Fungus growing (attine) ants have acquired an unusually effective symbiosis with fungi (which they rear in underground gardens) but are also plagued by unusual challenges of specialised parasites, exploiting the ants themselves, their fungal crops, or the interaction between them. The program will concentrate on how socially parasitic Acromyrmex species exploit existing colonies of closely related host species, how their mating and breeding system has become simplified and how their small workers (who do not forage) cut down on costly glandular defences against infections by fungal pathogens attacking the ants themselves or their gardens. Collaborations with Firenze, Keele, Sheffield and Zürich are planned for this program. A detailed analysis of Wolbachia bacterial symbionts in Acromyrmex , which are known to disrupt reproduction in many other insects , is planned together with subcontractor Leuven.

Research expertise:

Ant parasites and diseases
Interaction of ants with symbionts
Fungus-growing ants.
Maculinea parasites of Myrmica ants.
Causes and consequences of queen multiple-mating.

This program will use temperate and tropical wasps as model systems. These are societies characterised by less advanced social organisation, but highly effective defence. It will analyse how social parasites evade the normally effective chemical recognition system of the wasp societies that they usurp (collaborations with Keele and Copenhagen possible). It will also analyse the distribution of high molecular weight components in the venom produced across basal and derived genera of wasps. The stinging defence behaviour of wasps causes severe allergies and regular casualties around the world. This part of the work may involve collaboration with Sheffield and Keele and with the Italian Company ANALLERGO SrL, which produces commercial antiallergenics to wasp stings

Research expertise:

Social parasites of wasps.
Behavioural ecology of polistine and stenogastrine wasps.
Nestmate recognition mechanisms.

The Keele group is concerned with insect chemical information technology:

• Which molecules are important for recognition?
• To what extent can insects discriminate between molecules of like structure?
• What depth of information can be communicated using molecules?

In collaboration with Firenze we are trying to find new ways of answering these questions. We are currently building a library of synthetic compounds which are regularly found on insect cuticle and investigating new methods of applying compounds to the cuticle of live insects. In addition to becoming involved in these projects the appointed postdoc will have an important role as a provider of chemical analyses to the other Participants, both by doing analyses for them and by hosting and training secondment visitors. It is expected that many other groups will (as in the previous TMR network) collaborate with the Keele postdoc on chemical "information technology" questions involving various model systems

Research expertise:

Chemical analysis using GC-MS.
Chemical synthesis of cuticular compounds.
Chemical recognition.

Several lineages of ants have species that can monopolise entire habitats because they have given up the family structure and overt aggression between families that normally typifies insect societies. The main projects involving the Lausanne postdoc will be to:

1. determine the relationship between colony size and the efficiency of ant colonies.
2. investigate the genetic and ecological factors that promote and favour the maintenance of unicolonial colony structure (i.e., species where colonies are not distinct and where individuals within the same nest are only very distantly related).

The program will concentrate on ecological, chemical and genetic aspects of this problem using Formica and Solenopsis ants as empirical model systems. Collaboration with Oulu/Helsinki and Keele will be an integrated part of this program.

Research expertise:

Kin conflicts in animal societies.
Population genetics of ants.
Sex ratio studies in ants and fig wasps.
Genetic studies of mechanisms of ageing.
Genetic basis of behaviour.

Together with the subcontractor in Helsinki, this program exploits the well known field populations of Formica ants in Finland, on which groups in Copenhagen, Lausanne and Sheffield have also published influential papers together with the Helsinki group. The questions addressed are complementary to those in the Lausanne program, and focus on:

1. Challenges due to internal conflicts and the role of chemicals in mediating or preventing the expression of such conflicts.
2. The role of family structure for host-pathogen dynamics and colonisation patterns of both hosts and parasites, especially comparing populations with different social organisation.
3. Analyses of the genetics underlying the production of informative communication substances used for kin recognition.

Collaborations with Copenhagen and Keele are foreseen.

Research expertise:

Classical genetics of male-haploid organisms.
Population genetic analysis.
Molecular evolution.

Ponerine ants of the genus Pachycondyla allow the comparative study of key social traits in closely related species which differ greatly in colony size and the reproductive potential of individuals within societies (this also holds for the attine ants and social wasps studies in Copenhagen, Firenze and Sheffield, but in the latter the comparisons are across genera). The expression of reproductive conflict and the chemical signatures of social rank are expected to differ as a function of colony size. Evolutionary theory makes precise predictions as to how reproductive competition among co-breeding individuals should be solved and Pachycondyla is ideal to test these by a combination of behavioural, genetic and chemical studies. Collaborations with Sheffield, Firenze and the Würzburg subcontractor are expected.

Research expertise:

Ant life histories.
Reproductive physiology in ants.
Large scale laboratory culture of ants.

This program will investigate the use of information in insect societies. There will be two main themes:

1. The use of information in regulating foraging systems in societies of different sizes and with different methods of foraging (on foot versus flying, with or without pheromone trails).
2. The use of information in the manipulation of reproduction by individuals and in the prevention of manipulation by individuals.

The work will use modelling, experiments, cuticular hydrocarbon analysis and DNA microsatellite analysis and will concentrate on honey bees, ponerine ants and fungus growing ants. Collaborations with Copenhagen, Keele, Oulu and Regensburg are envisaged. Conceptually, this program is similar to the one in Regensburg, but makes comparisons across major taxa of social insects.

Research expertise:

Honey bee biology and apiaries.
Mathematical modelling.
Task partitioning studies.