ArticleCommunications biology2023
Task-specific odorant receptor expression in worker antennae indicates that sensory filters regulate division of labor in ants.
Article in Communications biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Transcriptional predictors of rescue behaviour in ants.The Journal of experimental biology · 2026Article
- Unmated Queens Show Worker-Like Behaviour and Gene Expression in Polygynous Colonies of the Ant Stigmatomma pallipes.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Multilevel variation in pathogen susceptibility and grooming behavior in ant societies.Die Naturwissenschaften · 2026Article
- Distribution and efficacy of ingested dsRNA targeting tissue-specific genes in the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile.PloS one · 2026Article
- Comparative Expression Analysis of Olfactory Receptor Genes Among Individuals With Soldier and Worker Caste Differentiation Fates in Termites.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Genomic Signatures of Selection Across Climate Gradients and a Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution in an Ant Social Parasite-Host System.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Article
- Social organization of necrophoresis: insights into disease risk management in ant societies.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- Pheromone representation in the ant antennal lobe changes with age.Current biology : CB · 2024Article
- Pheromone representation in the ant antennal lobe changes with age.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- The diverse roles of insulin signaling in insect behavior.Frontiers in insect science · 2024Review
- Histone acetyltransferases and external demands influence task switching inBiology letters · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Division of labor (DOL) is a characteristic trait of insect societies, where tasks are generally performed by specialized individuals. Inside workers focus on brood or nest care, while others take risks by foraging outside. Theory proposes that workers have different thresholds to perform certain tasks when confronted with task-related stimuli, leading to specialization and consequently DOL. Workers are presumed to vary in their response to task-related cues rather than in how they perceive such information. Here, we test the hypothesis that DOL instead stems from workers varying in their efficiency to detect stimuli of specific tasks. We use transcriptomics to measure mRNA expression levels in the antennae and brain of nurses and foragers of the ant Temnothorax longispinosus. We find seven times as many genes to be differentially expressed between behavioral phenotypes in the antennae compared to the brain. Moreover, half of all odorant receptors are differentially expressed, with an overrepresentation of the 9-exon gene family upregulated in the antennae of nurses. Nurses and foragers thus apparently differ in the perception of their olfactory environment and task-related signals. Our study supports the hypothesis that antennal sensory filters predispose workers to specialize in specific tasks.
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