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Article

The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression

by
Giuseppe Mannino
†,
Luca Pietro Casacci
†,
Giorgia Bianco Dolino
,
Giuseppe Badolato
,
Massimo Emilio Maffei
and
Francesca Barbero
*
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13/Via Gioacchino Quarello 15/A, 10123 Torino, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors equally contributed to the work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4387; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054387
Submission received: 27 December 2022 / Revised: 20 February 2023 / Accepted: 21 February 2023 / Published: 23 February 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)
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Abstract

The geomagnetic field (GMF) can affect a wide range of animal behaviors in various habitats, primarily providing orientation cues for homing or migratory events. Foraging patterns, such as those implemented by Lasius niger, are excellent models to delve into the effects of GMF on orientation abilities. In this work, we assessed the role of GMF by comparing the L. niger foraging and orientation performance, brain biogenic amine (BA) contents, and the expression of genes related to the magnetosensory complex and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of workers exposed to near-null magnetic fields (NNMF, ~40 nT) and GMF (~42 µT). NNMF affected workers’ orientation by increasing the time needed to find the food source and return to the nest. Moreover, under NNMF conditions, a general drop in BAs, but not melatonin, suggested that the lower foraging performance might be correlated to a decrease in locomotory and chemical perception abilities, potentially driven by dopaminergic and serotoninergic regulations, respectively. The variation in the regulation of genes related to the magnetosensory complex in NNMF shed light on the mechanism of ant GMF perception. Overall, our work provides evidence that the GMF, along with chemical and visual cues, is necessary for the L. niger orientation process.
Keywords: nearly null magnetic field; dopamine; serotonin; melatonin; phylogenetic analysis; antioxidant enzymes; oxidative stress; Lasius niger nearly null magnetic field; dopamine; serotonin; melatonin; phylogenetic analysis; antioxidant enzymes; oxidative stress; Lasius niger
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MDPI and ACS Style

Mannino, G.; Casacci, L.P.; Bianco Dolino, G.; Badolato, G.; Maffei, M.E.; Barbero, F. The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 4387. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054387

AMA Style

Mannino G, Casacci LP, Bianco Dolino G, Badolato G, Maffei ME, Barbero F. The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(5):4387. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054387

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mannino, Giuseppe, Luca Pietro Casacci, Giorgia Bianco Dolino, Giuseppe Badolato, Massimo Emilio Maffei, and Francesca Barbero. 2023. "The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24, no. 5: 4387. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054387

APA Style

Mannino, G., Casacci, L. P., Bianco Dolino, G., Badolato, G., Maffei, M. E., & Barbero, F. (2023). The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(5), 4387. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054387

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