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Carriers and cutters: size-dependent caste polyethism in the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2019

Ming-Chung Chiu ,
Wen-Jer Wu  and
Li-Chuan Lai Open the ORCID record for Li-Chuan Lai [Opens in a new window]
Ming-Chung Chiu
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe6578501, Japan
Wen-Jer Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, 27, Lane 113, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei10617, Taiwan
Li-Chuan Lai*
Affiliation:
Department of Ecological Humanities, Providence University, 200, Sec. 7, Taiwan Boulevard, Shalu Dist., Taichung City 43301, Taiwan
*
Author for correspondence: Li-Chuan Lai, Email: lclai@pu.edu.tw
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Abstract

Body size is an important life-history trait in eusocial insects which plays a key role in colony fitness. The division of labour, represented by caste polyethism, correlates with divergent morphological traits. Size polymorphism has been noted in the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata; however, little is known regarding the differences in the size distributions of workers performing foraging tasks. In the present study, task partitioning was observed in the foraging activities of S. geminata. Two subgroups among foraging workers of S. geminata were discovered using the Gaussian mixture model: a large worker group (head width ≥ 0.924 mm) and a small worker group (head width < 0.924 mm). The foraging worker population comprised two distinct groups – 25.64% were large workers and 74.36% were small workers. Larger workers delivered heavier seeds faster than smaller workers, but this difference became less apparent when lighter seeds were being carried. When large prey such as crickets was encountered during foraging, S. geminata partitioned their tasks into cutting and transportation. The large workers were observed to cut cricket prey into fragments with their longer mandibles, and the small workers then transported these fragments back to the nest. These results present evidence of task partitioning among tropical fire ants, with different tasks being performed by ants of different castes.

Keywords

Body sizecaste polyethismdivision of labourforagingtask partitioning
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 110 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 388 - 396
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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