Early social context does not influence behavioral variation at adulthood in ants.

ABSTRACT: Early experience can prepare offspring to adapt their behaviors to the environment they are likely to encounter later in life. In several species of ants, colonies show ontogenic changes in the brood-to-worker ratio that are known to have an impact on worker morphology. However, little information is available on the influence of fluctuations in the early social context on the expression of behavior in adulthood. Using the ant Lasius niger, we tested whether the brood-to-worker ratio during larval stages influenced the level of behavioral variability at adult stages. We raised batches of 20 or 180 larvae in the presence of 60 workers until adulthood. We then quantified the activity level and wall-following tendency of callow workers on 10 successive trials to test the prediction tha

SUBMITTER: Sanmartin-Villar I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9113369 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature