Ants and Their Parasites 2013

Abstract

Ants, like any animal, are subject to parasitism. However, as they are also superorganisms living in common nests, their parasites experience environments wholly different from those of parasites affecting solitary organisms [1]. The nests of most ant species are relatively stable microhabitats prone to provide both readily available resources and some degree of protection against predators to many organisms. Consequently, ant-parasite (or ant-myrmecophile) associations gather a great deal of diversity ranging from the casual, opportunistic, unspecialized interaction—through temporary protection or sharing of some resources or even predation—, to obligate, specific mutualism that may involve coevolution of both the host and the parasite [2–5]. The first issue of this series examined a wide range of species: viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, silverfishes, flies, butterflies, beetles, spiders, wasps, and ants themselves. However, it could not cover all possible ant parasites. More studies examining their complex interactions from every possible angle, attempting to bring a more global vision of the functioning of such an evolutionary important relationship , are a challenging and fascinating goal. In this second volume, we continued giving specific attention to both the mechanisms used by ant parasites to integrate into their host colony and the way parasite pressure could affect patterns of reproduction and life history in ant hosts. Moreover, considering the increasing pace of losses in biodiversity due to habitat destruction and climate change, we also wanted to reflect the effort towards accurate faunistic surveys of the diversity of the associations involving ants as hosts and the exact nature of these associations. This volume is divided into two main sections: (1) ant-parasite interactions and the mechanisms of integration into the host colony, in which both already known and new associations between ants and a diverse fauna including numerous beetle families, phorid and syrphid flies, diapriid, eucharitid and eurytomid wasps, myrmecophilid crickets, spiders, and bacteria are reviewed and/or discussed considering behavioral, taxonomical, phylogenetical, and even conceptual aspects; (2) social parasitism involving ant-ant interactions, in which different interspecific associations between ant species are reviewed, from the most basic forms illustrated by independent plesiobiotic associations to sophisticated, permanent ones found between slave-making ants or inquiline species and their single specialized hosts.