Collective individuality in defense behavior of Azteca ant colonies in Cecropia trees

Over the past decade, there has been growing evidence that non-human animals maintain individual personalities, or sets of behavioral tendencies that are consistent across contexts, a phenomenon termed behavioral syndromes. This framework shifts the classic approach to behavioral ecology by implying limited behavioral flexibility. To account for this, behavioral traits should be viewed across multiple situations instead of in isolated contexts, aiming to quantify individual variation instead of ignoring it.  Studies in a broad range of taxa (e.g., birds, fish, and spiders) have described behavioral syndromes in individuals, but collective behavioral syndromes of highly social groups are largely uncharted. These groups provide an opportune system for studying the proximate and ultimate mechanisms driving behavioral syndromes because colonies can be easily manipulated and deconstructed.  We tested for the existence of collective behavioral syndromes in ant colonies of an arboreal Azteca ant associated with Cecropia trees. Preliminary evidence shows consistent variation in defensive behavior among colonies, suggesting collective behavioral syndromes may occur. Pursuing this, we presented colonies with a series of behavioral tests to assess five colony-level behavioral traits: defensive aggression, exploratory tendency, prey capture efficiency, response to leaf damage, and patrolling behavior. This work sets up future studies that will focus on how the personalities of a colony’s workers influence its collective personality, environmental effects on colony personality, and fitness consequences of behavioral type.