Posts by Adria@mstdn.science
 (DIR) Post #APUPXAR66YMrRXSubQ by Adria@mstdn.science
       2022-11-11T09:12:43Z
       
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       @skepteis after following you for ages during the peak pandemic, it is great to finally see your introduction!
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzjYsI1sA1N9A2kq by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:35Z
       
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       How do complex social behaviors evolve and shape species' success? Here https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07688-7 we reveal how a key social behavior in ants - mouth-to-mouth food sharing #trophallaxis - emerged as ants opportunistically exploited new ecological niches as terrestrial environments changed.
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzja7ZOXyfEpJlD6 by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:36Z
       
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       Using Bayesian neural networks and evolutionary modelling, we show that trophallaxis evolved twice in ants: 130 million years ago when flowering plants became more abundant and ants began harvesting sugary liquids from plants and their insect partners, and again in others ~90 million years ago.
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzjhZpfrkCMVavjc by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:37Z
       
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       This ecological opportunity could *only* be seized in lineages where workers had given up their ability to reproduce independently, reducing social conflict within colonies.The evolution of trophallaxis enabled ants to develop larger colonies and it accelerated net diversification, paralleling how resource sharing drove other major evolutionary innovations like the emergence of complex multicellular life.
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzjqFxP8C3HTMgVM by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:37Z
       
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       This paper shows how the combination of ecological opportunism and reduced social conflict can spark social innovations, offering broader insights into the evolution of complex social systems. (incredible trophallaxis photos by François Brassard)
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzjyBztjmNtVZdRY by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:38Z
       
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       In sum, when there is both a reason to share (an opportunity to exploit new resources) and a willingness to share (not too much social conflict), new social sharing networks can evolve!https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-07688-7
       
 (DIR) Post #ArBzk75wnbHtVLoQlM by Adria@mstdn.science
       2025-02-16T14:30:39Z
       
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       In human terms, it was a paper built on espresso (me and Daniele) and cigarette (MP) break inspiration outside our lab annexed off the main Biology building at UNIFR. I had never envisioned going into phylogenetic methods but now I love it!Giant Brava to MP for venturing into this massive side track from her PhD! Thank you Daniele, for showing us the path. It was a pleasure!