Ant societies' arms race: Gene activity in defenders depends on invading slavemaking ants

(Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz) Temnothorax americanus is a slavemaking ant found in northeastern America. In a new study, biologists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) examined the special relationship between the parasites and their host and made an exciting discovery: The ability of the host ants to defend themselves depends crucially on whether the raiding slavemakers come from an area with a successful or less successful parasite population.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news