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Content archived on 2022-12-23

Social organisation and physiological regulation of Myrmica ants adapted to living in variable seasonal climates, and their ability to respond to climate change

Deliverables

This project brought together groups of scientists from three INTAS countries (Denmark, Germany and UK) and two FSU countries (Russia and Ukraine) to study how populations of common temperate ant species, adapt to a wide variety of seasonal climates over a large geographic range. Three main criteria for success of the project were established at the start of the collaboration. Despite some constraints imposed by the hyper-inflation in the FSU, these targets have all been met: The establishment of a network of collaboration between FSU and INTAS scientists working on social-insect biology. Despite the importance of the scientific achievements, we feel that this has been the greatest success of the collaboration demonstrated by: All participating INTAS scientists having visited the FSU at least once, to lecture to scientific audiences, discuss the project with students, and to meet science managers in Russia and Ukraine. The principle FSU participants having made a minimum of three visits to INTAS countries, to meet staff and students of the participating institutions and to lectured to international audiences at conferences. The personal friendships which have been made between the participants. This led to personal hospitality during exchange visits, which has enabled the participants to "stretch" the financial allocations. This establishment of mutual trust has been a key element in the scientific success of the project. The primary scientific aim was to undertake high quality, collaborative ecological, physiological and systematic research on ants (keystone species for maintaining biodiversity) to underpin the long term aim of understanding how boreal populations of ants might respond to global climate change. Although the geographical range of sites had to be trimmed as the cost of travel and subsistence in FSU escalated, six core sites representing a range of latitudes in Europe, have been studied with great success indicated by: The production of 16 refereed and 12 symposium scientific papers (published or in press)Production of 13 papers in various stages of preparation with c 12 more proposed.> 20 lectures to international audiences at scientific conferences. This fundamental research has enabled us to make considerable headway in achieving the long-term goal of predicting how boreal ants might respond to future climate change. Key achievements include: A first demonstration that basal metabolism of ants varies according to the latitude of the site where the population lives. A demonstration that there is mid-range effect in terms of the "fitness" of individual ants. The first demonstration that social physiology (i.e. length of the intrinsic cycle of brood production, onset of diapause, thermal and photoperiodic responses etc.) varies according to the latitude of the site where the population lives. A first demonstration that the seasonal life cycle of species varies to a great extent, according to the latitude of their site: those of populations living in extreme northern environments may be extended over several seasons.

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