2024-07-06 06:00:12
Camponotus floridanus ants, which lack antimicrobial glands, are proving to be skilled surgeons, capable of amputating infected limbs from their fellow ants to save their lives. This surprising discovery was made by a team led by Erik Frank of theUniversité from Würzburg, Germany, and Dany Buffat, fromUniversity of Lausannein Switzerland. The results of this study were published in Current Biology.
The research team was interested in this species in particular because of its lack of the metapleural gland, an organ antiseptic which regarding 20% of other ant species have. To understand how Camponotus floridanus manage to treat their wounds despite this absence, the researchers conducted a series of experiments. They cut the legs of these ants and observed the reactions of the colony. They noted two distinct behaviors depending on the location of the wound. For a wound located on the tibia, the ants simply cleaned the wound, with a survival rate of 75%. On the other hand, for a wound located on the femurthey were carrying out a amputation following a cursory cleaning, increasing the survival rate to 90%. The researchers then tested the effect of amputation on injured tibias themselves, and found a survival rate of only 20%, much lower than that achieved by simple cleaning.
This differentiation in treatment is explained by the circulation of hemolymph, the circulatory fluid of insects. The muscles responsible for this circulation are located at the femur. An injury at this level slows down the transport of the bacteriathus allowing the ants to take the temps necessary to amputate the infected leg. In contrast, a tibia injury does not slow the circulation of hemolymph, making wound cleaning more effective than amputation.
Camponotus floridanus ants thus show an impressive ability to diagnose the severity of an injury and apply the appropriate treatment. They know precisely when an amputation is necessary to maximize the chances of survival of their fellow ants, demonstrating a remarkable social and medical organization. This discovery opens new perspectives on the medical behavior of social insects and their ability to adapt to infections.
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