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2016 ; 283
(1831
): ä Nephropedia Template TP
gab.com Text
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Social life and sanitary risks: evolutionary and current ecological conditions
determine waste management in leaf-cutting ants
#MMPMID27226469
Farji-Brener AG
; Elizalde L
; Fernández-Marín H
; Amador-Vargas S
Proc Biol Sci
2016[May]; 283
(1831
): ä PMID27226469
show ga
Adequate waste management is vital for the success of social life, because waste
accumulation increases sanitary risks in dense societies. We explored why
different leaf-cutting ants (LCA) species locate their waste in internal nest
chambers or external piles, including ecological context and accounting for
phylogenetic relations. We propose that waste location depends on whether the
environmental conditions enhance or reduce the risk of infection. We obtained the
geographical range, habitat and refuse location of LCA from published literature,
and experimentally determined whether pathogens on ant waste survived to the high
soil temperatures typical of xeric habitats. The habitat of the LCA determined
waste location after phylogenetic correction: species with external waste piles
mainly occur in xeric environments, whereas those with internal waste chambers
mainly inhabit more humid habitats. The ancestral reconstruction suggests that
dumping waste externally is less derived than digging waste nest chambers.
Empirical results showed that high soil surface temperatures reduce pathogen
prevalence from LCA waste. We proposed that LCA living in environments
unfavourable for pathogens (i.e. xeric habitats) avoid digging costs by dumping
the refuse above ground. Conversely, in environments suitable for pathogens, LCA
species prevent the spread of diseases by storing waste underground, presumably,
a behaviour that contributed to the colonization of humid habitats. These results
highlight the adaptation of organisms to the hygienic challenges of social
living, and illustrate how sanitary behaviours can result from a combination of
evolutionary history and current environmental conditions.