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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(BMC Evol Biol, 2013) Pupal cocoons affect sanitary brood care and limit fungal infections in ant colonies
The authors look at the effects of the presence of a pupal coccon on the sanitary brood care and infection patterns after exposure to Metarhizium brunneum. They suggest that the… Read more
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(Curr Biol, 2013) Ants disinfect fungus-exposed brood by oral uptake and spread of their poison
In this study the authors show that grooming, in Lasius neglectus, besides mechanical removal of fungal conidiospores also includes chemical disinfection through the application of their poison, which main active… Read more
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(Plos Bio, 2012) Social transfer of pathogenic fungus promotes active immunisation in ant colonies
Social contact to pathogen-exposed individuals reduces the susceptibility to this pathogen. In this study the authors look at the mechanisms behind this phenomenon – is this social immunisation in Lasius… Read more
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(Proc Roy Soc B, 2010) Rapid anti-pathogen response in ant societies relies on high genetic diversity
The study investigats the effects of high versus low genetic diversity on both the individual and collective disease defences in the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. Read more
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(Current Biology, 2007) Social prophylaxis: group interaction promotes collective immunity in ant colonies
In this work, the authors describe the phenomenon of social immunization in ant colonies, i.e. that living together with an infectious colony member can improve later survival upon exposure to… Read more