The evolution of division of labour: preconditions and evolutionary feedback

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 380(1922)

Published: March 20, 2025

Division of Labour (DoL) among group members reflects the pinnacle social complexity. The synergistic effects created by task specialization and sharing duties benefitting raise efficiency acquisition, use, management defence resources a fundamental step above potential individual agents. At same time, it may stabilize societies because involved interdependence collaborators. Here, I review conditions associated with emergence DoL, which include existence (i) sizeable groups enduring membership; (ii) improving performance; (iii) low conflict interest owing to correlated payoffs. This results in (iv) combination intra-individual consistency inter-individual variance carrying out different tasks, creates (v) some degree mutual members. DoL typically evolves ‘bottom-up’ without external regulatory forces, but latter gain importance at later stage evolution Owing feedback processes, cause effect are often difficult disentangle evolutionary trajectory towards structured well-developed their Nevertheless, entail one-way street complexity, retrogression getting increasingly more agents depend on each other progressing stages evolution. article is part theme issue ‘Division labour as key driver evolution’.

Language: Английский

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The neurobiology of collective behavior: Lessons from honeybees and ants

Elsevier eBooks, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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WOLO: Wilson Only Looks Once – Estimating Ant Body Mass From Reference-Free Images Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Published: Feb. 5, 2025

Size estimation is a hard computer vision problem with widespread applications in quality control manufacturing and processing plants, livestock management, research on animal behaviour. Image-based size typically facilitated by either well-controlled imaging conditions, the provision of global cues, or both. Reference-free remains challenging, because objects vastly different sizes can appear identical if they are similar shape. Here, we explore feasibility implementing automated reference-free body to facilitate large-scale experimental work key model species sociobiology: leaf-cutter ants. Leaf-cutter ants suitable testbed for estimation, their workers differ both shape; principle, it therefore possible infer mass—a proxy size—from relative proportions alone. Inspired earlier E.O. Wilson, who trained himself discern ant worker from visual cues alone, deployed deep learning techniques achieve same feat automatically, quickly, at scale, images: _Wilson Only Looks Once_ (WOLO). Using 150,000 hand-annotated 100,000 computer-generated images, set convolutional neural networks were estimate mass image cutouts. The best-performing WOLO achieved errors as low 11 % unseen data, approximately matching exceeding human performance, measured small group experts non-experts, but about 1000 times faster. Further refinement may thus enable accurate, high throughput, non-intrusive behavioural work, so eventually contribute more nuanced comprehensive understanding rules that underpin complex division labour characterises polymorphic insect societies.

Language: Английский

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Large deformation diffeomorphic mapping of 3D shape variation reveals two distinct mandible and head capsule morphs in Atta vollenweideri leaf‐cutter worker ants

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(4)

Published: April 1, 2024

Abstract Ants are crucial ecosystem engineers, and their ecological success is facilitated by a division of labour among sterile “workers”. In some ant lineages, workers have undergone further morphological differentiation, resulting in differences body size, shape, or both. Distinguishing between changes size shape not trivial. Traditional approaches based on allometry reduce complex 3D shapes into simple linear, areal, volume metrics; modern using geometric morphometrics typically rely landmarks, introducing observer bias trade‐off effort accuracy. Here, we use landmark‐free method large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM) to assess the co‐variation mandibles head capsules Atta vollenweideri leaf‐cutter ants, species exhibiting extreme worker size‐variation. Body mass varied more than two orders magnitude, but atlas created via LDDMM μ‐CT‐derived mesh files revealed only distinct capsule shapes—one for minims (body < 1 mg) one all other workers. We discuss functional significance identified variation, its implications evolution polymorphism .

