Abstract
As small-bodied terrestrial organisms, insects face severe desiccation risks in arid environments, and these risks are increasing under climate change. Here, we investigate the physiological, chemical, and behavioral mechanisms by which harvester ants, one of the most abundant arid-adapted insect groups, cope with desiccating environmental conditions. We aimed to understand how body size, cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, and queen number impact worker desiccation resistance in the facultatively polygynous harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus. We measured survival at 0% humidity of field-collected worker ants sourced from three closely situated populations within a semi-arid region of southern California. These populations vary in queen number, with one population dominated by multi-queen colonies (primary polygyny), one population dominated by single-queen colonies, and one containing an even mix of single- and multi-queen colonies. We found no effect of population on worker survival in desiccation assays, suggesting that queen number does not influence colony desiccation resistance. Across populations, however, body mass and cuticular hydrocarbon profiles significantly predicted desiccation resistance. Larger-bodied workers survived longer in desiccation assays, emphasizing the importance of reduced surface area-to-volume ratios in maintaining water balance. Additionally, we observed a positive relationship between desiccation resistance and the abundance of n-alkanes, supporting previous work that has linked these high-melting point compounds to improved body water conservation. Together, these results contribute to an emerging model explaining the physiological mechanisms of desiccation resistance in insects.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Rebecca Clark, Carol Iskander, Kathryn Myers, and Natalie Matis for assistance with field collections. We especially thank Weizhao Sun for help with calibrations. We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Neil Tsutsui and Brian Whyte for their expertise and helpful discussions about ant desiccation resistance. We also thank Lake Henshaw Resort for permission to collect on their premises. This research was supported by a German Research Foundation (DFG) award (part of the SFB TRR 212 (NC3)—TP C04, project numbers 316099922 and 396780988; to JG), startup funding provided by the University of Southern Mississippi (to KMB), an NSF Graduate Research Grant (to MMO), a Momental Foundation Mistletoe Research Fellowship (to MMO), and an ASU Graduate and Professional Student Association Grant (to MMO).
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Ostwald, M.M., Tretter, S., Buellesbach, J. et al. Body mass and cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, but not queen number, underlie worker desiccation resistance in a facultatively polygynous harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex californicus). J Comp Physiol B 193, 261–269 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-023-01488-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-023-01488-3