title: Social Life in Arid Environments: The Case Study of Cataglyphis Ants.
abstract: Unlike most desert-dwelling animals, Cataglyphis ants do not attempt to escape the heat; rather, they apply their impressive heat tolerance to avoid competitors and predators. This thermally defined niche has promoted a range of adaptations both at the individual and colony levels. We have also recently discovered that within the genus Cataglyphis there are incredibly diverse social systems, modes of reproduction, and dispersal, prompting the tantalizing question of whether social diversity may also be a consequence of the harsh environment within which we find these charismatic ants. Here we review recent advances regarding the physiological, behavioral, life-history, colony, and ecological characteristics of Cataglyphis and consider perspectives on future research that will build our understanding of organic adaptive responses to desertification.
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|Institute of Insect Biology, Tours University, 37200 Tours, France.
authors.forename: Raphaël
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boulay
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aron
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Xim
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cerdá
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|Institute of Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity, CNRS, UPMC, EPHE, MNHN, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Claudie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doums
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hefetz
authors.affiliation: Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies, 45000 Orléans, France; email: raphael.boulay@univ-tours.fr.|UMR 7618, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75252 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Thibaud
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monnin
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003889:Desert Climate; D012919:Social Behavior; D000071436:Thermotolerance
keywords: chemical communication; desert-dwelling animals; dispersal; navigation; social system; temperature resistance