Data from: Endogenous colony dormancy shapes seasonal cold tolerance in temperate ants
Data files
Apr 29, 2026 version files 120.81 KB
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data_Condition_means_ctmin_lte50.xlsx
9.54 KB
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data_ctmin.xlsx
15.47 KB
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data_lte50.xlsx
11.13 KB
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data_metabolomics.xlsx
70.91 KB
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data_smr.xlsx
10.46 KB
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README.md
3.29 KB
Abstract
As eusocial superorganisms, cold-adapted ants must survive multiple consecutive winters and are shaped by selective pressures acting at both individual and colony-levels. Following winter reactivation, colonies enter a fixed developmental phase whose duration is regulated by “Kipyatkov’s sand-glass device,” an endogenous timer that enforces the onset of a new dormancy period after a set interval even under permissive light and temperature conditions. However, how this obligate colony-level programming interacts with worker physiological responses to produce cold-tolerant phenotypes capable of withstanding seasonality remains unknown. Here, we leveraged obligate colony-level seasonal programming in five temperate ant species to disentangle the relative contributions of endogenous colony dormancy and exogenous thermal exposure (acclimation) on worker metabolic rates, metabolomic profiles, and cold tolerance. We show that across the tested species, the onset of colony dormancy alone is sufficient to modulate both the critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and the temperature causing 50% mortality during acute cold exposure (LTe50),and further interacts with acclimation to shape worker cold tolerance. Cold acclimation triggered the accumulation of metabolites (e.g. trehalose, glycerophosphoethanolamine) potentially involved in osmotic balance and membrane reorganization in individuals. Our results highlight that programmed, obligate colony dormancy in temperate ants can drive cold hardening in workers independently of environmental exposure. This suggests that cold tolerance in temperate social insects can emerge from the interplay between colonial seasonal programming and individual responses to environmental cues, reflecting their unique evolutionary history and social organisation.
Overview
This repository contains the datasets supporting the analyses presented in the manuscript; the data include measurements of cold tolerance (CTmin and LTe50), metabolic rate (SMR), and metabolomic profiles across five temperate ant species exposed to four experimental conditions combining acclimation and colony-level dormancy status.
Date of collection: 2021–2023; Location of collection: Aarhus, Denmark
Experimental design
Species studied: Lasius niger; Lasius flavus; Formica fusca; Myrmica rubra; Leptothorax acervorum
Experimental conditions: Control (26 °C, no dormancy); Acclimated (8 °C, no dormancy); Dormancy (26 °C, colony-level dormancy); Acclimated + dormancy (8 °C, colony-level dormancy)
Files and variables
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data_ctmin.xlsx; Contains individual critical thermal minimum (CTmin) measurements; one row = one worker
Variables:
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Species (categorical; species name)
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Acclimation (°C; temperature treatment during acclimation)
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Colony dormancy (YES/NO; dormancy status of the colony)
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CTmin (°C; critical thermal minimum)
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data_lte50.xlsx; Contains lower lethal temperature estimates (LTe50); one row = one species × condition combination;
Variables:
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Species (categorical; species name)
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Acclimation (°C; temperature treatment during acclimation)
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Colony dormancy (YES/NO; dormancy status of the colony)
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LTe50 (°C; lower lethal temperature at which 50% mortality occurs)
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Lower_CI (°C; lower confidence interval, 95%, of LTe50 estimate)
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Upper_CI (°C; upper confidence interval, 95%, of LTe50 estimate)
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data_smr.xlsx; Contains standard metabolic rate (SMR) measurements; one row = one biological replicate; measurements correspond to rates of CO₂ production
Variables:
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Species (categorical; species name)
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Colony dormancy (YES/NO; dormancy status of the colony)
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SMR 18°C (VCO2 18°C (µlh⁻¹mg⁻¹); rate of CO₂ production per mg body mass per hour at 18 °C)
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data_Condition_means_ctmin_lte50.xlsx; Contains condition-level summary values used in mixed-effects models; one row = one species × condition combination
Variables:
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Species (categorical; species name)
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Acclimation (°C; temperature treatment)
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Colony dormancy (YES/NO; dormancy status)
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Mean CTmin (°C; mean critical thermal minimum)
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LTe50 (°C; lower lethal temperature at 50% mortality)
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data_metabolomics.xlsx; Contains metabolomic measurements for 53 metabolites across species and conditions; one row = one analytical sample; samples represent pooled workers from a given species × condition × biological replicate; all metabolite values are expressed as chromatographic peak areas normalized per mg of analytical sample
Variables
- Species (categorical; species name)
- Colony dormancy (YES/NO; dormancy status)
- Acclimation (°C; temperature treatment)
- CTmin (°C; critical thermal minimum)
- LTe50 (°C; lower lethal temperature at 50% mortality)
- Metabolite abundances (normalized peak area per mg sample; 53 metabolites)
Code / software
The data are provided as Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) files; they can be opened using standard spreadsheet software.