An absence of aggression between non-nestmates in the bull ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myrmecia nigriceps</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Ellen van Wilgenburg Susie Dang Amy-Louise Forti Tessa J Koumoundouros Anna Ly Mark A Elgar |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia |
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Abstract: | The ability of social insects to discriminate against non-nestmates is vital for maintaining colony integrity, and in most
social insect species, individuals act aggressively towards non-nestmates that intrude into their nest. Our experimental field
data revealed that intra-colony aggression in the primitive bulldog ant Myrmecia nigriceps is negligible; our series of bioassays revealed no significant difference in the occurrence of aggression in trials involving
workers from the same, a close (less than 300 m) or a far (more than 1.5 km) nest. Further, non-nestmate intruders were able
to enter the nest in 60% of our trials; a similar level was observed in trials involving nestmates. These results suggest
that workers of M. nigriceps are either unable to recognize alien conspecifics or that the costs of ignoring workers from foreign colonies are sufficiently
low to favor low levels of inter-colony aggression in this species. |
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Keywords: | Nestmate recognition Myrmecia Hymenoptera |
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