Časoris is an online newspaper aimed at children. Each week we’ll take an article and post it here as a Slovene-English dual text.
Mravlje se na osamljenost odzivajo podobno kot ljudje
Ants respond to loneliness much like humans
Written by Dora Adamič translated by JL Flanner & G Translate
Med zaprtjem zaradi novega koronavirusa se je marsikdo počutil osamljenega in v stresu.
During the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, many people felt lonely and stressed.
Takšen odziv na socialno izolacijo je zelo pogost pri ljudeh, drugih sesalcih in celo pri mravljah.
Such a response to social isolation is very common in humans, other mammals, and even ants.
To je odkrila raziskovalna skupina izraelskih in nemških znanstvenikov.
This was discovered by a research team of Israeli and German scientists.
Mravlje namreč živijo v kolonijah. Delo si delijo z drugimi in tudi sicer so vajene biti v stiku z drugimi mravljami.
Ants actually live in colonies. They share their work with others and are also used to being in contact with other ants.
Znanstveniki so se raziskovanja lotili tako, da so od njihovih kolonij ločili mravlje, ki skrbijo za zarod. V osami so bile različno dolgo – od ene ure do štirih tednov.
The scientists undertook the research by separating the ants caring for the brood from their colonies. They were in solitude for different lengths of time - from one hour to four weeks.
Nato so jih vrnili nazaj v kolonije. Znanstveniki so opazili, da so se začele drugače obnašati. Spremembe so bile večje pri tistih, ki so bile dlje časa v izolaciji.
They were then returned to the colonies. The scientists noticed that they began to behave differently. The changes were greater in those who were in isolation for a longer period of time.
Po vrnitvi so veliko več časa posvetile skrbi za zarod. Manj pa so se družile z ostalimi mravljami. Prav tako so slabše skrbele za svojo čistočo.
Upon their return, they devoted much more time to caring for the brood. They socialized less with the other ants. They also took less care of their cleanliness.
»Takšen upad higienskih vedenj lahko naredi mravlje bolj dovzetne za okužbo z zajedavci. Sicer je poslabšanje higiene značilna posledica socialne izolacije tudi pri drugih družbenih bitjih,« pojasnjuje Susanne Foitzik, znanstvenica, ki je sodelovala pri raziskavi.
“Such a decline in hygiene behaviours can make ants more susceptible to parasite infection. Moreover, the deterioration of hygiene is a typical consequence of social isolation in other social beings as well,” explains Susanne Foitzik, a scientist who participated in the research.
Poleg spremenjenega vedenja so pri mravljah opazili tudi slabšo prebavo, kar je močno škodilo njihovemu imunskemu sistemu. Tudi zato so bile dovzetnejše za okužbe in bolezni.
In addition to the altered behaviour, they also observed poor digestion in the ants, which severely damaged their immune systems. This is also why they were more susceptible to infections and diseases.
Read more stories and improve your Slovene at Časoris, while all our dual texts can be found here.
