---
_id: '13127'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Cooperative disease defense emerges as group-level collective behavior, yet
how group members make the underlying individual decisions is poorly understood.
Using garden ants and fungal pathogens as an experimental model, we derive the
rules governing individual ant grooming choices and show how they produce colony-level
hygiene. Time-resolved behavioral analysis, pathogen quantification, and probabilistic
modeling reveal that ants increase grooming and preferentially target highly-infectious
individuals when perceiving high pathogen load, but transiently suppress grooming
after having been groomed by nestmates. Ants thus react to both, the infectivity
of others and the social feedback they receive on their own contagiousness. While
inferred solely from momentary ant decisions, these behavioral rules quantitatively
predict hour-long experimental dynamics, and synergistically combine into efficient
colony-wide pathogen removal. Our analyses show that noisy individual decisions
based on only local, incomplete, yet dynamically-updated information on pathogen
threat and social feedback can lead to potent collective disease defense.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: LifeSc
acknowledgement: We thank Mike Bidochka for the fungal strains, the ISTA Social Immunity
Team for ant collection, Hanna Leitner for experimental and molecular support, Jennifer
Robb and Lukas Lindorfer for microscopy, and the LabSupport Facility at ISTA for
general laboratory support. We further thank Victor Mireles, Iain Couzin, Fabian
Theis and the Social Immunity Team for continued feedback throughout, and Michael
Sixt, Yuko Ulrich, Koos Boomsma, Erika Dawson, Megan Kutzer and Hinrich Schulenburg
for comments on the manuscript. This project has received funding from the European
Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
program (Grant No. 771402; EPIDEMICSonCHIP) to SC, from the Scientific Grant Agency
of the Slovak Republic (Grant No. 1/0521/20) to KB, and the Human Frontier Science
Program (Grant No. RGP0065/2012) to GT.
article_number: '3232'
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Katarína
full_name: Bod'Ová, Katarína
id: 2BA24EA0-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Bod'Ová
orcid: 0000-0002-7214-0171
- first_name: Anna V
full_name: Grasse, Anna V
id: 406F989C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Grasse
- first_name: Gašper
full_name: Tkačik, Gašper
id: 3D494DCA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Tkačik
orcid: 0000-0002-6699-1455
- first_name: Sylvia
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
citation:
ama: Casillas Perez BE, Bodova K, Grasse AV, Tkačik G, Cremer S. Dynamic pathogen
detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene in ants. Nature Communications.
2023;14. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38947-y
apa: Casillas Perez, B. E., Bodova, K., Grasse, A. V., Tkačik, G., & Cremer,
S. (2023). Dynamic pathogen detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene
in ants. Nature Communications. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38947-y
chicago: Casillas Perez, Barbara E, Katarina Bodova, Anna V Grasse, Gašper Tkačik,
and Sylvia Cremer. “Dynamic Pathogen Detection and Social Feedback Shape Collective
Hygiene in Ants.” Nature Communications. Springer Nature, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38947-y.
ieee: B. E. Casillas Perez, K. Bodova, A. V. Grasse, G. Tkačik, and S. Cremer, “Dynamic
pathogen detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene in ants,” Nature
Communications, vol. 14. Springer Nature, 2023.
ista: Casillas Perez BE, Bodova K, Grasse AV, Tkačik G, Cremer S. 2023. Dynamic
pathogen detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene in ants. Nature
Communications. 14, 3232.
mla: Casillas Perez, Barbara E., et al. “Dynamic Pathogen Detection and Social Feedback
Shape Collective Hygiene in Ants.” Nature Communications, vol. 14, 3232,
Springer Nature, 2023, doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38947-y.
short: B.E. Casillas Perez, K. Bodova, A.V. Grasse, G. Tkačik, S. Cremer, Nature
Communications 14 (2023).
date_created: 2023-06-11T22:00:40Z
date_published: 2023-06-03T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-07T13:09:09Z
day: '03'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: SyCr
- _id: GaTk
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38947-y
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '001002562700005'
pmid:
- '37270641'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 4af0393e3ed47b3fc46e68b81c3c1007
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2023-06-13T08:05:46Z
date_updated: 2023-06-13T08:05:46Z
file_id: '13132'
file_name: 2023_NatureComm_CasillasPerez.pdf
file_size: 2358167
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2023-06-13T08:05:46Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 14'
isi: 1
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
month: '06'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 2649B4DE-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '771402'
name: Epidemics in ant societies on a chip
- _id: 255008E4-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
grant_number: RGP0065/2012
name: Information processing and computation in fish groups
publication: Nature Communications
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2041-1723
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '12945'
relation: research_data
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Dynamic pathogen detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene in
ants
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 14
year: '2023'
...
