title: Thermoregulation strategies in ants in comparison to other social insects, with a focus on red wood ants ( Formica rufa group).
abstract: Temperature influences every aspect of ant biology, especially metabolic rate, growth and development. Maintenance of high inner nest temperature increases the rate of sexual brood development and thereby increases the colony fitness. Insect societies can achieve better thermoregulation than solitary insects due to the former's ability to build large and elaborated nests and display complex behaviour. In ants and termites the upper part of the nest, the mound, often works as a solar collector and can also have an efficient ventilation system. Two thermoregulatory strategies could be applied. Firstly the ants use an increased thermal gradient available in the mound for brood relocation. Nurse workers move the brood according to the thermal gradients to ensure the ideal conditions for development. A precise perception of temperature and evolution of temperature preferences are needed to make the correct choices. A second thermoregulatory strategy used by mound nesting ants is keeping a high temperature inside large nests. The unique thermal and insulation properties of the nest material help to maintain stable conditions, which is the case of the Wood ant genus Formica. Ants can regulate thermal loss by moving nest aggregation and alternating nest ventilation. Metabolic heat produced by ant workers or associated micro organisms is an important additional source of heat which helps to maintain thermal homeostasis in the nest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Charles University, Prague, CZ12800, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Stěpánka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadochová
authors.affiliation: Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University, Prague, CZ12800, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frouz
references.citation: Cellule. 1947-1948;51(3):279-368
references.pmid: 18910548
references.citation: Trans N Y Acad Sci. 1973 Jun;35(6):447-62
references.pmid: 4516097
references.citation: Environ Entomol. 2008 Feb;37(1):198-205
references.pmid: 18348811
references.citation: Naturwissenschaften. 2001 Jul;88(7):301-5
references.pmid: 11544898
references.citation: Science. 2004 Jul 16;305(5682):402-4
references.pmid: 15218093
references.citation: J Exp Biol. 2003 Dec;206(Pt 23):4217-31
references.pmid: 14581592
references.citation: J Insect Sci. 2010;10:137
references.pmid: 20883129
references.citation: Oecologia. 1989 Oct;81(1):33-37
references.pmid: 28312153