"Scientists studying the way ant colonies defend against disease have discovered a surprising strategy: Young ants who become terminally ill will send out an altruistic "kill me" signal for the worker ants who tend to them. The findings, described in the journal Nature Communications, add to a growing understanding of the complex ways these highly social animals try to keep deadly epidemics in check."
"To manage these risks, ants have evolved with multiple disease defense strategies that depend on individuals collaborating to function as a whole similar to how the human body's immune system works. In some species, ants restructure their nests to slow the transmission of a lethal fungus and in others, ant queens eat infected brood to prevent the spread of disease and recover nutrients."
Young, terminally ill ant pupae emit signals that prompt worker ants to remove or kill them, reducing the risk of infectious disease spreading through the colony. Dense, moist nesting and close genetic relatedness make ant colonies especially vulnerable to epidemics. Ant colonies use multiple cooperative disease-defense strategies functioning like an immune system. Strategies include nest restructuring to slow fungal transmission, queens consuming infected brood to prevent spread and reclaim nutrients, and ill adult workers distancing themselves from nestmates. Immobile pupae cannot escape infection, so emitting a kill-me signal and worker-mediated removal protects colony health.
Read at www.npr.org
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