Undertaking specialization in the desert leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor 

@article{Julian1999UndertakingSI,
  title={Undertaking specialization in the desert leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor
},
  author={Glennis E. Julian and Sara Helms Cahan},
  journal={Animal Behaviour},
  year={1999},
  volume={58},
  pages={437-442}
}
We investigated undertaking behaviour in the desert leaf-cutter ant to determine whether colonies show undertaking specialization, how task specialization is regulated and the consequences of specialization on colony performance. Task specialization has been hypothesized to be a result of internal physiological or genetic factors that govern worker behaviour. On the other hand, it has been suggested that task specialization could be a result of spatial structuring of workers allowing only a… 
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86 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
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Background Citations
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86 Citations

Genetic variation and task specialization in the desert leaf-cutter ant, Acromyrmex versicolor

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Under laboratory conditions, single foundresses were significantly less likely to initiate a successful symbiotic fungus garden, which inevitably led to colony starvation and death, and cooperation in this species may be maintained by survival benefits than by growth rate differences, which may be constrained in groups by individual and colony-level costs.

Variation in nestmate recognition ability among polymorphic leaf-cutting ant workers.

Weak specialization of workers inside a bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) nest

It is shown that in spite of this, B. impatiens workers generally perform multiple tasks throughout their life, and the size of this task repertoire size does not depend on body size, nor does it change with age.

Waste Management of the Polymorphic Ant Camponotus aethiops ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae )

There were, however, individuals that were more “ready” to perform these actions, thereby enhancing the efficiency of these tasks, keeping the infections prevalence low, and, this way, contributing to colony survival.

Polymorphism and Division of Labor During Foraging Cycles in the Leaf-cutting Ant Acromyrmex octospinosus (Formicidae; Attini)

Marked major workers known to be foragers tended to remain idle within the nest when the colony was deprived of forage, while non-foragers of similar head width engaged in a variety of within-nest tasks, suggesting polyethism in majors may be based on factors other than size.

Fine Individual Specialization and Elitism among Workers of the Ant Ectatomma tuberculatum for a Highly Specific Task: Intruder Removal

The data show that the ants discriminated between live and pentane-washed intruders and adjusted their behavior accordingly, the first demonstration in ants of both behavioral specialization and hyperspecialization in intruder removal.

Division of labor increases with colony size in the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex californicus

A positive scaling relationship between colony size and division of labor in 2 different contexts is found and the importance of colony size for the organization of work in insect societies is highlighted, raising broader questions about the role of size in sociobiology.

Transitioning from unstable to stable colony growth in the desert leafcutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor

This work monitors worker population growth and fungal development in the desert leafcutter ant, Acromyrmex versicolor, and suggests that developing colonies undergo key changes in organizational structure and stability as they grow, with a resulting positive transition in efficiency and robustness.

Tool use by the forest ant Aphaenogaster rudis: Ecology and task allocation

The results provide evidence that the debris dropping behavior of Aphaenogaster rudis deserves to be labeled as foraging tool use; and the first evidence that tool use is a specialized task performed by a subset of A. rudis foragers within each colony at any given point in time is provided.
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