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Ants evade harmful food by active abandonment
Daniel Zanola1, Tomer J Czaczkes2, Roxana Josens3
1Laboratorio de Insectos Sociales, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IFIBYNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Communications Biology
|January 12, 2024
Summary
Ant colonies avoid toxic baits, abandoning contaminated food sources. This collective behavior, a social defense mechanism, hinders pest control efforts and explains why invasive ant management often fails.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Entomology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Invasive ants, like the Argentine ant, cause significant ecological and economic damage.
- Current baiting strategies for ant control are often unsuccessful due to challenges in managing established populations.
- Ant colonies exhibit behavioral immunity, prompting investigation into their response to toxic baits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if ant colonies collectively abandon toxic food sources.
- To understand the behavioral mechanisms underlying ant responses to harmful baits.
Main Methods:
- Two sucrose feeders were established, with one feeder's trail later switched to a toxic food source.
- Ant activity on toxic and non-toxic trails was monitored over time.
- Laboratory experiments confirmed ant survival after ingesting toxic food.
Main Results:
- Ant activity significantly decreased on the toxic food trail within six hours.
- Activity on non-toxic food and main trails remained unaffected, ruling out population decline or satiation.
- Ants continued to avoid toxic bait areas for days, demonstrating a sustained avoidance behavior.
- This avoidance minimizes toxic food entry into the nest, indicating a social protective mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Ant colonies exhibit a collective behavioral response to toxic baits, actively abandoning contaminated food sources.
- This evasion of toxic bait areas is a key factor contributing to the failure of invasive ant control.
- Understanding this behavior is crucial for developing more effective invasive ant management strategies.
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