Erik T. Frank (University of Würzburg), Evolution of Social Wound Care Behaviour in Ants (hybrid)

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Erik T. Frank, Emmy Noether Group Leader, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, for a talk on “Evolution of Social Wound Care Behaviour in Ants”

Abstract:

Animals developed different behavioural adaptations to help injured individuals. In ants permanently injured individuals that lost an extremity are carried back to safety to allow them to recover. In case of an infection, different behavioural strategies have evolved to combat the pathogens. Ants often use the metapleural gland, but some genera lost this gland in their evolutionary history. Here we compare two different behaviours to combat an infected wound, one with the metapleural gland and one without. The ant Megaponera analis treats infected wounds with antimicrobial compounds secreted from the metapleural gland, thereby reducing mortality of infected ants by 90%. Further analyses of the metapleural gland secretions of M. analis revealed over 121 chemical compounds and 41 proteins, almost half of which have an antimicrobial effect. However, ants from the genus Camponotus do not have this gland at their disposal. Remarkably, we observed that workers amputated the infected leg by biting it off at its base. This behaviour halted the infection and guaranteed the survival of the injured ant. The large phylogenetic distance between Megaponera and Camponotus and their strikingly different natural history (Megaponera a group-hunting predator, Camponotus a solitary foraging generalist) also suggest that wound care behaviour could be much more widespread in social insects than previously thought. Overall, we reveal a multifaceted care system, which not only allows to differentiate between sterile and infected wounds but also to treat them either with antimicrobial compounds or amputation of the infected leg. Thereby allowing M. analis and Camponotus to combat opportunistic pathogenic pressures present on their frequently inflicted wounds with two very different strategies.

Format:

Erik will visit us in person, but a Zoom option will also be available. If you’d like to attend online, please contact Thomas Pradeu.