title: Lock-picks: fungal infection facilitates the intrusion of strangers into ant colonies.
abstract: Studies investigating host-parasite systems rarely deal with multispecies interactions, and mostly explore impacts on hosts as individuals. Much less is known about the effects at colony level, when parasitism involves host organisms that form societies. We surveyed the effect of an ectoparasitic fungus, Rickia wasmannii, on kin-discrimination abilities of its host ant, Myrmica scabrinodis, identifying potential consequences at social level and subsequent changes in colony infiltration success of other organisms. Analyses of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), known to be involved in insects' discrimination processes, revealed variations in chemical profiles correlated with the infection status of the ants, that could not be explained by genetic variation tested by microsatellites. In behavioural assays, fungus-infected workers were less aggressive towards both non-nestmates and unrelated queens, enhancing the probability of polygyny. Likewise, parasitic larvae of Maculinea butterflies had a higher chance of adoption by infected colonies. Our study indicates that pathogens can modify host recognition abilities, making the society more prone to accept both conspecific and allospecific organisms.
authors.affiliation: Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Enikő
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Csata
authors.affiliation: Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Timuş
authors.affiliation: Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witek
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10023 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca Pietro
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Casacci
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261, Université François Rabelais, 37200 Tours, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261, Université François Rabelais, 37200 Tours, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Geneviève
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Bagnères
authors.affiliation: Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sztencel-Jabłonka
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10023 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10023 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rákosy
authors.affiliation: Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Clinicilor 5-7, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Bálint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Markó
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis; D009181:Mycoses
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons