Sick Ants Behave Less Social

Living in groups has several benefits, such as more efficient foraging, cooperative breeding, predator defense, and so on. Yet the high degree of social interactions and, typically, high levels of relatedness also have drawbacks, in the form of increased disease risk. To cope with this, many social organisms have evolved certain behaviours that reduce the risk of infecting their groupmates.A new study, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, investigated the response of carpenter ants (Camponotus aethiops) to being infected by the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum. The study consisted out of three parts: a behavioural study, a chemical analysis and aggression tests. read more

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