Bhalla, R. V. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Atta Leafcutter Ants are Fine-Scale Bioindicators of Geographic and Seasonal Climate Changes Across the Americas

AimWe develop Atta leafcutter-ants as bioindicators that respond at fine scales to geographic and seasonal climate changes in the Americas, thereby addressing the paucity of versatile insect bioindicator systems capable of monitoring climate in both Southern and Northern Hemispheres. LocationAmerican tropics and sub-tropics from latitudes S33.6{degrees} to N33.2{degrees}, with case studies from Colombia, Mexico, and southern USA. Time Period2012-2024. Taxon StudiedAtta leafcutter-ants. MethodsWe elucidate biogeographic patterns of mating-flight phenology of Atta leafcutter-ants across the entire Atta range from Uruguay/Argentina to the USA, using 2335 records of Atta reproductives from the community database iNaturalist, then ground-truth these patterns by comparison with (i) mating-flight records (n=806) from the Atta literature; and (ii) mating-flight observations (n=836) accumulated by a consortium of experts who have researched Atta for a combined 1000+ work-years. Onset of mating flights can be timed with great precision in Atta populations because mass-mating flights are synchronized and triggered by the first major rainfall of a rainy season. ResultsBiogeographic patterns in climate-dependent mating-flight phenologies recorded at iNaturalist are corroborated by observations accumulated in the literature and by Atta experts. Analyses reveal so-far unknown gradients in mating-flight phenology (e.g., Colombia to USA) that are correlated to geographic climate gradients, and season switches of mating flights from early to late in the year between proximate Atta populations (e.g., 200 kilometers apart), for example in the climatically complex Andean regions of Colombia. Regional differences in Atta mating-flight phenology correspond to temporal differences in rainfall between ecoregions of Colombia. Main ConclusionsAtta ants are tractable insect bioindicators to monitor climate impacts with detailed spatial and temporal resolution across a 9200-kilometer trans-equatorial transect in the Americas. We outline future research directions to explore climate-dependent biology using the continuously growing, and now ground-truthed, information at iNaturalist on Atta mating behavior.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Leptin promotes social context-specific increase in advertisement song effort of male Alston's singing mice

Animal display behaviors, such as advertisement songs, are flashy and attention grabbing by necessity. In order to balance the costs and benefits of such signals, individuals must be able to assess both their own energetic state and their social environment. In this study, we investigated the role of leptin, a hormonal signal of high energy balance, in regulating the vocal advertisement display of Alstons singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina). We manipulated perception of energy balance using exogenous leptin, and social environment through acoustic playback, to ask how internal cues of energy availability are integrated with external social cues that promote singing. We found that both song playback and leptin injection promoted increased song effort. In the absence of song playback, leptin altered amplitude modulation in songs, but did not affect song rate. Additionally, we examined hormone and playback effects on non-vocal behaviors and found that leptin may shift physical activity away from cage exploration and toward wheel running. Finally, we found several positive associations between measures related to high song effort. These results demonstrate that male singing mice use both social context and energy balance to govern their investment in advertisement song and that leptin acts as a mediator of this process.

animal behavior and cognition↗