These Jumping Ants Can Shrink and Regrow their Brains at Will!

One of the most awe-inspiring abilities of ants is the way they grow themselves to fit whatever role the colony needs them to spread and thrive. And in the case of the Indian jumping ants, that even applies to manipulating their very brain size.

Of course, there are also a number of other things that make this species of ants a bit special (and therefore, very capable of this type of adaptation).

They are known to be on the larger side in terms of ant sizes. Inversely, their colonies only consist of a few members. Furthermore, there is very little difference between the species' worker ants and their queens.

Brain changes adapt to colony needs

Now, when Indian jumping ant colonies lose a queen, surviving female workers actually engage in a sort of battle royale to determine who succeeds her. The winners become eligible to start reproducing.

When they do though, researchers have found that their brain shrinks by about 20%. In one experiment, they decided to check if this could be reversed by weakening the fertility of these ants. The results gradually showed their brains return back to their size in order to facilitate their return to hunting and foraging for the colony.

Ant experimentation reveal easily modifiable genes

Of course, this was not the first time researchers have experimented on ants just to see if it is possible for them to change their roles. These previous studies have shown that ants can be genetically modified to change their behaviour without necessarily transforming their physical build.

Another interesting discovery is that a lot of these changes were done via exposure to compounds. These compounds then altered the way these ant brains work while eventually also affecting the following generation.

The results certainly paint a picture of ants as far more adaptable than their caste-based colonies suggest. For a while, it was believed that these roles would be fixed upon birth. But while this may be the case of some ant species, others have demonstrated that amazing genetic transformations can be possible given the right conditions.

Consider the following instances:

• A famine hits a colony, killing off a major branch of its nest. The survivors adjust their roles in order to find more food and ensure its better distribution.

• Colonies end up producing additional queens in order to maintain the colony's survival, especially as threats to any queen's survival are high.

• Pesticide resistance is built up after a colony manages to survive exposure. In fact, some of the compounds that can trigger an ant's genetic changes could potentially come from toxins.

All in all, there is a lot that one can expect from the ways ants have evolved and changed their genetic makeup, not just to preserve themselves but their colonies

Whether it is in the ability to adjust brain sizes for a changed role or even produce new types of workers to spread out and expand the colony's reach, their knack for evolution should never be underestimated.