« Previous AbstractHuman scent guides mosquito thermotaxis and host selection under naturalistic conditions    Next Abstract"A multicomponent, elicitor-inducible cystatin complex in tomato, Solanum lycopersicum" »

Neurosci Lett

Title:		Division of labor and structural plasticity in an extrinsic serotonergic mushroom body neuron in the ant Pheidole dentata
Author(s):		Giraldo YM; Patel E; Gronenberg W; Traniello JF;
Address:		"Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, United States. ygiraldo@bu.edu"
Journal Title:		Neurosci Lett
Year:		2013
Volume:		20121226
Issue:
Page Number:		107 - 111
DOI:		10.1016/j.neulet.2012.11.057
ISSN/ISBN:		1872-7972 (Electronic) 0304-3940 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Worker polyphenisms in ants enable insightful analyses of neuronal underpinnings of division of labor, a crucial aspect of animal social organization. In the ant Pheidole dentata, which has a dimorphic worker caste, serotonin titer increases in the brain with age, modulating pheromonal recruitment communication and foraging, behaviors characteristic of mature individuals. Serotonin-immunoreactive (5HT-IR) neurons are found in the mushroom bodies (MB) and may modulate multi-sensory information processing associated with cues and social signals guiding task performance. The volume of this neuropil correlates with worker subcaste and age in P. dentata, but the role of structural variation in individual extrinsic MB neurons in division of labor in ants is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that branching complexity in a 5HT-IR calyx input neuron (CIN) in the MBs increases with age in minor workers of P. dentata in association with task repertoire expansion. We further predicted that major workers, which are defense specialists, have less elaborate CIN axonal arbors at any age in comparison to minor workers, which are task generalists. Contrary to our predictions, immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses revealed significantly greater CIN branching in both newly eclosed and mature major workers, and identified an effect of worker age on branching complexity only in majors. Our results indicate a modulatory role of the CIN in subcaste-specific behaviors and suggest behavioral specialization may be associated with the elaboration of specific MB neurons"
Keywords:		"Animals Ants/*cytology/physiology Behavior, Animal Mushroom Bodies/*cytology/physiology Serotonergic Neurons/*cytology/physiology Social Behavior;"
Notes:		"MedlineGiraldo, Ysabel Milton Patel, Ekta Gronenberg, Wulfila Traniello, James F A eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Ireland 2013/01/01 Neurosci Lett. 2013 Feb 8; 534:107-11. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.11.057. Epub 2012 Dec 26"