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Environmental conditions shape the global distribution of ant societies.

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Title: Environmental conditions shape the global distribution of ant societies.
Authors: Pérochon, Eddie1 eddie.perochon@unil.ch, Guénard, Benoit2, Gippet, Jérôme M. W.3, Klaftenberger, Tristan1, Ollier, Sébastien1,4, Bertelsmeier, Cleo1 cleo.bertelsmeier@unil.ch
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2/10/2026, Vol. 123 Issue 6, p1-3. 13p.
Subjects: Biomes, Temperature, Ant communities, Seasons, Biogeography, Animal social behavior, Habitats, Group dynamics
Abstract: Sociality has evolved several times and is a key strategy for overcoming environmental challenges and promoting ecological success. Yet, it remains unclear how environmental conditions shape global variation in social traits of animals. With their diverse societies and global distribution, ants are ideal to test whether environmental conditions influence the distribution of animal social traits worldwide. Here, we used trait data for a total of 3,299 ant species to explore how three key social traits (reproductive structure, colony size, and worker polymorphism) vary with environmental conditions globally. We show that trait compositions are strongly structured by biomes, indicating that habitat types, as well as environmental factors like temperature and seasonality, influence sociality. Our findings highlight the crucial role of the environment in shaping the global distribution of sociality in ants, contributing to a better understanding of how complex animal societies evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 191672561
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PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
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  Data: Environmental conditions shape the global distribution of ant societies.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pérochon%2C+Eddie%22">Pérochon, Eddie</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> eddie.perochon@unil.ch</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Guénard%2C+Benoit%22">Guénard, Benoit</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gippet%2C+Jérôme+M%2E+W%2E%22">Gippet, Jérôme M. W.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Klaftenberger%2C+Tristan%22">Klaftenberger, Tristan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ollier%2C+Sébastien%22">Ollier, Sébastien</searchLink><relatesTo>1,4</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bertelsmeier%2C+Cleo%22">Bertelsmeier, Cleo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> cleo.bertelsmeier@unil.ch</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biomes%22">Biomes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Temperature%22">Temperature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ant+communities%22">Ant communities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Seasons%22">Seasons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biogeography%22">Biogeography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Animal+social+behavior%22">Animal social behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Habitats%22">Habitats</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+dynamics%22">Group dynamics</searchLink>
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  Data: Sociality has evolved several times and is a key strategy for overcoming environmental challenges and promoting ecological success. Yet, it remains unclear how environmental conditions shape global variation in social traits of animals. With their diverse societies and global distribution, ants are ideal to test whether environmental conditions influence the distribution of animal social traits worldwide. Here, we used trait data for a total of 3,299 ant species to explore how three key social traits (reproductive structure, colony size, and worker polymorphism) vary with environmental conditions globally. We show that trait compositions are strongly structured by biomes, indicating that habitat types, as well as environmental factors like temperature and seasonality, influence sociality. Our findings highlight the crucial role of the environment in shaping the global distribution of sociality in ants, contributing to a better understanding of how complex animal societies evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1073/pnas.2530826123
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 13
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      – SubjectFull: Biomes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Temperature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ant communities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Seasons
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Biogeography
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Animal social behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Habitats
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Group dynamics
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Environmental conditions shape the global distribution of ant societies.
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              Text: 2/10/2026
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              Y: 2026
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