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Koch, Alexandra ; Nawal, Hassina ; Galante, Henrique ; Poissonnier, Laure‐Anne

Asymmetrical Use of Appendages in Food Probing by Two Ant Species

Koch, Alexandra , Nawal, Hassina, Galante, Henrique and Poissonnier, Laure‐Anne (2025) Asymmetrical Use of Appendages in Food Probing by Two Ant Species. Ethology.

Date of publication of this fulltext: 29 Apr 2025 04:20
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.76613


Abstract

Lateralization, or the presence of left–right asymmetry, is a widespread phenomenon in vertebrates and has been shown to confer various adaptive advantages, as lateralized individuals tend to outperform non-lateralized ones in specific tasks. In contrast, much less is known about lateralization in invertebrates. Further investigation into lateralization in understudied invertebrate groups is ...

Lateralization, or the presence of left–right asymmetry, is a widespread phenomenon in vertebrates and has been shown to confer various adaptive advantages, as lateralized individuals tend to outperform non-lateralized ones in specific tasks. In contrast, much less is known about lateralization in invertebrates. Further investigation into lateralization in understudied invertebrate groups is crucial for deepening our understanding of its evolutionary origins. In this study, we evaluated asymmetries during food probing behaviors in two ant species, Lasius niger and Linepithema humile. Overall, both species exhibited asymmetries, favoring either a particular leg or antenna when investigating a sugar drop. Interestingly, L. niger favored the right side, while L. humile favored their left. These results imply the absence of a strong driver for a bias on a specific side preference for food probing in ants, but a potential benefit of lateralization in food probing. Supporting this, individuals fully lateralized on the opposite side of the majority were observed in both species. The collective bias found in both species supports the theory that population-level lateralization may have evolved in species that need to coordinate their behaviors. This study provides novel insights into the lateralization of ant behaviors and highlights the need for further research into its evolutionary drivers.



Involved Institutions


Details

Item typeArticle
Journal or Publication TitleEthology
Publisher:Wiley
Date24 April 2025
InstitutionsBiology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze)
Projects
Funded by: Europäische Kommission (EU) (948181)
Identification Number
ValueType
10.1111/eth.13570DOI
Keywordsants | behavioral asymetry | insects | lateralization | motor bias
Dewey Decimal Classification500 Science > 500 Natural sciences & mathematics
500 Science > 570 Life sciences
500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences
StatusPublished
RefereedYes, this version has been refereed
Created at the University of RegensburgYes
URN of the UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-766134
Item ID76613

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