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Coming of age in an ant colony: cephalic muscle maturation accompanies behavioral development in Pheidole dentata

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Abstract

Although several neurobiological and genetic correlates of aging and behavioral development have been identified in social insect workers, little is known about how other age-related physiological processes, such as muscle maturation, contribute to task performance. We examined post-eclosion growth of three major muscles of the head capsule in major and minor workers of the ant Pheidole dentata using workers of different ages with distinct task repertoires. Mandible closer muscle fibers, which provide bite force and are thus critical for the use of the mandibles for biting and load carrying, fill the posterio-lateral portions of the head capsule in mature, older workers of both subcastes. Mandible closer fibers of newly eclosed workers, in contrast, are significantly thinner in both subcastes and grow during at least the next 6 days in minor workers, suggesting this muscle has reduced functionality for a substantial period of adult life and thus constrains task performance capability. Fibers of the antennal muscles and the pharynx dilator, which control antennal movements and food intake, respectively, also increase significantly in thickness with age. However, these fibers are only slightly thinner in newly eclosed workers and attain their maximum thickness over a shorter time span in minors. The different growth rates of these functionally distinct muscles likely have consequences for how adult P. dentata workers, particularly minors, develop their full and diverse task repertoire as they age. Workers may be capable of feeding and interacting socially soon after eclosion, but require a longer period of development to effectively use their mandibles, which enable the efficient performance of tasks ranging from nursing to foraging and defense.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lloyd Davis for collecting the ant colonies used in this study. This work was supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship to MLM and NSF Grants IOB 0725013 and 0724591 to JFAT and WG.

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  1. Mario L. Muscedere

    Present address: Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, 2 Cummington Street, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Mario L. Muscedere & James F. A. Traniello

  2. Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, 611 Gould-Simpson Science Building, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Wulfila Gronenberg

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  1. Mario L. Muscedere
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  2. James F. A. Traniello
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  3. Wulfila Gronenberg
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Correspondence to Mario L. Muscedere.

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Communicated by: Sven Thatje

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Muscedere, M.L., Traniello, J.F.A. & Gronenberg, W. Coming of age in an ant colony: cephalic muscle maturation accompanies behavioral development in Pheidole dentata . Naturwissenschaften 98, 783 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-011-0828-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-011-0828-6

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