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New research on ants has shown a first in insects: the ability to shrink and then regrow their brains in a big way.
It relates to how these particular ants, called
Harpegnathos saltator, or the Indian jumping ant, reproduce. In most ants, the queen is the only member of the colony that lays eggs, says Clint Penick, an assistant professor of biology at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. The workers just do all of the hunting and take care of the babies and all of the chores in the colony. But the queen is the only one who reproduces. And when she dies, the colony dies.
These ants shrink their brains for motherhood — but can also grow them back cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It relates to how these particular ants, called
Harpegnathos saltator, or the Indian jumping ant, reproduce. In most ants, the queen is the only member of the colony that lays eggs, says Clint Penick, an assistant professor of biology at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. The workers just do all of the hunting and take care of the babies and all of the chores in the colony. But the queen is the only one who reproduces. And when she dies, the colony dies.
Not so for this type of ant, native to India. Their worker ants have the ability to mate and reproduce. So when the Indian jumping ant queen dies, it actually triggers a dominance tournament. And they ll fight each other over a month to decide who s going to be the next ant to replace the queen.
Not so for this type of ant, native to India. Their worker ants have the ability to mate and reproduce. So when the Indian jumping ant queen dies, it actually triggers a dominance tournament. And they ll fight each other over a month to decide who s going to be the next ant to replace the queen.
(These are all females we re talking about. The males really aren t involved in anything here except mating and dying.)
The queen doesn t have an exact replacement. A handful of tournament winners called gamergates all assume queen-like duties of laying eggs.
Penick and his colleagues found that when the ants take on the role of gamergate, their brains shrink by 19% on average. The shrinkage likely happens so that they can save energy to focus on producing eggs. Hormones trigger additional changes in the ants, including larger ovaries, less venom production and much longer lifespans.
The Incredible Shrinking And Growing Brains Of Indian Jumping Ants kzyx.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kzyx.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.