Modularity and connectivity of nest structure scale with colony size

10.1101/2021.04.30.442199 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julie Serena Miller ◽

Emma Wan ◽

Noa Pinter-Wollman

Keyword(s):

Colony Size ◽

Large Body ◽

Nest Structure ◽

Biological Organization ◽

Ant Colonies ◽

Body Sizes ◽

Meta Analyses ◽

Alternative Routes ◽

Structural Solutions ◽

Travel Distances

Large body sizes have evolved structures to facilitate resource transport. Like unitary organisms, social insect colonies must transport information and resources, and colonies with more individuals may experience transport challenges similar to large-bodied organisms. In ant colonies, transport occurs in the nest, which may consist of structures that facilitate movement. We examine three attributes of nest structures that could mitigate transport challenges related to colony size: (1) subdivision: nests of species with large colonies are more subdivided to reduce viscosity of large crowds; (2) branching: nest tunnels increase branching in species with large colonies to reduce travel distances; and (3) short-cuts: nests of species with large colonies have cross-linking tunnels to connect distant parts of the nest and create alternative routes. We test these hypotheses by comparing nest structures of species with different colony sizes in phylogenetically controlled meta-analyses. Our findings support the subdivision and branching hypotheses. The nests of species with large colonies contain more, but not larger, chambers and reduce travel distances by increasing branching frequency. The similarity in how ant nests and the bodies of unitary organisms respond to increasing size suggests structural solutions that are common across levels of biological organization.

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Natural history notes on worker size, colony size, and nest structure of Azteca muelleri Emery, 1893 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cecropia glaziovii (Rosales: Urticaceae) from the Atlantic Forest

Entomological Communications ◽

10.37486/2675-1305.ec03017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. ec03017

Author(s):

Victor Nagatani ◽

Nathalia S. Da Silva ◽

Emília Z. Albuquerque ◽

André L. Gaglioti ◽

Maria S. C. Morini

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Colony Size ◽

Great Effort ◽

Nest Structure ◽

Intraspecific Polymorphism ◽

Nest Distribution ◽

Natural History Studies ◽

Biological Aspects ◽

Mutualistic Association

Mutualistic association between Azteca Forel, 1878 ants and Cecropia Loefl. plants are one of the most studied interactions in Neotropics, however, natural history studies of Azteca species still poorly investigated due to the great effort required to conduct detailed descriptive studies. Here, we describe biological aspects of Azteca muelleri Emery, 1893 nesting in Cecropia glaziovii Snethl. in a fragment of Atlantic Forest, addressing (a) colony size; (b) nest distribution on the tree; and (c) worker and queen morphometrics. We collected two C. glaziovii saplings and counted characteristics of the nests and plants. We randomly selected 140 workers to measure and to determine whether intraspecific polymorphism occurs. Workers, immatures, and mealybugs were present in all hollow internodes of plant, and a queen was found. We found isometric morphological variation in A. muelleri. Our study provides new data to understand the biology of A. muelleri nesting in C. glaziovii, one of the most species-rich genera of arboreal ants known for the neotropics.

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The nesting of the relict wasp, Discoelius dufourii Lepeletier, 1841 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae): nest structure, nest building and hunting activity

Caucasian Entomological Bulletin ◽

10.23885/1814-3326-2005-1-2-171-178 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 171-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S.P. Ivanov ◽

◽

A.V. Amolin ◽

А.V. Fateryga ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nest Building ◽

Nest Structure ◽

Hunting Activity

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Colony Size of Tuberolachnus salignus (Gmelin) in Relation to Mass Transport of 14C-labelled Assimilates from the Leaves in Willow

Physiologia Plantarum ◽

10.1111/j.1399-3054.1970.tb08877.x ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 1033-1038 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

A. J. Peel ◽

L. C. Ho

Keyword(s):

Mass Transport ◽

Colony Size ◽

Tuberolachnus Salignus

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Herd immunity drives the epidemic fadeout of avian cholera in Arctic-nesting seabirds

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79888-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jacintha G. B. van Dijk ◽

Samuel A. Iverson ◽

H. Grant Gilchrist ◽

N. Jane Harms ◽

Holly L. Hennin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colony Size ◽

Pasteurella Multocida ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Reproductive Number ◽

Somateria Mollissima ◽

Common Eiders ◽

Serological Status ◽

Antibody Titers ◽

Avian Cholera

AbstractAvian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, is a common and important infectious disease of wild birds in North America. Between 2005 and 2012, avian cholera caused annual mortality of widely varying magnitudes in Northern common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) breeding at the largest colony in the Canadian Arctic, Mitivik Island, Nunavut. Although herd immunity, in which a large proportion of the population acquires immunity to the disease, has been suggested to play a role in epidemic fadeout, immunological studies exploring this hypothesis have been missing. We investigated the role of three potential drivers of fadeout of avian cholera in eiders, including immunity, prevalence of infection, and colony size. Each potential driver was examined in relation to the annual real-time reproductive number (Rt) of P. multocida, previously calculated for eiders at Mitivik Island. Each year, colony size was estimated and eiders were closely monitored, and evaluated for infection and serological status. We demonstrate that acquired immunity approximated using antibody titers to P. multocida in both sexes was likely a key driver for the epidemic fadeout. This study exemplifies the importance of herd immunity in influencing the dynamics and fadeout of epidemics in a wildlife population.

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The Abundance of Microcystin-Producing Genotypes Correlates Positively with Colony Size in Microcystis sp. and Determines Its Microcystin Net Production in Lake Wannsee

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.2.787-795.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (2) ◽

pp. 787-795 ◽

Cited By ~ 150

Author(s):

Rainer Kurmayer ◽

Guntram Christiansen ◽

Ingrid Chorus

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Colony Size ◽

Population Growth Rate ◽

Size Class ◽

Net Production ◽

Cell Numbers ◽

Size Classes ◽

Key Factor ◽

Genotype Composition ◽

Working Hypotheses

ABSTRACT The working hypotheses tested on a natural population of Microcystis sp. in Lake Wannsee (Berlin, Germany) were that (i) the varying abundance of microcystin-producing genotypes versus non-microcystin-producing genotypes is a key factor for microcystin net production and (ii) the occurrence of a gene for microcystin net production is related to colony morphology, particularly colony size. To test these hypotheses, samples were fractionated by colony size with a sieving procedure during the summer of 2000. Each colony size class was analyzed for cell numbers, the proportion of microcystin-producing genotypes, and microcystin concentrations. The smallest size class of Microcystis colonies (<50 μm) showed the lowest proportion of microcystin-producing genotypes, the highest proportion of non-microcystin-producing cells, and the lowest microcystin cell quotas (sum of microcystins RR, YR, LR, and WR). In contrast, the larger size classes of Microcystis colonies (>100 μm) showed the highest proportion of microcystin-producing genotypes, the lowest proportion of non-microcystin-producing cells, and the highest microcystin cell quotas. The microcystin net production rate was nearly one to one positively related to the population growth rate for the larger colony size classes (>100 μm); however, no relationship could be found for the smaller size classes. It was concluded that the variations found in microcystin net production between colony size classes are chiefly due to differences in genotype composition and that the microcystin net production in the lake is mainly influenced by the abundance of the larger (>100-μm) microcystin-producing colonies.

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