Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour

Pull C, Cremer S. 2017. Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17(1), 219.

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Journal Article | Published | English

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Abstract
Background: Social insects form densely crowded societies in environments with high pathogen loads, but have evolved collective defences that mitigate the impact of disease. However, colony-founding queens lack this protection and suffer high rates of mortality. The impact of pathogens may be exacerbated in species where queens found colonies together, as healthy individuals may contract pathogens from infectious co-founders. Therefore, we tested whether ant queens avoid founding colonies with pathogen-exposed conspecifics and how they might limit disease transmission from infectious individuals. Results: Using Lasius Niger queens and a naturally infecting fungal pathogen Metarhizium brunneum, we observed that queens were equally likely to found colonies with another pathogen-exposed or sham-treated queen. However, when one queen died, the surviving individual performed biting, burial and removal of the corpse. These undertaking behaviours were performed prophylactically, i.e. targeted equally towards non-infected and infected corpses, as well as carried out before infected corpses became infectious. Biting and burial reduced the risk of the queens contracting and dying from disease from an infectious corpse of a dead co-foundress. Conclusions: We show that co-founding ant queens express undertaking behaviours that, in mature colonies, are performed exclusively by workers. Such infection avoidance behaviours act before the queens can contract the disease and will therefore improve the overall chance of colony founding success in ant queens.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2017-10-13
Journal Title
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Publisher
BioMed Central
Volume
17
Issue
1
Article Number
219
ISSN
IST-REx-ID
732

Cite this

Pull C, Cremer S. Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2017;17(1). doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1062-4
Pull, C., & Cremer, S. (2017). Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour. BMC Evolutionary Biology. BioMed Central. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-1062-4
Pull, Christopher, and Sylvia Cremer. “Co-Founding Ant Queens Prevent Disease by Performing Prophylactic Undertaking Behaviour.” BMC Evolutionary Biology. BioMed Central, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-1062-4.
C. Pull and S. Cremer, “Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour,” BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 17, no. 1. BioMed Central, 2017.
Pull C, Cremer S. 2017. Co-founding ant queens prevent disease by performing prophylactic undertaking behaviour. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17(1), 219.
Pull, Christopher, and Sylvia Cremer. “Co-Founding Ant Queens Prevent Disease by Performing Prophylactic Undertaking Behaviour.” BMC Evolutionary Biology, vol. 17, no. 1, 219, BioMed Central, 2017, doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1062-4.
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2018-12-12
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