Work shifts in leaf-cutting ant colonies

Certainly, you know people that wake up early in the morning and go to work right after a morning jog. And, probably, you know the opposite as well. Persons that hate waking up early yet work a lot at night. Well, ants are like that too! A recent research found that different workers of leaf-cutting ants have a preference for foraging either during the day or during the night. This temporal division of labor in work shifts could be an advantage to the leaf-cutting ants, given that workers can gather food 24/7 and manage an incessant inflow of nutrients to the colony. Therefore, the colony thrives while workers can have a moment to work and a much needed moment to rest. It is interesting to think what we could learn from ants, these insects with an elevated social organization, particularly concerning economically important activities that need to be done around the clock, such as health and security services.

Do you want to know more details? Please check out https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88005-0 to access the article published by PhD. student Pedro Brisola Constantino together with his advisor Prof. André Frazão Helene and Dra. Verónica Sandra Valentinuzzi, from the Regional Center of Scientific Investigations and Technological Transfer (CRILAR) in Anillaco, Argentina