Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Evidence for fungivory in Proctotydaeus furnarius, a brood mite of the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria

The study investigates the diet of the brood mite Proctotydaeus furnarius, finding it consumes fungi but may also feed on host brood.

Ecdysone Antagonizes Growth and Juvenile Hormone-Dependent Soldier Caste Identity in Camponotus floridanus

This study shows that ecdysone negatively regulates size and blocks soldier caste development in Camponotus floridanus, with antagonistic interactions with juvenile hormone and temperature regulation.

Breaking rules at small scales: ecological and biomechanical diversity in ant terrestrial locomotion

This paper synthesizes research on ant locomotion, showing that body size explains much of locomotor performance variation but other factors also contribute to diversity in movement strategies.

Chromosome-level genome and caste transcriptomes for Africa's most widespread social wasp (Belonogaster juncea) reveal unexpected genomic diversity

The paper presents a chromosome-level genome and caste transcriptomes for Belonogaster juncea, revealing genomic diversity and caste-specific gene expression differences.

The "glue-gun ant" Lordomyrma azumai uses an adhesive thread secretion to immobilize opponents

The paper describes how Lordomyrma azumai ants use a solid adhesive thread from their poison gland to immobilize opponents, differing from known venom functions.

Genome assemblies and annotations of the poneroid ants Platythyrea mocquerysi (Ponerinae) and Stigmatomma oregonense (Amblyoponinae)

The paper presents draft genome assemblies for two ant species, analyzing genome size variation and gene family expansions related to brood management strategies.

Genomic insights into bacterial isolates dominating honeypot ant crop microbiomes reveal metabolically distinct Fructilactobacillus sp.

The paper investigates the genomic diversity and metabolic traits of Fructilactobacillus isolates from honeypot ant crop microbiomes and identifies factors contributing to their dominance.

Dynamic Workforce Modulation and Foraging Efficiency in Eusocial Insect Colonies

The paper examines how eusocial insect colonies use reserve workers to modulate foraging efficiency and maintain energetic balance under fluctuating conditions.

Ecological coupling of foraging and thermoregulation in harvester ants from a tropical deciduous forest in southern Mexico

This study examines how harvester ants adjust foraging and thermoregulation strategies in response to habitat warming, finding shifts in optimal foraging temperatures and thermoregulatory behaviors.

Gene flux drives functional changes in an ancient supergene in Formica lemani

The paper identifies genetic elements within a supergene that influence queen number and body size in Formica lemani by analyzing haplotype-phenotype associations and gene flux.

Temperature and management reduce the abundance of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile)

The study shows that habitat modification reduces Argentine ant abundance and allows native ants to recover, but does not fully eradicate the invader.

Corazonin links social role and metabolic-stress responses in honey bee workers

This study investigates corazonin's role in honey bee workers, finding higher corazonin levels in foragers and role-specific responses to metabolic challenge.

Human landscape modification shapes foraging preferences and sucrose responsiveness of honey bees in Asia

This study shows how landscape type affects foraging preferences and sucrose responsiveness in three Asian honey bee species, with A. florea showing consistent high-concentration nectar preference across habitats.

Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth influence species responses to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter ants?

This study examines how niche breadth affects responses to land-use change in two leaf-cutter ant species, finding that A. laevigata is more specialized and A. cephalotes more generalist.

Assessing the defensive behaviour of Apis mellifera scutellata in its native range reveals its variability, organization and persistence

The paper assesses defensive behavior in Apis mellifera scutellata, revealing variability, organization, and persistence in colony defense mechanisms compared to other subspecies.

Multiple Shifts from Peptide-Based to Metabolite-Based Venoms in Ants

This paper identifies seven independent transitions from peptide-based to metabolite-based venoms in ants, linked to ecological and morphological changes.

Sociality in weevils is shaped by sheltering and convergent gene losses

This study investigates the molecular evolution of sociality in weevils, finding relaxed selection and gene loss rather than adaptive innovation in socially complex species.

Social attraction mediates collective foraging decisions in invasive hornets

The paper shows invasive hornets use social attraction to make collective foraging decisions, favoring food sources primed with dead conspecifics or related species.

Bacterial secreted products selectively inhibit non-symbiotic fungi in bees

The paper investigates how bacterial secreted products in stingless bee larvae inhibit harmful fungi while supporting beneficial yeast, revealing mechanisms like acidification and non-canonical metabolites.

The Environmental, Endocrine, and Epigenetic Basis of Size Plasticity in a Superorganism

This study investigates how environmental, endocrine, and epigenetic factors interact to influence size plasticity in fire ants, revealing an endocrine-epigenetic axis that mediates developmental responses to temperature and nutrition.

Lethal epistasis maintains strong linkage disequilibrium between unlinked supergenes

The paper shows epistasis between two unlinked supergenes in ants maintains linkage disequilibrium despite independent assortment.

A Hymenoptera-restricted gene mediating ant castes co-opts deeply conserved machinery to control organ size

The paper identifies a Hymenoptera-specific gene, torch, that controls caste-specific organ size by co-opting conserved Hippo signaling machinery across species.

Aggressive conflict as a transient and distributed landmark in homing desert ants

This study shows that Tunisian desert ants use intraspecific conflict as a distributed landmark to improve navigation accuracy and adjust homing strategies.

Heatwaves do not impact bacteria within pollen provisions, despite accelerating blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria) larval development

This study examines the impact of heatwaves on bacterial communities in blue orchard bee pollen provisions and larval development, finding no effect on bacteria but accelerated larval development.

Viral infection patterns in ants are affected by colony structure and phylogenetic lineage

The paper examines how ant colony structure and phylogenetic lineage influence viral diversity and abundance across 15 ant species.

Urbanisation and habitat loss favour thermophilic and monogynous ant species

The paper examines how urbanisation and habitat fragmentation affect ant communities, finding that urban areas favor thermophilic and monogynous species, altering community composition and thermal preferences.

lncRNAs contribute to caste differentiation as a regulatory layer in ants

This study identifies lncRNAs as key regulators of caste differentiation in ants through transcriptomic analysis and functional validation.

Tracking a major evolutionary transition to superorganismality

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of termite social systems using comparative transcriptomics, revealing that linear caste development is ancestral and bifurcated caste development evolved multiple times through gene regulatory network co-option.

Comparative scototaxis among four honey bee species

This study compares scototaxis behavior in four honey bee species, finding stronger orientation in open-nesting species and suggesting ancestral trait reduction in cavity-nesting lineages.

Population genomics of the inquiline social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator and its leaf-cutting ant hosts A. echinatior and A. octospinosus reveals cryptic differentiation and reduced efficiency of selection in the parasite

The paper uses population genomic analyses to study the social parasite Acromyrmex insinuator and its hosts, finding reduced genetic diversity, eroded adaptive potential, and cryptic population structure in the parasite.