Evolution of neurometabolic frugality in harvester ants
Craig D. Perl, Zach N Coto, Robert A. Johnson, Meredith G. Johnson, Leland C. Graber, James Haas, Jane S Waters, James F. A. Traniello, Jon Fewell Harrison
This study measures brain metabolic rates in harvester ants to assess the roles of sociality and body size in brain evolution, finding that body size, not sociality, drives neurometabolic frugality.
bioRxiv · Feb 2, 2026 · PreprintZoology