Early social context does not influence behavioral variation at adulthood in ants

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Developmental Biology
• Entomology

Background:

• Early life experiences shape adult adaptation to environments.
• Ant colonies exhibit ontogenetic shifts in brood-to-worker ratios affecting worker morphology.
• The impact of early social context on adult behavior remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the brood-to-worker ratio during larval stages influences behavioral variability in adult ants (Lasius niger).
• To test the hypothesis that a high early brood-to-worker ratio leads to greater behavioral variation in adulthood.

Main Methods:

• Larvae of Lasius niger were reared under two different brood-to-worker ratios (low: 20 larvae/60 workers; high: 180 larvae/60 workers).
• Developmental duration and adult size were recorded.
• Activity levels and wall-following tendencies of newly emerged workers were quantified over 10 trials.

Main Results:

• Manipulation of the brood-to-worker ratio affected developmental duration and adult size.
• No significant influence of the early social context on between- or within-individual variation in activity level was detected.
• No significant influence of the early social context on between- or within-individual variation in wall-following behavior was detected.

Conclusions:

• Early social environment in Lasius niger influences developmental and morphological traits.
• Behavioral traits appear to be more canalized than morphological traits, showing less variation in response to early social context.
• This suggests that behavioral plasticity may have different constraints than morphological plasticity in ants.