Soldier production under threat
Article Abstract:
The production of soldiers by ant colonies of the genus Pheidole pallidula increases with increasing demands of protecting the colony from conspecific species. This is the first experimental evidence of an inducible change in the general caste ratio in response to environmental changes. The costly process of forming soldier ants is beneficial when they are better equipped than the workers in defending the colony. This change in caste distribution is against the theory of adaptive caste ratios of social insects which states that the caste distributions remain constant in a colony after it matures.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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The organization of work in social insect colonies
Article Abstract:
Internal factors that are often considered as fixed and external factors which are considered as temporary both influence task allocation in insect colonies. Internal factors are based on individual attributes such as body size, worker age and genetic factors. External factors are based on environmental stimuli, such as actions of other individuals and events in the environment. Models of task allocation which describe processes that may lead to the appropriate number of individuals for particular tasks are discussed.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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Increased soldier production in ant colonies exposed to intraspecific competition
Article Abstract:
Colonies of the ant Pheidole pallidula increase the rate of soldier ants production after realizing the presence of foreign conspecific colonies. The number of soldier ant pupae and adult soldiers increases in the presence of foreign colonies, However, the total biomass of the colonies is unaffected. Thus, ants change their physical caste ratios in response to variations in environmental factors. This adaptive phenotypic plasticity detected at the individual and colony level of ants depends on natural selection.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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