title: Neuromodulation of Nestmate Recognition Decisions by Pavement Ants.
abstract: Ant colonies are distributed systems that are regulated in a non-hierarchical manner. Without a central authority, individuals inform their decisions by comparing information in local cues to a set of inherent behavioral rules. Individual behavioral decisions collectively change colony behavior and lead to self-organization capable of solving complex problems such as the decision to engage in aggressive societal conflicts with neighbors. Despite the relevance to colony fitness, the mechanisms that drive individual decisions leading to cooperative behavior are not well understood. Here we show how sensory information, both tactile and chemical, and social context-isolation, nestmate interaction, or fighting non-nestmates-affects brain monoamine levels in pavement ants (Tetramorium caespitum). Our results provide evidence that changes in octopamine and serotonin in the brains of individuals are sufficient to alter the decision by pavement ants to be aggressive towards non-nestmate ants whereas increased brain levels of dopamine correlate to physical fighting. We propose a model in which the changes in brain states of many workers collectively lead to the self-organization of societal aggression between neighboring colonies of pavement ants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado - Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.|Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Andrew N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Bubak
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jazmine D W
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Yaeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado - Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Swallow
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado - Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Greene
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009655:Octopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D009655:Octopamine; D012701:Serotonin; D004298:Dopamine