilla Shiota Fedichina; Tomotani, João Vitor; Hoffman, Ashley N.; Klebaner, Daniella; Watel, Halee Rachel; Iannini, Carlos Arturo Navas; Helene, André Frazão

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20151491

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Variation in the worker body size within a colony can be influenced by internal and external factors, including evolutionary constraints, genetic factors, the social environment, larval nutrition, the physical environment and competition (Wills et al ., 2018). There is also evidence that size variation improves efficiency in nest tasks (Reyes and Fernández Haeger, 1999; Arnan et al ., 2011 a ; de Toledo et al ., 2016). In the present study, we provide evidence of size division among foraging workers of the tropical fire ant S. geminata and the relevant caste polyethism in handling food items.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The division of labour in an ant colony creates specialized behavioural groups which perform different tasks (task specialization) to ensure the survival of the colony. Specialization of workers is one potential explanation for the origin and/or maintenance of the diversity of the worker size and morphology found within a single colony (Wheeler, 1986; Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990; de Toledo et al ., 2016). Some studies have supported the idea that the worker morphology influences task performance (Hasegawa, 1993 a ; Powell and Franks, 2006; Powell, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Chiu

Lai

2019

Bull. Entomol. Res.

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Body size is an important life-history trait in eusocial insects which plays a key role in colony fitness. The division of labour, represented by caste polyethism, correlates with divergent morphological traits. Size polymorphism has been noted in the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata; however, little is known regarding the differences in the size distributions of workers performing foraging tasks. In the present study, task partitioning was observed in the foraging activities of S. geminata. Two subgroups among foraging workers of S. geminata were discovered using the Gaussian mixture model: a large worker group (head width ≥ 0.924 mm) and a small worker group (head width < 0.924 mm). The foraging worker population comprised two distinct groups – 25.64% were large workers and 74.36% were small workers. Larger workers delivered heavier seeds faster than smaller workers, but this difference became less apparent when lighter seeds were being carried. When large prey such as crickets was encountered during foraging, S. geminata partitioned their tasks into cutting and transportation. The large workers were observed to cut cricket prey into fragments with their longer mandibles, and the small workers then transported these fragments back to the nest. These results present evidence of task partitioning among tropical fire ants, with different tasks being performed by ants of different castes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Chiu

Lai

2019

Bull. Entomol. Res.

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“…This type of alloethism, that is, division of labour between ants of different sizes, has been observed in other leaf cutting ants, for example, Ac. subterraneus bruneus (Forti et al, 2004), A. colombica and A. sexdens rubropilosa (Toledo et al, 2016), and in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri (Arnan et al, 2011). Large ants move faster than small ones and they can carry bigger fragments, which allows the colony to increase the vegetation biomass returned to the nest.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walking and foraging activity of Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at different temperatures

Ramirez‐Olier

Sanches

Barbosa

et al. 2022

Physiological Entomology

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Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a leaf-cutting ant species found in the Brazilian Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest and causes serious damages to cultivated plants. Knowledge about its foraging activity could help to improve the integrated pest management of this species and to better understand its ecology. The relationship between ambient temperature and the biomass collected by individuals of one Ac. subterraneus molestans colony was studied in the laboratory. The colony remained in an experimental room at 24 C and its foragers had access to an arena in an incubator set at six different temperatures (10, 16, 22, 28, 34 or 40 C). Fresh leaves of Hibiscus sp. were put in the arena and the flow of ants leaving and returning to the nest, the proportion of ants returning to the nest with a leaf fragment, as well as the dry mass of these fragments, were evaluated during 1 h for each temperature. The head width of foraging ants (laden and unladen) and their running speed were also measured. The rate of biomass collected was almost null at 10 C, increased from 16 to 34 C, and decreased abruptly at 40 C. The size of the workers did not vary across temperatures, and the running speed increased with increasing temperatures but more rapidly for unloaded ants than for loaded ones. The lower flow intensity at 28 and 40 C was somewhat compensated at the individual level by the selection of larger leaf fragments or by an increase in the probability to return loaded to the nest, respectively. The results obtained in this study could improve the management of these ants, allowing to target the most favourable meteorological conditions to apply toxic baits, increase the probability for the baits to be carried to the nest, in addition to reducing their availability to nontarget organisms. Furthermore, they could be used to make predictions on the effects of global warming on the foraging activity of this species.

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Harmony under threat: does resource‐mediated stress affect the (caste‐based) social network of leaf‐cutting ant colonies?

Gandra,

Turchen,

Amaral

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUNDManaging pest species of eusocial insects, such as leaf‐cutting ants, poses significant challenges. Controlling them requires understanding of how toxic plant substrates and ant baits are recognized by foragers, transported to the nest, shared among workers and managed by gardeners cultivating the symbiont fungus garden. Despite this, little is known about how unsuitable resources might impact social interactions within ant colonies. This study aims to investigate whether the provision of a suitable substrate (copperleaf) and a toxic substrate (nasturtium leaves) affects the social network dynamics within colonies of two leaf‐cutting ant species: Acromyrmex molestans and Acromyrmex subterraneus. The interactions between castes were recorded and subjected to social network analyses.RESULTSInitial foraging duration increased for A. subterraneus provided with copperleaf, although no difference was observed for the other species and resource combinations. The social network structure was similar for both species when copperleaf leaves were provided as a substrate. However, notable alterations occurred with nasturtium leaf provision, leading to higher integration of gardeners in interactions and noticeable changes in the generalist worker network centrality, particularly in A. subterraneus.DISCUSSIONThe observed changes in social interactions, particularly in A. subterraneus, suggest that increasing gardener interactions with other castes expedites the movement of the substrate within the colony. This maximizes the potential toxic effect on the colony. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Two castes sizes of leafcutter ants in task partitioning in foraging activity

Abstract: Task partitioning in eusocial animals is most likely an evolutionary adaptation that optimizes the efficiency of the colony to grow and reproduce. It was investigated indirect task

Cited by 8 publications

References 25 publications

Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Walking and foraging activity of Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at different temperatures

Harmony under threat: does resource‐mediated stress affect the (caste‐based) social network of leaf‐cutting ant colonies?

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