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Young fire ant workers feign death and survive aggressive neighbors

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Abstract

Feigning death is a method of self-defense employed among a wide range of prey species when threatened by predator species. This paper reports on death-feigning behavior by the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, during intraspecific aggression among neighboring fire ant workers. Days-old workers responded to aggression by death feigning, weeks-old workers responded by fleeing and months-old workers responded by fighting back. By feigning death, days-old workers were four times more likely to survive aggression than older workers. From a proximate perspective, retaliation by young workers against aggressive older workers is certain to fail. With their relatively soft exoskeleton, young workers would be prone to injury and death and unable to execute an effective attack of biting or stinging older workers with harder exoskeletons. From an ultimate perspective, death feigning allows young workers to survive and contribute to brood care and colony growth, both of which are essential to queen survival and fitness.

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Acknowledgment

For help with technical assistance and data gathering, we thank the following staff and students from USF St. Petersburg: Xuefeng Wang, David Brodosi, Patrick McMahon, Skye Brown, Devon Swick, and Malcolm Butler’s science education class, Fall 2007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology, USF St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Deby L. Cassill

  2. Undergraduate, USF, Tampa, FL, USA

    Kim Vo & Brandie Becker

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  1. Deby L. Cassill
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  2. Kim Vo
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  3. Brandie Becker
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Correspondence to Deby L. Cassill.

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Cassill, D.L., Vo, K. & Becker, B. Young fire ant workers feign death and survive aggressive neighbors. Naturwissenschaften 95, 617–624 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0362-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0362-3

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