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...,在动物类群中，群居生活伴随着病原体暴露风险升高的代价。在亲缘群体中，社会免疫行为可抵消该代价，并在真社会性昆虫（eusocial insect）社会中达到最为复杂的表现形式。在这类社会的蚁巢中，集体社会行为可调控个体间跨空间的互动模式，削弱病原体抵达蚁群繁殖核心的能力（即组织免疫（organizational immunity））。为实现有效防御，此类行为必须实现感染个体与未感染个体的隔离，这意味着社会免疫行为的效能可能依赖于蚁巢结构。目前学界对蚁巢空间结构的相关研究仍较为匮乏，且学界关于昆虫社会免疫行为的多数认知均基于广谱昆虫病原真菌（entomopathogenic fungi）的相关研究。本研究聚焦于超殖民性入侵物种黄褐色疯狂蚁（Nylanderia fulva）与其专性胞内微孢子虫病原体迈尔莫尔巴蚁微孢子虫（Myrmecomorba nylanderiae）互作过程中的社会免疫行为，…… **方法** 本研究首先检验蚁巢结构是否会改变免疫功能，随后解析介导该效应的潜在机制。具体而言：第一，我们评估未感染蚁群片段的工蚁迁入新蚁巢后，是否会快速占据空间上独立的社交网络；第二，我们分析这些空间界定的子网络在互动类型与任务分工上存在何种差异；第三，我们检验感染状态是否会影响工蚁在这些子网络间的聚集模式；第四，我们评估感染状态是否会改变工蚁的互动行为或其所承担的任务；最后，我们验证感染状态是否会影响工蚁的互动攻击性。 **感染评估：蚁群片段** 蚁群片段的感染状态通过以下流程确定：将20头工蚁置于300 μL去离子水中进行匀浆，取0.3 μL组织匀浆固定染色后，计数II型DK型迈尔莫尔巴蚁微孢子虫孢子数量[1]。目前尚无法通过人工方式…… # **数据来源：超殖民性入侵蚁的社会免疫：蚁巢结构赋予免疫功能** **数据集DOI：[10.5061/dryad.vx0k6dk5c](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vx0k6dk5c)** **数据与文件结构说明** 本数据集的采集旨在评估蚁巢结构在调控社会免疫行为效能中的作用，该行为可阻止病原体迈尔莫尔巴蚁微孢子虫（Myrmecomorba nylanderiae）传播至超殖民性入侵蚁物种尼氏疯蚁（Nylanderia fulva）的蚁群片段核心。 **文件与变量** * 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 **蚁巢结构对病原体传播的影响** 文件：Transmission_Test_Apparatus.xlsx 说明：病原体传播测试结果……