ArticleDie Naturwissenschaften2016
Into the black and back: the ecology of brain investment in Neotropical army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae).
Article in Die Naturwissenschaften, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sex- and Male-Morph-Specific Variation in Brain Mass and Cell Number Scaling in Solitary Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Bees.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2026Article
- Neuroanatomical shifts mirror patterns of ecological divergence in three diverse clades of mimetic butterflies.Evolution; international journal of organic evolution · 2022Article
- Host-trailing satellite flight behaviour is associated with greater investment in peripheral visual sensory system in miltogrammine flies.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- The genomic basis of army ant chemosensory adaptations.Molecular ecology · 2021Article
- Experience-expectant brain plasticity corresponds to caste-specific abiotic challenges in dampwood termites (Zootermopsis angusticollis and Z. nevadensis).Die Naturwissenschaften · 2021Article
- Neuroanatomical differentiation associated with alternative reproductive tactics in male arid land bees, Centris pallida and Amegilla dawsoni.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2021Article
- AInsects · 2021Review
- Constant neuropilar ratio in the insect brain.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- The neuroplasticity of division of labor: worker polymorphism, compound eye structure and brain organization in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2020Article
- Back to the light, coevolution between vision and olfaction in the "Dark-flies" (Drosophila melanogaster).PloS one · 2020Article
- Inverse resource allocation between vision and olfaction across the genus Drosophila.Nature communications · 2019Article
- The neurobiology of climate change.Die Naturwissenschaften · 2018Article
- Chemical and behavioral integration of army ant-associated rove beetles - a comparison between specialists and generalists.Frontiers in zoology · 2018Article
- Techniques for Investigating the Anatomy of the Ant Visual System.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2017Article
- Nasonia Parasitic Wasps Escape from Haller's Rule by Diphasic, Partially Isometric Brain-Body Size Scaling and Selective Neuropil Adaptations.Brain, behavior and evolution · 2017Article
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5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Shifts to new ecological settings can drive evolutionary changes in animal sensory systems and in the brain structures that process sensory information. We took advantage of the diverse habitat ecology of Neotropical army ants to test whether evolutionary transitions from below- to above-ground activity were associated with changes in brain structure. Our estimates of genus-typical frequencies of above-ground activity suggested a high degree of evolutionary plasticity in habitat use among Neotropical army ants. Brain structure consistently corresponded to degree of above-ground activity among genera and among species within genera. The most above-ground genera (and species) invested relatively more in visual processing brain tissues; the most subterranean species invested relatively less in central processing higher-brain centers (mushroom body calyces). These patterns suggest a strong role of sensory ecology (e.g., light levels) in selecting for army ant brain investment evolution and further suggest that the subterranean environment poses reduced cognitive challenges to workers. The highly above-ground active genus Eciton was exceptional in having relatively large brains and particularly large and structurally complex optic lobes. These patterns suggest that the transition to above-ground activity from ancestors that were largely subterranean for approximately 60 million years was followed by re-emergence of enhanced visual function in workers.
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