Leaf-cutting ants’ critical and voluntary thermal limits show complex responses to size, heating rates, hydration level, and humidity

Thermal variation has complex effects on organisms and they respond to these effects through combined behavioral and physiological mechanisms. However, it is less clear how these traits combine in response to changes in body condition (e.g., size, hydration) and environmental factors that surround the heating process (e.g., relative humidity, start temperatures, heating rates). We tested whether these body conditions and environmental factors influence sequentially measured Voluntary Thermal Maxima (VT(max)) and Critical Thermal Maxima, (CT(max)) in leaf-cutting ants (Atta sexdens rubropilosa, Forel, 1908). VT(max) and CT(max) reacted differently to changes in body size and relative humidity, but exhibited similar responses to hydration level, start temperature, and heating rate. Strikingly, the VT(max) of average-sized workers was closer to their CT(max) than the VT(max) of their smaller and bigger sisters, suggesting foragers maintain normal behavior at higher temperatures than sister ants that usually perform tasks within the colony. Previous experiments based on hot plate designs might overestimate ants’ CT(max). VT(max) and CT(max) may respond concomitantly or not to temperature rises, depending on body condition and environmental factors. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00360-021-01413-6.