Blanchard GB, Orledge GM, Reynolds SE, Franks NR
Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath
Anim Behav. 2000 Apr;59(4):723-738. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1374.
We address the organization of workers in social insect societies. We distinguish between changes in behavioural role over the nurse to forager role sequence, which may depend on changes in physiology, and potentially more rapid changes of task within role. We investigated the association between role and nutrient status in the ant Leptothorax albipennis. Worker lipid stores were quantified using a new body size-controlled method, and were related to worker behaviour. Worker lipid stores were evenly distributed amongst colony members at the end of winter, splitting rapidly into two distinct modes (replete nurses and lean foragers) in spring. The proportion of lean foragers increased throughout spring and summer, until most colonies contained only workers of this type. Callow workers then eclosed with intermediate lipid stores. We developed a computer vision system that tracks all nest ants to extract detailed behaviour of individuals of known lipid stores. Lipid storage was negatively correlated with a worker's foraging propensity, and with measures of spatial occupation in the nest and of activity. Different colonies showed a similar quantitative correlation between lipid stores and behavioural role, suggesting that lipid stores were not only correlated with the relative organization of individuals within each nest, but may also have influenced their absolute role. We reviewed the literature and found evidence that nutrient status influences role predisposition in social insect workers. We conclude that the distribution of worker roles may be linked to the balance between foraging income and energetic consumption within the colony directly via worker nutrient status. Copyright 2000 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
我们探讨了群居性昆虫社会中工蚁的组织形式。我们区分了从哺育蚁到觅食蚁角色序列中行为角色的变化（这可能取决于生理变化）以及角色内任务可能更快的变化。我们研究了白腹黑蚁中角色与营养状况之间的关联。使用一种新的体型控制方法对工蚁的脂质储备进行了量化，并将其与工蚁行为相关联。在冬季结束时，工蚁的脂质储备在蚁群成员中均匀分布，到春季迅速分为两种不同模式（脂质充足的哺育蚁和脂质匮乏的觅食蚁）。整个春季和夏季，脂质匮乏的觅食蚁比例不断增加，直到大多数蚁群仅包含此类工蚁。新羽化的工蚁随后以中等脂质储备出现。我们开发了一个计算机视觉系统，该系统可追踪所有蚁巢中的蚂蚁，以提取已知脂质储备个体的详细行为。脂质储备与工蚁的觅食倾向、在蚁巢中的空间占据情况以及活动量呈负相关。不同蚁群在脂质储备与行为角色之间表现出相似的定量相关性，这表明脂质储备不仅与每个蚁巢内个体的相对组织形式相关，还可能影响它们的绝对角色。我们查阅了文献，发现有证据表明营养状况会影响群居性昆虫工蚁的角色倾向。我们得出结论，工蚁角色的分布可能直接通过工蚁的营养状况与蚁群内觅食收入和能量消耗之间的平衡相关联。版权所有2000动物行为研究协会。
