Social immunity in a supercolonial invasive ant: Nest structure confers immune function

In animals, group living comes at the cost of increased pathogen exposure. In kin groups, social immune behaviors offset that cost and reach their most complex expression in eusocial insect societies. In the nests of these societies, collective social behaviors can modify patterns of individual interactions across space, reducing the ability of pathogens to reach the reproductive core of the colony (organizational immunity). To be effective, these behaviors must separate infected and uninfected individuals, implying that the efficacy of social immune behaviors may depend upon nest structure. The role of nest space has received little attention, and most knowledge of social immune behavior in social insects is based on the study of generalist entomopathogenic fungi. We examine the social immune behaviors involved in the interaction between the supercolonial, invasive tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva), and its specialist, intracellular, microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae, t..., Methods
We test whether nest structure alters immune function. Then, we examine the mechanisms that contribute to this effect. First, we evaluate whether workers from uninfected colony fragments occupy spatially distinct social networks shortly after moving into a new nest. Second, we analyze how these spatially defined subnetworks differ in interaction types and task profiles. Third, we test whether infection status changes how workers segregate amongst these subnetworks. Fourth, we assess whether infection influences the interactions workers engage in or the tasks they perform, and finally, we evaluate whether infection status affects how aggressively workers interact.
Infection Assessment: Colony Fragments
The infection status of colony fragments was determined by homogenizing groups of 20 workers in 300 µl of DI H2O, fixing and staining a 0.3 µl aliquot of the tissue homogenate, and counting the Type II DK M. nylanderiae spores present [1].  It is not possible to artificially i..., # **Data from: Social immunity in a supercolonial invasive ant: Nest structure confers immune function**

**Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.vx0k6dk5c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vx0k6dk5c)**

**Description of the data and file structure**

These data were collected to assess the role that nest structure plays in determining the efficacy of social immune behaviors in preventing the transmission of the pathogen *Myrmecomorba nylanderiae* from reaching the core of colony fragments of the supercolonial invasive ant species, *Nylanderia fulva.* 

**Files and variables**

* Transmission_Test_Apparatus.xlsx
* Resident_Social_Network_Tasks.xlsx
* Resident_Social_Network_-_Interactions.xlsx
* Worker_Dispersal_in_Apparatus.xlsx
* Inf-Uninf_Tasks_in_Apparat.xlsx
* Inf-Uninf_Interacts_in_Apparatus.xlsx
* Inf-Uninf_Aggression_in_Non-neutral_Arenas.xlsx

**Influence of nest structure on infection transmission**

File: Transmission_Test_Apparatus.xlsx

Description:

Results of pathogen transmission tes...,