Data from: Density of antennal sensilla influences efficacy of communication in a social insect

Effective communication requires reliable signals and competent receptors. Theoretical and empirical accounts of animal signaling focus overwhelmingly on the capacity of the signaler to convey the message. Nevertheless, the intended receiver’s ability to detect a signal depends on the condition of its receptor organs, as documented for humans. The impact of receptor organ condition on signal reception and its consequences for functional behavior are poorly understood. Social insects use antennae to detect chemical odors that distinguish between nestmates and enemies, reacting aggressively to the latter. We investigated the impact of antennal condition, determined by the density of sensilla, on the behavior of the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Worker aggression depended upon the condition of their antennae: workers with fewer sensilla on their antennae reacted less aggressively to nonnestmate enemies. These novel data highlight the largely unappreciated significance of receptor organ condition for animal communication and may have implications for coevolutionary processes in animal communication.

有效的信息传递依赖于可靠的信号与功能完备的感受器。现有关于动物信号传递的理论与实证研究绝大多数聚焦于信号发送者传递信息的能力。然而，正如在人类中已被证实的那样，目标接收者检测信号的能力取决于其感受器的状态，目前学界对感受器状态如何影响信号接收及其对功能行为的潜在后果仍知之甚少。社会性昆虫依靠触角检测用以区分同巢伙伴与天敌的化学气味，并对天敌展现出攻击行为。我们以织叶蚁（Oecophylla smaragdina）为研究对象，探究了由感器密度决定的触角状态对其行为的影响。研究结果显示，工蚁的攻击行为与其触角状态密切相关：触角上感器数量更少的工蚁，对非同巢天敌的攻击反应显著更弱。本研究的全新数据凸显了感受器状态在动物通信中长期被忽视的重要意义，或可为动物信号传递领域的协同进化过程研究提供新的启示。