Ant Responses To Social Isolation Resemble Those of Humans (phys.org) 26
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Ants react to social isolation in a similar way as do humans and other social mammals. A study by an Israeli-German research team has revealed alterations to the social and hygienic behavior of ants that had been isolated from their group. The research team was particularly surprised by the fact that immune and stress genes were downregulated in the brains of the isolated ants. [...] While the effects of isolation have been extensively studied in social mammals such as humans and mice, less is known about how social insects respond in comparable situations -- even though they live in highly evolved social systems. Ants, for instance, live their entire lives as members of the same colony and are dependent on their colony mates. The worker ants relinquish their own reproductive potential and devote themselves to feeding the larvae, cleaning and defending the nest, and searching for food, while the queen does little more than just lay eggs.
The research team looked at the consequences of social isolation in the case of ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi. These ants inhabit cavities in acorns and sticks on the ground in European forests, forming colonies of a few dozen workers. Young workers engaged in brood care were taken singly from 14 colonies and kept in isolation for varying lengths of time, from one hour to a maximum of 28 days. The study was conducted between January and March 2019 and highlighted three particular aspects in which changes were observed. After the end of their isolation, the workers were less interested in their adult colony mates, but the length of time they spent in brood contact increased; they also spent less time grooming themselves. [...] While the study revealed significant changes in the behaviors of the isolated insects, its findings with regard to gene activity were even more striking: Many genes related to immune system function and stress response were downregulated. In other words, these genes were less active. "This finding is consistent with studies on other social animals that demonstrated a weakening of the immune system after isolation," said Professor Inon Scharf. The study has been published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
The research team looked at the consequences of social isolation in the case of ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi. These ants inhabit cavities in acorns and sticks on the ground in European forests, forming colonies of a few dozen workers. Young workers engaged in brood care were taken singly from 14 colonies and kept in isolation for varying lengths of time, from one hour to a maximum of 28 days. The study was conducted between January and March 2019 and highlighted three particular aspects in which changes were observed. After the end of their isolation, the workers were less interested in their adult colony mates, but the length of time they spent in brood contact increased; they also spent less time grooming themselves. [...] While the study revealed significant changes in the behaviors of the isolated insects, its findings with regard to gene activity were even more striking: Many genes related to immune system function and stress response were downregulated. In other words, these genes were less active. "This finding is consistent with studies on other social animals that demonstrated a weakening of the immune system after isolation," said Professor Inon Scharf. The study has been published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
I just threw out a trash bag full of ants (Score:2)
...so they'll never find their way home again and will get all depressed and now I'm sad.
Re: They do react like some humans (Score:2)
What part of their body will they dye blue though?
And are they all named Karen?
Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 (Score:4, Funny)
I don't know what the ants did wrong. I just spent my last year of social isolation getting really good at Forza Horizon 4 and smoking a ton of weed.
And just look at how well I turned out!
Re: (Score:2)
Melania, can you please stop posting this spam?
Re: Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 (Score:1)
Great. You got imaginarily really good. ;)
I hope you can reap the imaginary spoils of your imaginary success, my friend!
I learned woodworking, machining and making chocolates, French pastries and proper Austrian cakes. Lost almost 60 pounds too. So clearly my dick is much bigger. /s ... Unless I want to eat my cake too. :'''-P
Re: (Score:1)
i'm not sure if they didnt mean "Humans once more prove to behave like ants" and it got re-written by homocentrists (THAT IS NOT GAYBASHING YOU ILLIITERATE SAPEINS"
End insect cruelty now! (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
I do avoid killing things unnecessarily. Isn't that normal? What kind of psycho goes around killing things for fun?
Oh, there is a pretty significant decline in insect populations across the globe. That should make us all nervous. Help your local bees out, if you can.
Re: End insect cruelty now! (Score:3)
What kind of sadistic person? Guess you don't know many kids. My mother told me this story of how other mothers would give her evil eyes for letting my brother play with guns while their kids ran around smashing ant hills.
Might is right. Thus the decline in insect populations and similarly birds (ignoring the impact of murder cats). Ecology is likely a more complex field then economics and look at how all the morons run their mouths about how that works. We never really considered the impact of pesticid
What do they expect? (Score:2)
Are they wanted sympathy from us?
Perhaps they could think about leaving my garden before they complain about isolation.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Why don't you leave our areas? We were here first! :P
Re: What do they expect? (Score:1)
Justifying horrors with mundane reasons, I see.
Hello, Hitler!
Nobody forced you to build in ant land.
Call me when you ever step in "stand your ground" land. I want to watch and laugh, and when you ask for help, I'll throw a print-out of your comment at you.
Cue the Zoolander jokes in 3... 2... 1... (Score:1)
n/t
Is this supposed to be a suprise? (Score:1)
Reminds me of these nightmare experiments: (Score:2)
Somebody did the same thing with mice.
It went even worse:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=... [youtube.com]
Always remember that when somebody says "It's just an animal." to act like they "can't feel". (In no way justifying veganism here, though.)
Re: (Score:1)
isolation (Score:1)
Stress due to isolation adversely affects the immune system
We are doomed.
Useless information for society (Score:2)
None of that has given any impetus for our societies to change, because that would interfere with producing the almighty dollar.
Isolation = Lowered Immune System (Score:3)
I would guess they resemble extroverts (Score:2)
Then again, apparently where research is concerned, extroversion is the norm and introverts are aberrant weirdos.*
*which, curiously, are still comfortably a subject of ridicule in the media
They start wearing MAGA hats (Score:2)
What does a socially isolated ant do? (Score:2)
They lock themselves in the basement and start ranting on /. like the rest of us!