德國雷根斯堡大學(xué)1月29日發(fā)表公報(bào)說,，生病的螞蟻會主動離開蟻穴，在遠(yuǎn)離家的地方孤獨(dú)死去,。
雷根斯堡大學(xué)動物學(xué)院的生物學(xué)家在實(shí)驗(yàn)中觀察到,，生病的螞蟻會離開巢穴并孤獨(dú)地在外死去。進(jìn)一步研究證實(shí),，這種主動行為并不是某種特定疾病的病征,，也不會出現(xiàn)在其他健康螞蟻的身上。
研究人員說,，類似的現(xiàn)象也出現(xiàn)在其他群居動物中,，如大象和獅子。群居動物的這種行為或許是為了防止疾病在種群內(nèi)傳播,，保障種群延續(xù),。
有關(guān)論文發(fā)表在最新一期美國《當(dāng)代生物學(xué)》（Current Biology）雜志網(wǎng)絡(luò)版上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Current Biology, 28 January 2010 DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2009.12.031
Moribund Ants Leave Their Nests to Die in Social Isolation
Jürgen Heinze, Bartosz Walter
Animal societies provide perfect conditions for the spread of infections and are therefore expected to employ mechanisms that reduce the probability of transmitting pathogens to group members [1,2,3,4]. Death in nature rarely results from old age but commonly results from diseases. Leaving one's group to die in seclusion might be an efficient way of minimizing the risk of infecting kin. Anecdotal observations of moribund individuals deserting from their groups exist for several species, including humans (e.g., [5]), but have rarely been substantiated by quantitative analysis. Furthermore, to confirm that dying in solitude has evolved because of its altruistic benefits requires refuting the alternative explanation of pathogen manipulation of host behavior. Here we show that workers of the ant Temnothorax unifasciatus dying from fungal infection, uninfected workers whose life expectancy was reduced by exposure to 95% CO2[6,7], and workers dying spontaneously in observation colonies exhibited the same suite of behavior of isolating themselves from their nestmates days or hours before death. Actively leaving the nest and breaking off all social interactions thus occurred regardless of whether individuals were infected or not. Social withdrawal might be a commonly overlooked altruistic trait serving the inclusive fitness interests of dying individuals in social animals.
