The neuroplasticity of division of labor: worker polymorphism, compound eye structure and brain organization in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes
The neuroplasticity of division of labor: worker polymorphism, compound eye structure and brain organization in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes
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DOI：
10.1007/s00359-020-01423-9
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发表时间：
2020-06-06
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Traniello, James F. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Arganda, Sara;Hoadley, Andrew P.;Traniello, James F. A.
我们对感觉结构设计如何与神经处理能力相结合以适应性地支持劳动分工的理解是有限的。蚂蚁Atta cephalotes的工作人员在行为上因大小而特化：最小的工人（minims）在黑暗的地下室中照顾真菌，而较大的工人则在巢穴外执行任务。预计工地光照条件的强烈差异会影响视觉的感官和处理要求。分析工人眼睛和大脑的共聚焦扫描，我们发现眼睛结构和视觉神经柱似乎已经被选择，以最大限度地提高任务性能，根据光的可用性。Minim眼的小眼数少，房间角和眼参数值大，表明选择视力敏感度超过敏锐度。大型工人有更大的眼睛，更多和更大的小眼，和较小的interrommatidial角度和眼睛参数值，表明周边感觉适应环境雨林光。视叶和蘑菇体衣领不成比例地小，在极小。在视叶，椎板和小叶的相对体积增加与工人的大小，而髓质体积下降。因此，视觉系统表型对应于黑暗或光照环境中的任务专业化，并说明了这种社会复杂的农业蚂蚁劳动分工的功能神经可塑性。
Our understanding of how sensory structure design is coupled with neural processing capacity to adaptively support division of labor is limited. Workers of the remarkably polymorphic fungus-growing ant Atta cephalotes are behaviorally specialized by size: the smallest workers (minims) tend fungi in dark subterranean chambers while larger workers perform tasks outside the nest. Strong differences in worksite light conditions are predicted to influence sensory and processing requirements for vision. Analyzing confocal scans of worker eyes and brains, we found that eye structure and visual neuropils appear to have been selected to maximize task performance according to light availability. Minim eyes had few ommatidia, large interommatidial angles and eye parameter values, suggesting selection for visual sensitivity over acuity. Large workers had larger eyes with disproportionally more and larger ommatidia, and smaller interommatidial angles and eye parameter values, indicating peripheral sensory adaptation to ambient rainforest light. Optic lobes and mushroom body collars were disproportionately small in minims. Within the optic lobe, lamina and lobula relative volumes increased with worker size whereas medulla volume decreased. Visual system phenotypes thus correspond to task specializations in dark or light environments and illustrate a functional neuroplasticity underpinning division of labor in this socially complex agricultural ant.