Title data
Tragust, Simon:
External immune defence in ant societies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): the role of antimicrobial venom and metapleural gland secretion.
In: Myrmecological News.
Vol. 23
(September 2016)
.
- pp. 119-128.
ISSN 1994-4136
Abstract in another language
Recently, antimicrobial secretions acting in the environment of an organism have been described as external immunedefence. Here I review evidence that antimicrobial secretions from two exocrine glands of ants, the venom gland andthe metapleural glands, indeed function as external immune defence in order to increase the livelihood and hygienewithin the colony. I will argue that the evolution of external immune defence has likely been favoured in social insectsdue to their lifestyle, i.e., due to their often long-lived and large societies, with permanent nests and the potentialstorage of food. Although external immune defence is widely documented for social insects, we still lack a betterunderstanding of how external immune defence integrates into other parasite defence traits of social insects and generalhost physiology. Therefore, I will point to potential limitations and shortcomings of our current knowledge on externalimmune defence in insect societies and highlight potential new avenues for future research.
Further data
Item Type: | Article in a journal |
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Refereed: | Yes |
Additional notes: | BAYCEER137203 |
Keywords: | Review; Ecological immunology; Life history; Trade-off; Immunity; Social insects |
Institutions of the University: | Research Institutions Research Institutions > Research Centres Research Institutions > Research Centres > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology > Chair Animal Ecology I Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Biology |
Result of work at the UBT: | Yes |
DDC Subjects: | 500 Science |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jan 2018 08:20 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2018 08:20 |
URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/41413 |