Language: Английский

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Evolution of regulatory mechanisms underlying nutrition-responsive plasticity in insects

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 12

Published: June 21, 2024

Phenotypic plasticity is a fundamental property of developing organisms and thought to play an important role in diversification. Plastic responses themselves are remarkably diverse respond wide range environmental factors. Here I focus on response variation nutrition insects since 1) widespread factor that impacts most organisms, 2) models study phenotypic plasticity. First, provide brief overview our current mechanistic understanding the regulation nutritionally cued insects, both traditional as well emerging model systems. Then, explore evolutionary mechanisms enabling diversification across taxa, emphasizing gene duplication regulatory network co-option. Furthermore, examine nutrition-responsive phenotypes suites multiple traits develop coordinated manner. argue how these integrated at molecular level can shed light evolution complex phenotypes. Finally, discuss potential challenges opportunities further plasticity, its regulation, evolution.

Language: Английский

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Individual and collective cognition in social insects: what’s in a name?

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 77(11)

Published: Oct. 26, 2023

Language: Английский

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Performance and efficiency in leaf transport: unveiling the task allocation puzzle in Acromyrmex subterraneus

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 78(3)

Published: March 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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Wolo: Wilson Only Looks Once – Estimating Ant Body Mass from Reference-Free Images Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Size estimation is a hard computer vision problem with widespread applications in quality control manufacturing and processing plants, livestock management, studies on animal behaviour. Typically, image-based size facilitated by either well-controlled imaging conditions, the provision of global cues, or both. Reference-free challenging, because objects vastly different sizes can appear identical if they are similar shape. Here, we attempt to implement automated reference-free body facilitate large-scale experimental work key model species sociobiology: leaf-cutter ants. Leaf-cutter ants suitable testbed for size-estimation, their workers differ both shape; principle, it therefore possible infer mass, proxy size, from relative proportions alone. Inspired earlier E.O. Wilson, who trained himself discern ant worker visual cues alone, used various deep learning techniques achieve same feat automatically, quickly, at scale single reference image: Wilson Only Looks Once (WOLO). Utilizing over 3 million hand-annotated computer-generated images, set neural networks---including regressors, classifiers, detectors---were estimate mass image cut-outs. The WOLO networks approximately matched human performance, measured small group experts non-experts, but were about 1000 times faster. Further refinement may enable accurate, high-throughput, non-intrusive weight scale, so eventually contribute more nuanced comprehensive understanding complex division labour that characterises polymorphic insect societies.

Language: Английский

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

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 8, 2024

ABSTRACT Social insects offer powerful models to investigate the mechanistic foundation of elaborate individual behaviors comprising a cooperative community. Workers leafcutter ant genus Atta provide an extreme example behavioral segregation among many phenotypically distinct worker types. We utilize complex system cephalotes test molecular underpinnings programming and, in particular, extent plasticity reprogramming. identify specific neuropeptides as mediators division labor A. , finding two associated with characteristic leafcutting and brood care. Manipulation via genetic knockdown or by injection these led stark loss gain each behavior transcriptomic shifts predicted direction, that is, towards gene pathways expressed natural caste. also compare transcriptomes those orthologous workers eusocial mammal, naked mole rat H. gaber revealing global similarities between caste-biased expression link roles our studied ants. This work underscores essential function establishing social remarkable

Language: Английский

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The interplay between leaf-cutter ants behaviour and social organization

Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Applied Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 10(1), P. 225 - 231

Published: Aug. 14, 2023

Abstract Leaf-cutter ants ( Atta and Acromyrmex species) exhibit complex social organizations that have fascinated scientists for decades. The leaf-cutter belong to a subgroup of fungus-growing ants, which live with fungus inside their nests. behaviours exhibited by these are closely linked organization, involves intricate division labour, caste systems, cooperative tasks. This review article provides an overview the behaviors associated organization ants. It explores various aspects including foraging behavior, hitchhiking behaviour, hygienic environmental influences. leaf cutter instinct forage, as they walk around nest cut fragments from plants, then transport those jaws go back cultivate special garden within colony. By synthesizing existing knowledge, this highlights relationships between structure shedding light on underlying mechanisms evolutionary implications. Furthermore, it identifies research gaps proposes future directions studying ant behaviors, emerging techniques interdisciplinary approaches. correlating showcase highly organized societies. In conclusion, contributes our understanding fascinating implications in broader context insect

Language: Английский

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