Altruistic disease signalling in ant colonies
E. H. Dawson, N. Kampleitner, J. Robb, F. Strahodinsky, A. V. Grasse, S. Cremer
The paper shows that infected ant pupae emit chemical signals to trigger their own destruction by colony members, with worker pupae doing so due to weaker immunity compared to queen pupae.
bioRxiv · Feb 27, 2024Animal Behavior & Cognition