---
_id: '10284'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Infections early in life can have enduring effects on an organism's development
and immunity. In this study, we show that this equally applies to developing ‘superorganisms’––incipient
social insect colonies. When we exposed newly mated Lasius niger ant queens to
a low pathogen dose, their colonies grew more slowly than controls before winter,
but reached similar sizes afterwards. Independent of exposure, queen hibernation
survival improved when the ratio of pupae to workers was small. Queens that reared
fewer pupae before worker emergence exhibited lower pathogen levels, indicating
that high brood rearing efforts interfere with the ability of the queen's immune
system to suppress pathogen proliferation. Early-life queen pathogen exposure
also improved the immunocompetence of her worker offspring, as demonstrated by
challenging the workers to the same pathogen a year later. Transgenerational transfer
of the queen's pathogen experience to her workforce can hence durably reduce the
disease susceptibility of the whole superorganism.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: ScienComp
acknowledgement: The authors are grateful to G. Tkačik and V. Mireles for advice on
data analyses and to A. Schloegl for help using the IST Austria HPC cluster for
data processing. The authors thank J. Eilenberg for providing the fungal strain
and A.V. Grasse for support with the molecular analysis. The authors also thank
the Social Immunity group at IST Austria, in particular B. Milutinović, for discussions
throughout and comments on the manuscript.
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Christopher
full_name: Pull, Christopher
id: 3C7F4840-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Pull
orcid: 0000-0003-1122-3982
- first_name: Filip
full_name: Naiser, Filip
last_name: Naiser
- first_name: Elisabeth
full_name: Naderlinger, Elisabeth
id: 31757262-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Naderlinger
- first_name: Jiri
full_name: Matas, Jiri
last_name: Matas
- first_name: Sylvia
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
citation:
ama: Casillas Perez BE, Pull C, Naiser F, Naderlinger E, Matas J, Cremer S. Early
queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease protection
in incipient ant colonies. Ecology Letters. 2022;25(1):89-100. doi:10.1111/ele.13907
apa: Casillas Perez, B. E., Pull, C., Naiser, F., Naderlinger, E., Matas, J., &
Cremer, S. (2022). Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces
long-term disease protection in incipient ant colonies. Ecology Letters.
Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13907
chicago: Casillas Perez, Barbara E, Christopher Pull, Filip Naiser, Elisabeth Naderlinger,
Jiri Matas, and Sylvia Cremer. “Early Queen Infection Shapes Developmental Dynamics
and Induces Long-Term Disease Protection in Incipient Ant Colonies.” Ecology
Letters. Wiley, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13907.
ieee: B. E. Casillas Perez, C. Pull, F. Naiser, E. Naderlinger, J. Matas, and S.
Cremer, “Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term
disease protection in incipient ant colonies,” Ecology Letters, vol. 25,
no. 1. Wiley, pp. 89–100, 2022.
ista: Casillas Perez BE, Pull C, Naiser F, Naderlinger E, Matas J, Cremer S. 2022.
Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease
protection in incipient ant colonies. Ecology Letters. 25(1), 89–100.
mla: Casillas Perez, Barbara E., et al. “Early Queen Infection Shapes Developmental
Dynamics and Induces Long-Term Disease Protection in Incipient Ant Colonies.”
Ecology Letters, vol. 25, no. 1, Wiley, 2022, pp. 89–100, doi:10.1111/ele.13907.
short: B.E. Casillas Perez, C. Pull, F. Naiser, E. Naderlinger, J. Matas, S. Cremer,
Ecology Letters 25 (2022) 89–100.
date_created: 2021-11-14T23:01:25Z
date_published: 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-14T11:45:29Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '573'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1111/ele.13907
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '000713396100001'
pmid:
- '34725912'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 0bd4210400e9876609b7c538ab4f9a3c
content_type: application/pdf
creator: cchlebak
date_created: 2022-02-03T13:37:11Z
date_updated: 2022-02-03T13:37:11Z
file_id: '10721'
file_name: 2021_EcologyLetters_CasillasPerez.pdf
file_size: 700087
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2022-02-03T13:37:11Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 25'
isi: 1
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 89-100
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 2649B4DE-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '771402'
name: Epidemics in ant societies on a chip
publication: Ecology Letters
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1461-0248
issn:
- 1461-023X
publication_status: published
publisher: Wiley
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '13061'
relation: research_data
status: public
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease
protection in incipient ant colonies
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 4359f0d1-fa6c-11eb-b949-802e58b17ae8
volume: 25
year: '2022'
...
