ArticleScientific reports2017
Lock-picks: fungal infection facilitates the intrusion of strangers into ant colonies.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blade-running: an efficient yet simple behaviour to potentially combat summit disease in ants.BMC ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Variation in Ants' Chemical Recognition Signals across Vineyard Agroecosystems.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Defensive behavior is linked to altered surface chemistry following infection in a termite society.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Reproductives signature revealed by protein profiling and behavioral bioassays in termite.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Non-lethal fungal infection could reduce aggression towards strangers in ants.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Immune Stimulation via Wounding Alters Chemical Profiles of Adult Tribolium castaneum.Journal of chemical ecology · 2023Article
- Ectoparasitic fungi of Myrmica ants alter the success of parasitic butterflies.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Ectoparasitic fungi Rickia wasmannii infection is associated with smaller body size in Myrmica ants.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- The Inquiline AntBiology · 2021Article
- Chemical detection triggers honey bee defense against a destructive parasitic threat.Nature chemical biology · 2021Article
- Immune Defense Strategies of Queens of the Social Parasite Ant Acromyrmex ameliae and Queens of Its Natural Hosts.Neotropical entomology · 2021Article
- Natural Variation in Volatile Emissions of the Invasive WeedPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Comparing ant behaviour indices for fine-scale analyses.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Natural biocide disrupts nestmate recognition in honeybees.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Host specificity pattern and chemical deception in a social parasite of ants.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Studies of Laboulbeniales on Myrmica ants (IV): host-related diversity and thallus distribution patterns of Rickia wasmannii.Parasite (Paris, France) · 2019Article
- Origanum vulgare terpenoids modulate Myrmica scabrinodis brain biogenic amines and ant behaviour.PloS one · 2018Article
- What are the Mechanisms Behind a Parasite-Induced Decline in Nestmate Recognition in Ants?Journal of chemical ecology · 2017Article
- Lock-picks: fungal infection facilitates the intrusion of strangers into ant colonies.Scientific reports · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Studies investigating host-parasite systems rarely deal with multispecies interactions, and mostly explore impacts on hosts as individuals. Much less is known about the effects at colony level, when parasitism involves host organisms that form societies. We surveyed the effect of an ectoparasitic fungus, Rickia wasmannii, on kin-discrimination abilities of its host ant, Myrmica scabrinodis, identifying potential consequences at social level and subsequent changes in colony infiltration success of other organisms. Analyses of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), known to be involved in insects' discrimination processes, revealed variations in chemical profiles correlated with the infection status of the ants, that could not be explained by genetic variation tested by microsatellites. In behavioural assays, fungus-infected workers were less aggressive towards both non-nestmates and unrelated queens, enhancing the probability of polygyny. Likewise, parasitic larvae of Maculinea butterflies had a higher chance of adoption by infected colonies. Our study indicates that pathogens can modify host recognition abilities, making the society more prone to accept both conspecific and allospecific organisms.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.