Age and ovarian development are related to worker personality and task allocation in the ant Leptothorax acervorum

作     者：Stephan KIOHBANDNER Andreas P. MODLMEIER Susanne FOITZIK 

作者机构：Institute of Zoology University of Regensburg Regensburg Germany Department Biology II Ludwig Maximilian University Munich Planegg-Martinsried Germany Institute of Zoology Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Germany Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 U.S.A. 

出 版 物：《Current Zoology》 (动物学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2014年第60卷第3期

页      面：392-400页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 08[工学] 071002[理学-动物学] 081202[工学-计算机软件与理论] 0812[工学-计算机科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 

基　　金：Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [Fo 298/8  Fo 298/11] 

主　　题：Personality Behavioral syndrome Division of labor Ovarian development Foraging Social insects 

摘      要：In social insects, workers of different morphological castes and age are known to act differently. Yet, it is unclear how body size and ovarian development influence worker personalities （i.e. consistent behavioral variation） and task allocation in similar aged ant workers of monomorphic species. Behavioral variation is thought to be a key element of division of labor, but few studies have linked worker personality to task allocation. We investigated individual behavior in Leptothorax acervorum ant workers at two time points during the first three months of their life and in two different settings. We observed worker behavior in the nest （i.e. task allocation） and in standardized aggression, exploration and brood care experiments （i.e. personality） and found behavioral repeatability in foraging and exploration. Further, workers acted consistently across settings： workers with a more ag gressive and exploratory personality type were more active in the nest. Moreover, ovarian development was associated with worker personality and task allocation： older workers with welldeveloped ovaries foraged less, but were more aggressive and exploratory. In accordance with the typical agepolyethism of social insects, workers became more active and foraged more as they grew older. Consequently, our study suggests that task allocation in Leptothorax acervorum is not only influenced by ovari an development and age, but moreover by the personalities of its workers .