Meeting Abstract

P3-88   -   Metabolic rates of needle ants, Brachyponera chinensis, from Rhode Island Cruz, D*; Andries, J; Barden, T; Vella, K; Cooper, E; Diltz, J; Olatunji, O; Tamfu, P; Tipping, M; Waters, JS; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College; Bates College; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College; Providence College james.waters@gmail.com http://www.lovetheants.org

We measured the metabolic rates of needle ants (Brachyponera chinensis), a species of ponerine ants originally from the Asian continent, well-established as an invasive species in the mid-Atlantic region of the eastern USA, and recently identified from a single location in Rhode Island. High-throughput metabolic phenotyping was used to measure the metabolic rates and activity of individual ants with a Sable Systems MAVEn set up for indirect calorimetry and a post-processing automatic classification of behavior. The oxygen consumption rates of freshly dissected and intact brains were measured with an Agilent Seahorse XF96 using microwell tissue capture screens. We present data on the metabolic rates of individual workers, queens, and male ants, measured individually and in groups. The use of metabolic encephalization quotients to track the relative energetic investment in neural tissues across the phylogeny of social insects may offer insight into the factors affecting the evolution of colony size and social complexity. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IOS-1953451.