Category / Tag
Research article
Access our peer-reviewed research articles that explore new findings and theories in the field of social immunity in ants.
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(Ecol Evol, 2018) Social environment affects the transcriptomic response to bacteria in ant queens
The article looks at the effects of social immunity on individual immune responses. The study uses bacterial infected queens of the species Linepithema humile as a model system. Read more
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(Curr Biol, 2018) Protection against the lethal side effects of social immunity in ants
The publication looks at how brood is protected against the harmful effects of formic acid. Read more
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(FASEB J, 2018) Oxytocin-like signaling in ants influences metabolic gene expression and locomotor activity
In this study the authors look at the functionality of inotocin, known to be the insect ortholog of the mammalian oxytocin. Read more
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(PNAS, 2018) Ants avoid superinfections by performing risk-adjusted sanitary care
The study demonstrates how ants adjust their sanitary care behaviors based on previous encounters with pathogens. Read more
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(eLife, 2018) Destructive disinfection of infected brood prevents systemic disease spread in ant colonies
The study shows how Lasius neglectus ants use destructive disinfection to prevent a pathogen from spreading within the colony. Read more
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(BMC Evol Biol, 2017) Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour
The authors demonstrate that co-founding ant queens engage in undertaking behaviors typically performed only by workers in mature colonies. These infection-avoidance behaviors occur before the queens contract the disease, thereby… Read more
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(Roy Soc Open Sci, 2017) Ant queens increase their reproductive efforts after pathogen infection
The authors demonstrate that a fungal infection prompts ant queens to increase their reproductive efforts. This boost in reproduction aligns with the terminal investment hypothesis and is observed here for… Read more
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(J Theor Biol, 2015) Fungal disease dynamics in insect societies: optimal killing rates and the ambivalent effect of high social interaction rates
Entomopathogenic fungi are potent biocontrol agents that are widely used against insect pests, many of which are social insects. The authors develop a model that takes into account the main distinguishing features between… Read more
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(Proc Roy Soc B, 2015) Anti-pathogen protection versus survival costs mediated by an ectosymbiont in an ant host
The authors look at potential costs and benefits of Laboulbenia formicarum – a fungal extosymbiont of Lasius neglectus – levels under Metarhizium exposure. Read more
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(Behav Ecol Sociobiol, 2014) Increased grooming after repeated brood care provides sanitary benefits in a clonal ant
The authors tested whether experience gained by repeated tending of low-level fungus-exposed (Metarhizium robertsii) larvae may alter the performance of sanitary brood care in the clonal ant, Platythyrea punctata. Read more