---
_id: '13061'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Infections early in life can have enduring effects on an organism’s development
and immunity. In this study, we show that this equally applies to developing “superorganisms”
– incipient social insect colonies. When we exposed newly mated Lasius niger ant
queens to a low pathogen dose, their colonies grew more slowly than controls before
winter, but reached similar sizes afterwards. Independent of exposure, queen hibernation
survival improved when the ratio of pupae to workers was small. Queens that reared
fewer pupae before worker emergence exhibited lower pathogen levels, indicating
that high brood rearing efforts interfere with the ability of the queen’s immune
system to suppress pathogen proliferation. Early-life queen pathogen-exposure
also improved the immunocompetence of her worker offspring, as demonstrated by
challenging the workers to the same pathogen a year later. Transgenerational transfer
of the queen’s pathogen experience to her workforce can hence durably reduce the
disease susceptibility of the whole superorganism.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Christopher
full_name: Pull, Christopher
id: 3C7F4840-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Pull
orcid: 0000-0003-1122-3982
- first_name: Filip
full_name: Naiser, Filip
last_name: Naiser
- first_name: Elisabeth
full_name: Naderlinger, Elisabeth
last_name: Naderlinger
- first_name: Jiri
full_name: Matas, Jiri
last_name: Matas
- first_name: Sylvia
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
citation:
ama: Casillas Perez BE, Pull C, Naiser F, Naderlinger E, Matas J, Cremer S. Early
queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease protection
in incipient ant colonies. 2021. doi:10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ
apa: Casillas Perez, B. E., Pull, C., Naiser, F., Naderlinger, E., Matas, J., &
Cremer, S. (2021). Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces
long-term disease protection in incipient ant colonies. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ
chicago: Casillas Perez, Barbara E, Christopher Pull, Filip Naiser, Elisabeth Naderlinger,
Jiri Matas, and Sylvia Cremer. “Early Queen Infection Shapes Developmental Dynamics
and Induces Long-Term Disease Protection in Incipient Ant Colonies.” Dryad, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ.
ieee: B. E. Casillas Perez, C. Pull, F. Naiser, E. Naderlinger, J. Matas, and S.
Cremer, “Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term
disease protection in incipient ant colonies.” Dryad, 2021.
ista: Casillas Perez BE, Pull C, Naiser F, Naderlinger E, Matas J, Cremer S. 2021.
Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease
protection in incipient ant colonies, Dryad, 10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ.
mla: Casillas Perez, Barbara E., et al. Early Queen Infection Shapes Developmental
Dynamics and Induces Long-Term Disease Protection in Incipient Ant Colonies.
Dryad, 2021, doi:10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ.
short: B.E. Casillas Perez, C. Pull, F. Naiser, E. Naderlinger, J. Matas, S. Cremer,
(2021).
date_created: 2023-05-23T16:14:35Z
date_published: 2021-10-29T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-14T11:45:28Z
day: '29'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.5061/DRYAD.7PVMCVDTJ
ec_funded: 1
license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7pvmcvdtj
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 2649B4DE-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '771402'
name: Epidemics in ant societies on a chip
publisher: Dryad
related_material:
record:
- id: '10284'
relation: used_in_publication
status: public
status: public
title: Early queen infection shapes developmental dynamics and induces long-term disease
protection in incipient ant colonies
tmp:
image: /images/cc_0.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0)
short: CC0 (1.0)
type: research_data_reference
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2021'
...
