Brood hiding test: a new bioassay for behavioral and neuroethological ant research

Abstract

We describe a new bioassay for behavioral and neuroethological ant research, the brood hiding test. A group of adult ants is taken out of the nest, confined together with brood and exposed to strong light. Ants may interact with brood, and, in particular, transport it to the provided shadowed area. The brood hiding test may be accompanied by administration of neuroactive compounds and/or by measurements of their levels in the brain and/or in specific brain structures. During pilot tests with workers of Formica polyctena the values of the score quantifying ant behavior were positively correlated with the group size.

Keywords

• bioassay
• brood
• light
• group size
• Formica polyctena