The role of microparasites in the evolution of insect sociality

我们用蚂蚁研究了社会性昆虫的红后范式。(1)在已建巢的材料中筑巢的日本斑尾夜蛾雌蜂的死亡率高于两组对照。真菌病原体似乎是死亡的主要原因，从尸体中分离出至少5种昆虫致病真菌。(2)日本夜蛾工蜂在暴露于原生土壤和外来土壤时，也表现出相似（有时相反）的差异死亡率。基因型与基因型的相互作用、特异性记忆免疫和对外来气味的应激似乎是可能的因素。(3)在实验室中，工蚁的死亡率与蚁群大小无关。(4)在各种新的昆虫宿主中发现了各种真菌病原体。

We examined the red-queen paradigm in social insects using ants.(1)Founding queens of Lasius japonidus showed a higher mortality when they are posed to found a nest in materials of established nests than those in two controls.Fungal pathogens seems the major case of the mortality, and at least five insect paihogenic fungi were isolated from the cadavers.(2)Workers of L. japonicus also showed a similar(but sometimes in the opposite)differential mortality, when they are exposed to soils from natal and alien nests.Genotype x genotype interaction, specific memorized immunity and stress to alien odor seemed possible factors for this.(3)Mortality of workers did not correlate to colony size in the laboratory.(4)Various fungal pathogens have been found in various new insects hosts.