---
_id: '7490'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: In plants, clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) represents the major route
for cargo internalisation from the cell surface. It has been assumed to operate
in an evolutionary conserved manner as in yeast and animals. Here we report characterisation
of ultrastructure, dynamics and mechanisms of plant CME as allowed by our advancement
in electron microscopy and quantitative live imaging techniques. Arabidopsis CME
appears to follow the constant curvature model and the bona fide CME population
generates vesicles of a predominantly hexagonal-basket type; larger and with faster
kinetics than in other models. Contrary to the existing paradigm, actin is dispensable
for CME events at the plasma membrane but plays a unique role in collecting endocytic
vesicles, sorting of internalised cargos and directional endosome movement that
itself actively promote CME events. Internalized vesicles display a strongly delayed
and sequential uncoating. These unique features highlight the independent evolution
of the plant CME mechanism during the autonomous rise of multicellularity in eukaryotes.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: LifeSc
- _id: Bio
- _id: EM-Fac
article_number: e52067
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Madhumitha
full_name: Narasimhan, Madhumitha
id: 44BF24D0-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Narasimhan
orcid: 0000-0002-8600-0671
- first_name: Alexander J
full_name: Johnson, Alexander J
id: 46A62C3A-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Johnson
orcid: 0000-0002-2739-8843
- first_name: Roshan
full_name: Prizak, Roshan
id: 4456104E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Prizak
- first_name: Walter
full_name: Kaufmann, Walter
id: 3F99E422-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Kaufmann
orcid: 0000-0001-9735-5315
- first_name: Shutang
full_name: Tan, Shutang
id: 2DE75584-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Tan
orcid: 0000-0002-0471-8285
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Jiří
full_name: Friml, Jiří
id: 4159519E-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Friml
orcid: 0000-0002-8302-7596
citation:
ama: Narasimhan M, Johnson AJ, Prizak R, et al. Evolutionarily unique mechanistic
framework of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants. eLife. 2020;9. doi:10.7554/eLife.52067
apa: Narasimhan, M., Johnson, A. J., Prizak, R., Kaufmann, W., Tan, S., Casillas
Perez, B. E., & Friml, J. (2020). Evolutionarily unique mechanistic framework
of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants. ELife. eLife Sciences Publications.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.52067
chicago: Narasimhan, Madhumitha, Alexander J Johnson, Roshan Prizak, Walter Kaufmann,
Shutang Tan, Barbara E Casillas Perez, and Jiří Friml. “Evolutionarily Unique
Mechanistic Framework of Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Plants.” ELife.
eLife Sciences Publications, 2020. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.52067.
ieee: M. Narasimhan et al., “Evolutionarily unique mechanistic framework
of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants,” eLife, vol. 9. eLife Sciences
Publications, 2020.
ista: Narasimhan M, Johnson AJ, Prizak R, Kaufmann W, Tan S, Casillas Perez BE,
Friml J. 2020. Evolutionarily unique mechanistic framework of clathrin-mediated
endocytosis in plants. eLife. 9, e52067.
mla: Narasimhan, Madhumitha, et al. “Evolutionarily Unique Mechanistic Framework
of Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Plants.” ELife, vol. 9, e52067, eLife
Sciences Publications, 2020, doi:10.7554/eLife.52067.
short: M. Narasimhan, A.J. Johnson, R. Prizak, W. Kaufmann, S. Tan, B.E. Casillas
Perez, J. Friml, ELife 9 (2020).
date_created: 2020-02-16T23:00:50Z
date_published: 2020-01-23T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-18T06:33:07Z
day: '23'
ddc:
- '570'
- '580'
department:
- _id: JiFr
- _id: GaTk
- _id: EM-Fac
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.7554/eLife.52067
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '000514104100001'
pmid:
- '31971511'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 2052daa4be5019534f3a42f200a09f32
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2020-02-18T07:21:16Z
date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:47:59Z
file_id: '7494'
file_name: 2020_eLife_Narasimhan.pdf
file_size: 7247468
relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:47:59Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 9'
isi: 1
language:
- iso: eng
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 261099A6-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '742985'
name: Tracing Evolution of Auxin Transport and Polarity in Plants
- _id: 26538374-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: FWF
grant_number: I03630
name: Molecular mechanisms of endocytic cargo recognition in plants
publication: eLife
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2050-084X
publication_status: published
publisher: eLife Sciences Publications
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Evolutionarily unique mechanistic framework of clathrin-mediated endocytosis
in plants
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 4359f0d1-fa6c-11eb-b949-802e58b17ae8
volume: 9
year: '2020'
...
