Csata, Eniko and Casacci, Luca Pietro and Ruther, Joachim and Bernadou, Abel and Heinze, Juergen and Marko, Balint (2023) Non-lethal fungal infection could reduce aggression towards strangers in ants. COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY, 6 (1): 183. ISSN , 2399-3642
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
The application of alkane tricosane (n-C23) to non-nestmates decreases aggression towards them in ants, in line with its high level in infected workers, pointing at a pacifying signal in parasitic interferences in ant nestmate discrimination. Many parasites interfere with the behaviour of their hosts. In social animals, such as ants, parasitic interference can cause changes on the level of the individual and also on the level of the society. The ant-parasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii influences the behaviour of Myrmica ants by expanding the host's nestmate recognition template, thereby increasing the chance of the colony accepting infected non-nestmates. Infected ants consistently show an increase of the alkane tricosane (n-C23) in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. Although experimental application of single compounds often elicits aggression towards manipulated ants, we hypothesized that the increase of n-C23 might underlie the facilitated acceptance of infected non-nestmates. To test this, we mimicked fungal infection in M. scabrinodis by applying synthetic n-C23 to fresh ant corpses and observed the reaction of infected and uninfected workers to control and manipulated corpses. Infected ants appeared to be more peaceful towards infected but not uninfected non-nestmates. Adding n-C23 to uninfected corpses resulted in reduced aggression in uninfected ants. This supports the hypothesis that n-C23 acts as a 'pacifying' signal. Our study indicates that parasitic interference with the nestmate discrimination of host ants might eventually change colony structure by increasing genetic heterogeneity in infected colonies.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | CUTICULAR HYDROCARBONS; NESTMATE RECOGNITION; EPICUTICULAR HYDROCARBONS; ASCOMYCOTA LABOULBENIALES; CHEMICAL PROFILE; RICKIA WASMANNII; APIS-MELLIFERA; HYMENOPTERA; HOST; DISCRIMINATION; |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Mar 2024 14:09 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Mar 2024 14:09 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/60218 |
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