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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

Alate susceptibility in ants.

Eddie K H Ho¹, Megan E Frederickson²

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada.

Ecology and Evolution

|December 26, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Ant workers show higher immunity to fungal pathogens than reproductive alates, suggesting a division of immune labor within colonies. This specialization benefits the entire ant colony

Keywords:

Alate susceptibility Beauveria bassiana ants division of labor among castes haploid or male susceptibility individual and colony immunity levels of selection

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Insect Pathology

Background:

Pathogen transmission is a significant threat to social insects due to high population densities and relatedness.
Ant colonies exhibit distinct castes: sterile workers and reproductive alates, with differing potential benefits from immune investment.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate caste-specific differences in immunocompetence against fungal pathogens in ants.
To determine if workers possess higher resistance than reproductive alates, supporting a division of immune labor.

Main Methods:

Nine ant species from Peru and Canada were exposed to the entomopathogenic fungus *Beauveria bassiana*.
Survival rates of workers, female alates (gynes), and male alates were compared between treatment and control groups.
Statistical analyses were performed to assess differences in susceptibility.

Main Results:

*Beauveria bassiana* significantly increased mortality in seven of the nine species studied.
Workers demonstrated significantly lower susceptibility to the fungus compared to both female and male alates.
No significant difference in immunocompetence was observed between female and male alates.

Conclusions:

Ant workers serve as the primary defenders against pathogens, analogous to their roles in foraging and nest maintenance.
Alates appear to specialize in reproduction, benefiting from worker-provided immunity.
Colony-level selection plays a crucial role in shaping individual immunity within social insect colonies.