---
_id: '6435'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: "Social insect colonies tend to have numerous members which function together
like a single organism in such harmony that the term ``super-organism'' is often
used. In this analogy the reproductive caste is analogous to the primordial germ\r\ncells
of a metazoan, while the sterile worker caste corresponds to somatic cells. The
worker castes, like tissues, are\r\nin charge of all functions of a living being,
besides reproduction. The establishment of new super-organismal units\r\n(i.e.
new colonies) is accomplished by the co-dependent castes. The term oftentimes
goes beyond a metaphor. We invoke it when we speak about the metabolic rate, thermoregulation,
nutrient regulation and gas exchange of a social insect colony. Furthermore, we
assert that the super-organism has an immune system, and benefits from ``social
immunity''.\r\n\r\nSocial immunity was first summoned by evolutionary biologists
to resolve the apparent discrepancy between the expected high frequency of disease
outbreak amongst numerous, closely related tightly-interacting hosts, living in
stable and microbially-rich environments, against the exceptionally scarce epidemic
accounts in natural populations. Social\r\nimmunity comprises a multi-layer assembly
of behaviours which have evolved to effectively keep the pathogenic enemies of
a colony at bay. The field of social immunity has drawn interest, as it becomes
increasingly urgent to stop\r\nthe collapse of pollinator species and curb the
growth of invasive pests. In the past decade, several mechanisms of\r\nsocial
immune responses have been dissected, but many more questions remain open.\r\n\r\nI
present my work in two experimental chapters. In the first, I use invasive garden
ants (*Lasius neglectus*) to study how pathogen load and its distribution among
nestmates affect the grooming response of the group. Any given group of ants will
carry out the same total grooming work, but will direct their grooming effort
towards individuals\r\ncarrying a relatively higher spore load. Contrary to expectation,
the highest risk of transmission does not stem from grooming highly contaminated
ants, but instead, we suggest that the grooming response likely minimizes spore
loss to the environment, reducing contamination from inadvertent pickup from the
substrate.\r\n\r\nThe second is a comparative developmental approach. I follow
black garden ant queens (*Lasius niger*) and their colonies from mating flight,
through hibernation for a year. Colonies which grow fast from the start, have
a lower chance of survival through hibernation, and those which survive grow at
a lower pace later. This is true for colonies of naive\r\nand challenged queens.
Early pathogen exposure of the queens changes colony dynamics in an unexpected
way: colonies from exposed queens are more likely to grow slowly and recover in
numbers only after they survive hibernation.\r\n\r\nIn addition to the two experimental
chapters, this thesis includes a co-authored published review on organisational\r\nimmunity,
where we enlist the experimental evidence and theoretical framework on which this
hypothesis is built,\r\nidentify the caveats and underline how the field is ripe
to overcome them. In a final chapter, I describe my part in\r\ntwo collaborative
efforts, one to develop an image-based tracker, and the second to develop a classifier
for ant\r\nbehaviour."
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: Bio
- _id: ScienComp
- _id: M-Shop
- _id: LifeSc
alternative_title:
- ISTA Thesis
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
citation:
ama: Casillas Perez BE. Collective defenses of garden ants against a fungal pathogen.
2019. doi:10.15479/AT:ISTA:6435
apa: Casillas Perez, B. E. (2019). Collective defenses of garden ants against
a fungal pathogen. Institute of Science and Technology Austria. https://doi.org/10.15479/AT:ISTA:6435
chicago: Casillas Perez, Barbara E. “Collective Defenses of Garden Ants against
a Fungal Pathogen.” Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 2019. https://doi.org/10.15479/AT:ISTA:6435.
ieee: B. E. Casillas Perez, “Collective defenses of garden ants against a fungal
pathogen,” Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 2019.
ista: Casillas Perez BE. 2019. Collective defenses of garden ants against a fungal
pathogen. Institute of Science and Technology Austria.
mla: Casillas Perez, Barbara E. Collective Defenses of Garden Ants against a
Fungal Pathogen. Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 2019, doi:10.15479/AT:ISTA:6435.
short: B.E. Casillas Perez, Collective Defenses of Garden Ants against a Fungal
Pathogen, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 2019.
