D3147: Nest shape does not affect ant colony performance against a nest invader despite altered worker movement and communication

Monday, November 11, 2024

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 6, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

Emiliano Calvo Alcaniz (he/him/his)

Graduate student
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Co-Author(s)

GC

Greg Chism

University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
AR

Alann Rathery

University of Roehampton
London, England, United Kingdom
AD

Anna Dornhaus

University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

The spatial configuration or ‘architecture’ of an animal’s home can significantly affect the behavior of the occupant. However, the geometry of the occupied space may only partly be under the animals’ control, especially if pre-existing structures are used. In social animals in particular, such geometry may affect not only movement of individuals but also facilitate (or negate) cooperative interactions. How then does nest architecture translate to performance and fitness? We address this question by manipulating internal nest shape in a social insect, the ant Temnothorax rugatulus. We test the defensive performance of ant colonies against a conspecific nest invader in two distinct nest shapes, where nest invasion risks brood or queen loss. We also compared both worker movement and interaction networks in each nest shape to infer the spread of information about a nest invader. We hypothesize that nest shape may affect performance in the following ways: (1) by changing how well information flows through the colony; (2) by changing the physical accessibility of different sections of the nest, including causing ‘traffic jams’, i.e., total movement blocks; or whether, alternatively, (3) nest shape does not impact performance against nest invaders. We found that, while nest shape did affect information flow and traffic jams, performance itself (time to remove the invader) was not affected by nest geometry. Our findings imply that social animals may be able to flexibly adapt to, and possibly compensate for, different spatial constraints.