Differential necrophoric behaviour of the ant Solenopsis invicta towards fungal-infected corpses of workers and pupae

@article{Qiu2015DifferentialNB,
  title={Differential necrophoric behaviour of the ant Solenopsis invicta towards fungal-infected corpses of workers and pupae},
  author={Hua-long Qiu and L-H Lu and Q Shi and C. C. Tu and T. Lin and Y. He},
  journal={Bulletin of Entomological Research},
  year={2015},
  volume={105},
  pages={607 - 614}
}
Abstract Necrophoric behaviour is critical sanitation behaviour in social insects. However, little is known about the necrophoric responses of workers towards different developmental stages in a colony as well as its underlying mechanism. Here, we show that Solenopsis invicta workers display distinct necrophoric responses to corpses of workers and pupae. Corpses of workers killed by freezing (dead for <1 h) were carried to a refuse pile, but pupal corpses would take at least 1 day to elicit… Expand
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Mortality of Solenopsis invicta Workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) After Indirect Exposure to Spores of Three Entomopathogenic Fungi
TLDR
Mortality caused by indirect exposure to Metarhizium brunneum and Beauveria bassiana to the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, workers was evaluated and confirmed that fungal spores infected workers while walking on the treated paper. Expand
Metarhizium anisopliae infection alters feeding and trophallactic behavior in the ant Solenopsis invicta.
TLDR
Overall, this study indicates that S. invicta may use behavioral defenses such as self-medication and social immunity in response to a M. anisopliae infection, and increased interactions between exposed ants and their naive nestmates suggest the existence of social Immunity in S. Invicta. Expand
Behaviours indicating cannibalistic necrophagy in ants are modulated by the perception of pathogen infection level
TLDR
The results showed that the ants distinguished between corpses of different types and with different levels of infection risk, adjusting their behaviour accordingly, and the frequency of behaviours indicating cannibalistic necrophagy increased during starvation, although these behaviours seem to be fairly common in F. polyctena even in the presence of other food sources. Expand
Differential Behavioral Responses of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Workers Toward Nestmate and Non-Nestmate Corpses
Abstract The removal of corpses (aka ‘necrophoric behavior’) is critical to sanitation in ant colonies. However, little is known about differences in the necrophoric responses of Solenopsis invicta… Expand
Bring out your dead: quantifying corpse removal in Bombus terrestris, an annual eusocial insect
TLDR
The results provide the first quantification of corpse removal in an annual social insect and set the scene for comparative analyses of this important behaviour across social insect life histories. Expand
Destructive disinfection of infected brood prevents systemic disease spread in ant colonies
TLDR
It is shown that in a social insect, the ant Lasius neglectus, the negative consequences of fungal infections can be mitigated by employing an efficient multicomponent behaviour, termed destructive disinfection, which prevents further spread of the disease through the colony. Expand
Comparison of Twelve Ant Species and Their Susceptibility to Fungal Infection
TLDR
Survival after fungal exposure in 12 species of ants is studied and the possible importance of the metapleural gland is discussed, and how the secondary loss of this gland in the genus Camponotus could favor a stronger behavioral response against pathogen threats. Expand
Waste management by ants: the enhancing role of larvae
TLDR
It is shown that ants can detect entomopathogenic conidia on waste and take steps accordingly to hasten the removal of infected items, and the upregulating role of larvae is demonstrated which results in enhanced performance of hygienic tasks and reinforces sanitary control inside the colony. Expand
A death pheromone, oleic acid, triggers hygienic behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)
TLDR
A picture is painted of the molecular mechanism behind hygienic brood-removal behavior, using odorants associated with freeze-killed brood as a model, and it is suggested that the volatile β-ocimene flags hyGienic workers’ attention, while oleic acid is the death cue, triggering removal. Expand
A death pheromone, oleic acid, triggers hygienic behavior in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)
TLDR
A picture is painted of the molecular mechanism behind hygienic brood-removal behavior, using odorants associated with freeze-killed brood as a model, and it is suggested that the volatile β-ocimene flags hyGienic workers’ attention, while oleic acid is the death cue, triggering removal. Expand
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