date_created: 2019-05-13T08:58:35Z
date_published: 2019-05-07T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-09-07T12:57:04Z
day: '07'
ddc:
- '570'
- '006'
- '578'
- '592'
degree_awarded: PhD
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.15479/AT:ISTA:6435
ec_funded: 1
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 6daf2d2086111aa8fd3fbc919a3e2833
content_type: application/pdf
creator: casillas
date_created: 2019-05-13T09:16:20Z
date_updated: 2021-02-11T11:17:15Z
embargo: 2020-05-08
file_id: '6438'
file_name: tesisDoctoradoBC.pdf
file_size: 3895187
relation: main_file
- access_level: closed
checksum: 3d221aaff7559a7060230a1ff610594f
content_type: application/zip
creator: casillas
date_created: 2019-05-13T09:16:20Z
date_updated: 2020-07-14T12:47:30Z
embargo_to: open_access
file_id: '6439'
file_name: tesisDoctoradoBC.zip
file_size: 7365118
relation: source_file
file_date_updated: 2021-02-11T11:17:15Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
keyword:
- Social Immunity
- Sanitary care
- Social Insects
- Organisational Immunity
- Colony development
- Multi-target tracking
language:
- iso: eng
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: '183'
project:
- _id: 2649B4DE-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '771402'
name: Epidemics in ant societies on a chip
publication_identifier:
issn:
- 2663-337X
publication_status: published
publisher: Institute of Science and Technology Austria
related_material:
record:
- id: '1999'
relation: part_of_dissertation
status: public
status: public
supervisor:
- first_name: Sylvia M
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia M
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
title: Collective defenses of garden ants against a fungal pathogen
type: dissertation
user_id: c635000d-4b10-11ee-a964-aac5a93f6ac1
year: '2019'
...
---
_id: '194'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Ants are emerging model systems to study cellular signaling because distinct
castes possess different physiologic phenotypes within the same colony. Here we
studied the functionality of inotocin signaling, an insect ortholog of mammalian
oxytocin (OT), which was recently discovered in ants. In Lasius ants, we determined
that specialization within the colony, seasonal factors, and physiologic conditions
down-regulated the expression of the OT-like signaling system. Given this natural
variation, we interrogated its function using RNAi knockdowns. Next-generation
RNA sequencing of OT-like precursor knock-down ants highlighted its role in the
regulation of genes involved in metabolism. Knock-down ants exhibited higher walking
activity and increased self-grooming in the brood chamber. We propose that OT-like
signaling in ants is important for regulating metabolic processes and locomotion.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Zita
full_name: Liutkeviciute, Zita
last_name: Liutkeviciute
- first_name: Esther
full_name: Gil Mansilla, Esther
last_name: Gil Mansilla
- first_name: Thomas
full_name: Eder, Thomas
last_name: Eder
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Maria
full_name: Giulia Di Giglio, Maria
last_name: Giulia Di Giglio
- first_name: Edin
full_name: Muratspahić, Edin
last_name: Muratspahić
- first_name: Florian
full_name: Grebien, Florian
last_name: Grebien
- first_name: Thomas
full_name: Rattei, Thomas
last_name: Rattei
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Muttenthaler, Markus
last_name: Muttenthaler
- first_name: Sylvia
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
- first_name: Christian
full_name: Gruber, Christian
last_name: Gruber
citation:
ama: Liutkeviciute Z, Gil Mansilla E, Eder T, et al. Oxytocin-like signaling in
ants influences metabolic gene expression and locomotor activity. The FASEB
Journal. 2018;32(12):6808-6821. doi:10.1096/fj.201800443
apa: Liutkeviciute, Z., Gil Mansilla, E., Eder, T., Casillas Perez, B. E., Giulia
Di Giglio, M., Muratspahić, E., … Gruber, C. (2018). Oxytocin-like signaling in
ants influences metabolic gene expression and locomotor activity. The FASEB
Journal. FASEB. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201800443
chicago: Liutkeviciute, Zita, Esther Gil Mansilla, Thomas Eder, Barbara E Casillas
Perez, Maria Giulia Di Giglio, Edin Muratspahić, Florian Grebien, et al. “Oxytocin-like
Signaling in Ants Influences Metabolic Gene Expression and Locomotor Activity.”
The FASEB Journal. FASEB, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201800443.
ieee: Z. Liutkeviciute et al., “Oxytocin-like signaling in ants influences
metabolic gene expression and locomotor activity,” The FASEB Journal, vol.
32, no. 12. FASEB, pp. 6808–6821, 2018.
ista: Liutkeviciute Z, Gil Mansilla E, Eder T, Casillas Perez BE, Giulia Di Giglio
M, Muratspahić E, Grebien F, Rattei T, Muttenthaler M, Cremer S, Gruber C. 2018.
Oxytocin-like signaling in ants influences metabolic gene expression and locomotor
activity. The FASEB Journal. 32(12), 6808–6821.
mla: Liutkeviciute, Zita, et al. “Oxytocin-like Signaling in Ants Influences Metabolic
Gene Expression and Locomotor Activity.” The FASEB Journal, vol. 32, no.
