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Journal article
Brain investment under colony-level selection: soldier specialization in Eciton army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae)
BMC zoology, v 3(1), pp 1-6
13 Jul 2018
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Background: In eusociai animai colonies, individuals from different castes often play divergent behavioral roles and confront distinct cognitive demands. Neuroecology theory predicts variation in cognitive demands will correspond to differences in brain investment because brain tissue is energetically expensive. We hypothesized colony-level selection for efficient energy allocation will favor reduced brain investment for castes with reduced cognitive demands. Neotropical army ants (genus Eciton) have morphologically-based worker castes; the specialized soldiers have reduced behavioral repertoires. We asked whether Eciton worker brain size and brain architecture varied with body size, and predicted the specialized soldier caste would have reduced investment in brain tissue.
Results: Eciton brain size generally increased with body size, but relative brain size (brain size/body size ratio) decreased sharply with body size. Soldiers were the largest-bodied workers, but their total brain volume overlapped extensively with other workers and was small relative to body size. Furthermore, soldier chemosensory antennal lobes and central-processing mushroom bodies were smaller relative to their brain size.
Conclusions: These patterns suggest colony level selection on brain investment efficiency has led to adaptive adjustments in brain tissue allocation among Eciton worker castes, with reduced brain investment in the behaviorally specialized soldiers.
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Details
- Title
- Brain investment under colony-level selection: soldier specialization in Eciton army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae)
- Creators
- Sean O'Donnell - Drexel UniversitySusan Bulova - Drexel UniversityMeghan Barrett - Drexel UniversityChristoph von Beeren - TU Darmstadt
- Publication Details
- BMC zoology, v 3(1), pp 1-6
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 6
- Grant note
- IOS 1209072 / NSF; National Science Foundation (NSF) Drexel University startup funds BE 5177/1-1; BE 5177/4-1 / German Science Foundation (DFG); German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000438584600001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85052140583
- Other Identifier
- 991019167913204721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Zoology