Genetic polymorphism in leaf-cutting ants is phenotypically plastic
نویسندگان
چکیده
منابع مشابه
Genetic polymorphism in leaf-cutting ants is phenotypically plastic.
Advanced societies owe their success to an efficient division of labour that, in some social insects, is based on specialized worker phenotypes. The system of caste determination in such species is therefore critical. Here, we examine in a leaf-cutting ant (Acromyrmex echinatior) how a recently discovered genetic influence on caste determination interacts with the social environment. By removin...
متن کاملWorker caste polymorphism has a genetic basis in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants.
Division of labor is fundamental to the success of all societies. The most striking examples are the physically polymorphic worker castes in social insects with clear morphological adaptations to different roles. These polymorphic worker castes have previously been thought to be a classic example of nongentically controlled polymorphism, being mediated entirely by environmental cues. Here we sh...
متن کاملAdaptive social immunity in leaf-cutting ants
Social insects have evolved a suite of sophisticated defences against parasites. In addition to the individual physiological immune response, social insects also express 'social immunity' consisting of group-level defences and behaviours that include allogrooming. Here we investigate whether the social immune response of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior reacts adaptively to the virule...
متن کاملLeaf-cutting ants may be optimal foragers.
Kacelnikl proposes a puzzle for optimal foraging theorists, arising from experiments of Races and Nutiez2, who found that leaf-cutting ant (Acromyrmex lundi) workers changed their behavior in response to foragmg-quality information that was only known to scouts. The workers cut and transferred smaller pieces of parafilm when the scouts had been exposed to a 10% sugar solution than when they wer...
متن کاملContact rate modulates foraging efficiency in leaf cutting ants
Lane segregation is rarely observed in animals that move in bidirectional flows. Consequently, these animals generally experience a high rate of head-on collisions during their journeys. Although these collisions have a cost (each collision induces a delay resulting in a decrease of individual speed), they could also have a benefit by promoting information transfer between individuals. Here we ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
ژورنال
عنوان ژورنال: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
سال: 2007
ISSN: 0962-8452,1471-2954
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0347