Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature

Abstract Social insects are among the most abundant arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems, where they provide ecosystem services. The effect of subterranean activity of ants on soil is well-studied, yet little is known about nest architecture due to the difficulty of observing belowground patterns. F...

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Autores principales:	Madison Sankovitz, Jessica Purcell
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/38b83f0d5cc14312988ee8940dccfd6e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:38b83f0d5cc14312988ee8940dccfd6e2021-12-05T12:11:30ZAnt nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature10.1038/s41598-021-02491-w2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/38b83f0d5cc14312988ee8940dccfd6e2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02491-whttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Social insects are among the most abundant arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems, where they provide ecosystem services. The effect of subterranean activity of ants on soil is well-studied, yet little is known about nest architecture due to the difficulty of observing belowground patterns. Furthermore, many species’ ranges span environmental gradients, and their nest architecture is likely shaped by the climatic and landscape features of their specific habitats. We investigated the effects of two temperature treatments on the shape and size of nests built by Formica podzolica ants collected from high and low elevations in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in a full factorial experiment. Ants nested in experimental chambers with soil surface temperatures matching the local temperatures of sample sites. We observed a plastic response of nest architecture to conditions experienced during excavation; workers experiencing a high temperature excavated deeper nests than those experiencing a cooler temperature. Further, we found evidence of local adaptation to temperature, with a significant interaction effect of natal elevation and temperature treatment on nest size and complexity. Specifically, workers from high elevation sites built larger nests with more tunnels when placed in the cool surface temperature treatment, and workers from low elevation sites exhibited the opposite pattern. Our results suggest that subterranean ant nest architecture is shaped by a combination of plastic and locally adapted building behaviors; we suggest that the flexibility of this ‘extended phenotype’ likely contributes to the widespread success of ants.Madison SankovitzJessica PurcellNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Madison Sankovitz Jessica Purcell Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
description	Abstract Social insects are among the most abundant arthropods in terrestrial ecosystems, where they provide ecosystem services. The effect of subterranean activity of ants on soil is well-studied, yet little is known about nest architecture due to the difficulty of observing belowground patterns. Furthermore, many species’ ranges span environmental gradients, and their nest architecture is likely shaped by the climatic and landscape features of their specific habitats. We investigated the effects of two temperature treatments on the shape and size of nests built by Formica podzolica ants collected from high and low elevations in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in a full factorial experiment. Ants nested in experimental chambers with soil surface temperatures matching the local temperatures of sample sites. We observed a plastic response of nest architecture to conditions experienced during excavation; workers experiencing a high temperature excavated deeper nests than those experiencing a cooler temperature. Further, we found evidence of local adaptation to temperature, with a significant interaction effect of natal elevation and temperature treatment on nest size and complexity. Specifically, workers from high elevation sites built larger nests with more tunnels when placed in the cool surface temperature treatment, and workers from low elevation sites exhibited the opposite pattern. Our results suggest that subterranean ant nest architecture is shaped by a combination of plastic and locally adapted building behaviors; we suggest that the flexibility of this ‘extended phenotype’ likely contributes to the widespread success of ants.
format	article
author	Madison Sankovitz Jessica Purcell
author_facet	Madison Sankovitz Jessica Purcell
author_sort	Madison Sankovitz
title	Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
title_short	Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
title_full	Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
title_fullStr	Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
title_full_unstemmed	Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
title_sort	ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/38b83f0d5cc14312988ee8940dccfd6e
work_keys_str_mv	AT madisonsankovitz antnestarchitectureisshapedbylocaladaptationandplasticresponsetotemperature AT jessicapurcell antnestarchitectureisshapedbylocaladaptationandplasticresponsetotemperature
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Ant nest architecture is shaped by local adaptation and plastic response to temperature

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