In a recent study conducted by the University of Sussex, researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding the social interactions between ants and their parasitic counterparts. By using fluorescent markers to differentiate between the two species, the team was able to observe complex interactions between the two. The results showed that the parasites have evolved to act like their hosts in order to gain benefits from the host colony but also to avoid detection. This means that the parasites move around the colony to gain resources and interact with other ants in the same way their hosts do. This provides valuable insights into the evolutionary relationship between social parasites and their hosts.

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source: Phys.org