12, FASEB, 2018, pp. 6808–21, doi:10.1096/fj.201800443.
short: Z. Liutkeviciute, E. Gil Mansilla, T. Eder, B.E. Casillas Perez, M. Giulia
Di Giglio, E. Muratspahić, F. Grebien, T. Rattei, M. Muttenthaler, S. Cremer,
C. Gruber, The FASEB Journal 32 (2018) 6808–6821.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:45:08Z
date_published: 2018-11-29T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-09-13T09:37:32Z
day: '29'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1096/fj.201800443
external_id:
isi:
- '000449359700035'
pmid:
- '29939785'
intvolume: ' 32'
isi: 1
issue: '12'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: ' https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201800443'
month: '11'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 6808-6821
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: 25E3D34E-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
name: Individual function and social role of oxytocin-like neuropeptides in ants
publication: The FASEB Journal
publication_identifier:
issn:
- '08926638'
publication_status: published
publisher: FASEB
publist_id: '7721'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Oxytocin-like signaling in ants influences metabolic gene expression and locomotor
activity
type: journal_article
user_id: c635000d-4b10-11ee-a964-aac5a93f6ac1
volume: 32
year: '2018'
...
---
_id: '1999'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Selection for disease control is believed to have contributed to shape the
organisation of insect societies — leading to interaction patterns that mitigate
disease transmission risk within colonies, conferring them ‘organisational immunity’.
Recent studies combining epidemiological models with social network analysis have
identified general properties of interaction networks that may hinder propagation
of infection within groups. These can be prophylactic and/or induced upon pathogen
exposure. Here we review empirical evidence for these two types of organisational
immunity in social insects and describe the individual-level behaviours that underlie
it. We highlight areas requiring further investigation, and emphasise the need
for tighter links between theory and empirical research and between individual-level
and collective-level analyses.
author:
- first_name: Nathalie
full_name: Stroeymeyt, Nathalie
last_name: Stroeymeyt
- first_name: Barbara E
full_name: Casillas Perez, Barbara E
id: 351ED2AA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Casillas Perez
- first_name: Sylvia
full_name: Cremer, Sylvia
id: 2F64EC8C-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
last_name: Cremer
orcid: 0000-0002-2193-3868
citation:
ama: Stroeymeyt N, Casillas Perez BE, Cremer S. Organisational immunity in social
insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science. 2014;5(1):1-15. doi:10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.001
apa: Stroeymeyt, N., Casillas Perez, B. E., & Cremer, S. (2014). Organisational
immunity in social insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science. Elsevier.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.001
chicago: Stroeymeyt, Nathalie, Barbara E Casillas Perez, and Sylvia Cremer. “Organisational
Immunity in Social Insects.” Current Opinion in Insect Science. Elsevier,
2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.001.
ieee: N. Stroeymeyt, B. E. Casillas Perez, and S. Cremer, “Organisational immunity
in social insects,” Current Opinion in Insect Science, vol. 5, no. 1. Elsevier,
pp. 1–15, 2014.
ista: Stroeymeyt N, Casillas Perez BE, Cremer S. 2014. Organisational immunity in
social insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science. 5(1), 1–15.
mla: Stroeymeyt, Nathalie, et al. “Organisational Immunity in Social Insects.” Current
Opinion in Insect Science, vol. 5, no. 1, Elsevier, 2014, pp. 1–15, doi:10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.001.
short: N. Stroeymeyt, B.E. Casillas Perez, S. Cremer, Current Opinion in Insect
Science 5 (2014) 1–15.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:55:08Z
date_published: 2014-11-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2024-03-27T23:30:06Z
day: '01'
department:
- _id: SyCr
doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2014.09.001
ec_funded: 1
intvolume: ' 5'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '11'
oa_version: None
page: 1 - 15
project:
- _id: 25DC711C-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
call_identifier: FP7
grant_number: '243071'
name: 'Social Vaccination in Ant Colonies: from Individual Mechanisms to Society
Effects'
publication: Current Opinion in Insect Science
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
publist_id: '5080'
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
record:
- id: '6383'
relation: dissertation_contains
- id: '6435'
relation: dissertation_contains
status: public
scopus_import: 1
status: public
title: Organisational immunity in social insects
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 5
year: '2014'
...