Weak links: how colonies counter the social costs of individual variation in thermal physiology

Abstract

Social insect nestmates often differ in thermal tolerance (the range of temperatures at which an individual functions). Worker thermal physiology can covary with body size, development, genetics and gene expression. Because colonies rely on the integration of diverse colony members, individual thermal tolerance differences can affect group performance. The weak link hypothesis states that if workers differ in thermal sensitivity, then in variable thermal environments colonies can incur performance costs due to thermal stress effects on the most thermally sensitive worker types. We discuss possible adaptive colony responses that ameliorate the costs of thermal weak links. Individual differences in thermal tolerance have profound implications for the effects of temperature variation and climate change on animal societies. Social implications of worker weak links potentially drive macroecological patterns in caste ergonomics.