Task-specific and seasonal differences in individual nutritional status of red wood ant workers

Diet plays a crucial role in caste differentiation and division of labor in ants, but relationships between behavioral specialization and the nutritional status of workers in monomorphic species remain understudied. We used the red wood ant Formica aquilonia, a key species of forest communities in North Eurasia, to examine whether (i) nurses are fatter than foragers; (ii) task groups collected on the nest surface, ground surface, and trees have different fat reserves; and (iii) task groups differ in the diet and trophic level. Higher fat content in nurses, including sunbathing workers, compared to foragers was shown by abdomen: thorax dry mass, C: N ratio, and δ13C values in the abdomen and thorax. Colony fat reserves were minimal in summer and maximum in autumn, especially in nurses. Ground foragers restoring the foraging territory in spring showed signs of starvation according to the thoracic δ15N values. Nest guards and foragers were similarly lean in summer. Tree foragers collecting..., , , # Data from: Task-specific and seasonal differences in individual nutritional status of red wood ant workers

## Description of data and file structure

#### Iakovlev_Reznikova_Tiunov_Data_Isotopes.csv

The file contains data on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition, C:N ratio, and dry mass variables for *Formica aquilonia* ant workers collected in different seasons, colonies, and spatial zones within colony territories.

**Description of variables:**

* **body_part** - Ant body part
* **colony** - Ant colony ID
* **season** - Season of the year in which the ants were collected
* **zone** - Spatial zones of task group activity: inside the nest, on the nest surface, on the foraging ground, and on foraging trees
* **select_pupae_data** - Data selection variable for comparing pupae values ​​with those of workers (thorax, abdomen) from four spatial zones
* **d13C** - d13C value in selected part of ant body (‰)
* **d15N** - d15N value in selected part of ant body (‰)
* **CN_ratio** ...,

饮食在蚂蚁的品级分化与劳动分工中扮演关键角色，但目前对单型蚁类（monomorphic species）工蚁的行为特化与其营养状态间的关联仍研究不足。本研究以欧亚北部森林群落的关键物种——红褐林蚁（*Formica aquilonia*）为研究对象，旨在验证三个假说：(1) 保育蚁（nurses）的脂肪储备高于觅食蚁（foragers）；(2) 在巢面、地面与树木上采集的任务群工蚁具有不同的脂肪储备；(3) 不同任务群的饮食与营养级存在差异。
通过腹胸干重比、碳氮比（C:N）以及腹部与胸部的δ¹³C值，证实了包括晒暖工蚁在内的保育蚁的脂肪含量高于觅食蚁。蚁群的脂肪储备在夏季最低，秋季最高，其中保育蚁的脂肪储备尤为突出。春季恢复觅食领地的地面觅食蚁，其胸部δ¹⁵N值显示出饥饿迹象。夏季时，巢守卫蚁与觅食蚁的脂肪含量同样偏低。树木觅食蚁采集……# 数据来源：红褐林蚁工蚁的任务特异性与季节特异性个体营养状态差异

## 数据与文件结构说明

### Iakovlev_Reznikova_Tiunov_Data_Isotopes.csv
该文件包含不同季节、不同蚁群以及蚁群领地内不同空间分区的红褐林蚁工蚁的碳、氮稳定同位素组成、碳氮比与干重相关变量数据。

**变量说明：**
* **body_part**：蚂蚁身体部位
* **colony**：蚁群编号
* **season**：蚂蚁采集时的季节
* **zone**：任务群活动的空间分区：巢内、巢面、觅食地面与觅食树木
* **select_pupae_data**：用于对比蛹与四个空间分区工蚁（胸部、腹部）数值的数据选择变量
* **d13C**：蚂蚁选定身体部位的δ¹³C值（‰）
* **d15N**：蚂蚁选定身体部位的δ¹⁵N值（‰）
* **CN_ratio**：……