Bos , N , Kankaanpää-Kukkonen , V , Freitak , D , Stucki , D & Sundström , L 2019 , ' Comparison of twelve ant species and their susceptibility to fungal infection ' , Insects , vol. 10 , no. 9 , 10/271 . https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10090271
Title: | Comparison of twelve ant species and their susceptibility to fungal infection |
Author: | Bos, Nick; Kankaanpää-Kukkonen, Viljami; Freitak, Dalial; Stucki, Dimitri; Sundström, Liselotte |
Contributor organization: | Evolution, Sociality & Behaviour Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Tvärminne Zoological Station Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences |
Date: | 2019 |
Language: | eng |
Belongs to series: | Insects |
ISSN: | 2075-4450 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10090271 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10138/309176 |
Abstract: | Eusocial insects, such as ants, have access to complex disease defenses both at the individual, and at the colony level. However, different species may be exposed to different diseases, and/or deploy different methods of coping with disease. Here, we studied and compared survival after fungal exposure in 12 species of ants, all of which inhabit similar habitats. We exposed the ants to two entomopathogenic fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum), and measured how exposure to these fungi influenced survival. We furthermore recorded hygienic behaviors, such as autogrooming, allogrooming and trophallaxis, during the days after exposure. We found strong differences in autogrooming behavior between the species, but none of the study species performed extensive allogrooming or trophallaxis under the experimental conditions. Furthermore, we discuss the possible importance of the metapleural gland, and how the secondary loss of this gland in the genus Camponotus could favor a stronger behavioral response against pathogen threats. |
Subject: |
BEAUVERIA-BASSIANA
DISEASE RESISTANCE EVOLUTION METAPLEURAL GLAND METARHIZIUM-ANISOPLIAE PROPHYLAXIS SOCIAL IMMUNITY TERMITE TRANSMISSION VIRULENCE behavior exposure grooming infection metapleural gland mortality pathogen 1181 Ecology, evolutionary biology |
Peer reviewed: | Yes |
Rights: | cc_by |
Usage restriction: | openAccess |
Self-archived version: | publishedVersion |
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