Biotic challenges in the city: Dietary restrictions and body fat content of female sexuals in urban ant populations

Abstract

Urban habitats represent an important challenge for many organisms. Besides the abiotic changes, urban habitats are also characterized by changes in the biotic conditions, such as a more uniform species composition and declining population sizes. For urban ants this can result in dietary shortages. In our study, we tested whether urban ant colonies might suffer from dietary restrictions by carrying out a common garden experiment in which ant colonies from urban and rural habitats were exposed to high carbohydrate, protein, and fat / protein diets. We also investigated the body fat content of individuals from both habitat types. Our findings suggest a lower availability of high-quality carbohydrates in urban areas. Additionally, while not statistically significant, rural colonies exhibited a tendency to consume greater quantities of proteins and fat compared to urban colonies. This trend was in line with a higher body fat content observed in female sexuals (gynes) from rural colonies. These results might indicate the outcome of an evolutionary feedback process in which ant colonies adapt to nutritional constraints in urban environments. They achieve this by minimizing the investment in gynes, which might require fewer reserves for survival during colony foundation due to reduced competition for nesting sites within urban green spaces.