The economic strategies of superorganisms

The leaf economics spectrum links strategies of plant investment in resource-acquiring leaves to overall fitness. We test whether an economic spectrum can also explain variation in ecological strategies of ant species across environmental gradients, where colony investment in workers is analogous to plant investment in leaves. A fast return of resource investment was associated with large colonies of smaller, less robust, short-lived workers with low nitrogen:phosphorus ratios. Slow resource payback was associated with small colonies of densely built, energetically conservative and longer-lived workers with high nitrogen:phosphorus ratios. Species representing the entire economic continuum co-occurred in all communities. Phylogenetic analyses suggest genus level conservation of core investment templates. These results unify studies of plants and ants, suggesting common economic principles apply across the tree of life.