Disease in the Society: Infectious Cadavers Result in Collapse of Ant Sub-Colonies.

ABSTRACT: Despite the growing number of experimental studies on mechanisms of social immunity in ant societies, little is known about how social behavior relates to disease progression within the nests of ants. In fact, when empirically studying disease in ant societies, it is common to remove dead ants from experiments to confirm infection by the studied parasite. This unfortunately does not allow disease to progress within the nest as it may be assumed would happen under natural conditions. Therefore, the approach taken so far has resulted in a limited knowledge of diseases dynamics within the nest environment. Here we introduced a single infectious cadaver killed by the fungus Beauveria bassiana into small nests of the ant Camponotus castaneus. We then observed the natural progression of the dise

SUBMITTER: Loreto RG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4986943 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature