Abstract
(Englisch)
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The INSECTS network investigates the economy and integration of insect societies by combining methods from biology, chemistry and mathematics. This interdisciplinary approach aims to further our understanding of the challenges that insect societies face (e.g. internal conflict, competition, parasites & waste), the synergistic advantages that group living brings (e.g. on reliability, work organization, farming and husbandry), and why insect societies use a diversity of information systems to promote cohesion and reduce conflict.
One of our main interests is how an increase in colony size effects the workings of advanced insect societies. Collaborative work between INSECTS laboratories has investigated the evolution of supercoloniality in southern European populations of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile. This is an invasive species and its ecological success is likely to arise from its odd 'unicolonial' social structure, whereby ants move freely between different nests. This contrasts with the normal behaviour of most ant species where workers from different nests are highly aggressive towards one another. Using behavioural assays we showed that there are in fact two supercolonies along the southern European coast. Individuals within each supercolony are not aggressive towards one another, whereas interactions between members of different supercolonies are highly aggressive. Astonishingly, the larger of the two supercolonies was found to range over 6,000Km from the Spanish Atlantic coast to Italy. This supercolony is the largest cooperative unit ever recorded. Furthermore, other researchers have proposed that unicoloniality arises because genetic variation is lost during colonisation events, however, our work contradicts this hypothesis as levels of genetic variation at marker loci were not dramatically low. This suggests that reduced aggression may have been selected for during colonisation.
One of the principle aims of the INSECTS network to train young scientists in a broad range of disciplines. To fulfil this aim the INSECTS network has successfully organised three training workshops focussing on genetic techniques (15-17/02/2002, Oulu, Finland), morphological and histological techniques (29/06-1/07/2002, Leuven, Belgium) and methods for investigating diseases and parasites and their effects on the insect immune system (1-3/11/2002, Zürich, Switzerland). Members of the Lausanne group have played active roles by attending these meetings and by presenting talks on their on-going research. Furthermore, the Lausanne group hosted members of other network labs and provided them with training in genetics and genomics.
During 2002 the Lausanne group has produced 25 papers that have been published or are in press in international scientific journals. Seven of these papers were jointly authored with members of other INSECTS network laboratories and are the result of successful collaborations fostered by the network.
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