Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Unravelling termite evolution with 47 high-resolution genome assemblies

This study sequenced 47 termite genomes, revealing genomic expansions linked to dietary evolution and ecological success in Termitidae.

Ants oscillate and scan more in navigation when the visual scene changes

This study shows that red honey ants adjust their navigation behavior, increasing oscillations and scanning when familiar visual scenes are altered.

WARMING AND INCREASED RAINFALL REDUCE BUMBLEBEE QUEEN FITNESS

This study shows that wet years and warm temperatures affect bumblebee queen fitness, with resource availability and diapause disruption playing key roles.

Bumble bee workers adopt novel behavioral roles and reshape their social networks in the absence of a queen

The paper shows that in queenless bumble bee colonies, workers show increased behavioral variation and take on influential roles, leading to a shift from centralized to decentralized social networks.

Convergent Evolutionary Traces of Genomic Innovations and Depletions in Socially Parasitic Ants

This study identifies convergent genomic changes in socially parasitic ants, showing gene loss, innovation, and network rewiring in parasites compared to hosts.

Molecular analyses of individual variation in honey bee sociability

This study identifies genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying sociability in honey bees by linking SNPs, brain gene expression, and trophallaxis behavior.

First records of invasive Vespa velutina nigrithorax Buysson, 1905 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and Megachile sculpturalis Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Slovakia

The paper reports the first records of two invasive hymenopteran species in Slovakia and describes the methods used to detect and monitor their spread.

Comprehensive expression data for two honey bee species, Apis mellifera and Apis cerana japonica

The paper constructs comprehensive expression datasets for two honey bee species, Apis mellifera and Apis cerana japonica, using RNA-Seq data and reference transcript sequences.

Intricacies of running a route without success in night-active bull ants (Myrmecia midas)

This study investigates how nocturnal bull ants adjust their navigation when route following fails, showing they rely on visual cues and celestial compasses for homing.

Circling back: Vespula spp. re-invasion after knockout from volcanic ash fall in Patagonia

The paper studies the rapid re-invasion of Vespula wasps after a volcanic eruption in Patagonia, showing minimal interspecific competition and the role of urban refuges in their establishment.

Discrimination against non-nestmates functions to exclude socially parasitic conspecifics in an ant

The paper investigates nestmate discrimination in ants to exclude intraspecific social parasites, finding that host colonies reject cheater lineages through aggression, with low intrusion success.

Socially driven negative feedback regulates activity and energy use in ant colonies

The paper models social feedback mechanisms in ant colonies to show how collective energy use scales sublinearly with group size, similar to Kleiber's law in individual organisms.

From egg to adult: a developmental table of the ant Monomorium pharaonis

This paper presents a developmental table for the Pharaoh ant Monomorium pharaonis, showing that queen and worker phenotypes are determined by early embryogenesis.

Red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) do not distinguish between sorghum head mold symptomatic and asymptomatic seeds

This study shows red harvester ants do not preferentially collect sorghum seeds infected with head mold over uninfected ones, suggesting they do not distinguish between the two types.

Convergent evolution associated with the loss of developmental diapause may promote extended lifespan in bees

This study investigates the genomic basis of lifespan extension in bees lacking prepupal diapause, finding convergent selection on longevity-related genes and changes in selection pressures on the IIS/TOR pathway.

Neuropeptides specify and reprogram division of labor in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes

The paper identifies neuropeptides that specify and reprogram division of labor in leafcutter ants, showing their role in behavior and transcriptomic changes.

Bee microbiomes in a changing climate: investigating the effects of temperature on solitary bee life history and health

This study examines how temperature affects the microbiota of solitary bee provisions and larval health, finding that heat stress alters microbial composition but does not significantly impact survivorship.

Repeated shifts in sociality are associated with fine-tuning of highly conserved and lineage-specific enhancers in a socially flexible bee

The paper identifies enhancer activity differences between social and solitary populations of Lasioglossum albipes, linking cis-regulatory variation to social behavior evolution.

Deciphering the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of six European honey bee subspecies

The paper compares cuticular hydrocarbon profiles across six European honey bee subspecies to assess adaptation to climate and social roles, finding subspecies-specific differences and task-related variations.

Non-floral scent sources of orchid bees: observations and significance

The paper observes orchid bees collecting non-floral scents for perfume and notes their role in sexual communication and nest construction.

A comparative study of navigation behaviours in ants

This study compares navigation behaviors in 15 ant species, finding that olfactory navigation is dominant, path integration is limited to arboreal ants, and view-based navigation is influenced by body size and eye size.

Route Learning and Transport of Resources during Colony Relocation in Australian Desert Ants

This study investigates how Australian desert ants learn and navigate during colony relocation, finding that relearning walks at both old and new nests are critical for successful relocation and foraging.

The impact of social complexity on the efficacy of natural selection in termites

This study examines how social complexity in termites affects natural selection efficiency by analyzing dN/dS ratios across Blattodea species and termite transcriptomes.

Desert ant (Melophorus bagoti) dumpers learn from experience to improve waste disposal and show spatial fidelity

This study shows that experienced Melophorus bagoti ants dump waste more efficiently and with spatial fidelity compared to naive ants, suggesting learning improves waste disposal and navigation.

Variation in season length and development time is sufficient to drive the emergence and coexistence of social and solitary behavioral strategies

This study develops a theoretical model showing that season length and development time can drive the emergence and coexistence of social and solitary behaviors in insects.

Thrifty phenotypes in ants: Extending a human developmental hypothesis to a superorganism

This study tests the thrifty phenotype hypothesis in carpenter ants, showing that caste structure adjusts plastically to environmental conditions.

Landmark knowledge overrides optic flow in honeybee waggle dance distance estimation

The paper investigates whether honeybees use landscape memory from exploratory flights to estimate distance in their waggle dances, finding that landmark knowledge overrides optic flow in distance estimation.

External morphometric and microscopic analysis of the reproductive system in in- vitro reared stingless bee queens, Heterotrigona itama, and their mating frequency

This study evaluates in vitro rearing of Heterotrigona itama queens, finding similar body size to natural queens, developed reproductive organs, and comparable mating frequency.

Lethal Disruption of the Symbiotic Gut Community in Eastern Subterranean Termite Caused by Boric Acid

This study examines the impact of boric acid on the gut microbiome of Eastern subterranean termites, finding dose-dependent mortality and microbiome dysbiosis.

Genomic Signatures of Domestication in a Fungus Obligately Farmed by Leafcutter Ants

This study identifies genomic signatures of domestication in a fungus farmed by leafcutter ants using long-read sequencing, revealing gene expansions and losses linked to cultivation adaptation.