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All >15,000 species of ants are social and show many variations in individual behavior and colony organization. Is the evolution of the olfactory system in ants linked to sociality? Although ants express the highest numbers of odorant receptors and antennal lobe glomeruli across the insects, recent work claims that specific clusters of glomeruli and related odorant receptor repertoires in ants are not directly linked to the evolution of sociality (e.g. Gautam et al. 2024 Proc Roy Soc B; Marty et al. 2025 Proc Roy Soc B). Taking a different perspective, previous work has emphasized that behavioral plasticity represents a key factor promoting social organization and task allocation in ant colonies (Hölldobler and Wilson 2008). Does developmental plasticity in the olfactory system promote behavioral plasticity (polyethism)? Examples from different ant species suggest that caste-specific, sex-specific, and age-related developmental and adult plasticity in olfactory centers of the ant brain are linked to social organization. Cellular and molecular aspects of neuronal plasticity during postembryonic development of the antennal lobe and mushroom bodies further emphasize the potential role of differential olfactory development in polyethism. Comparative studies across social and solitary Hymenoptera are needed to understand the genetic basis underlying the evolution of developmental and adult neuroplasticity in olfactory systems and related mechanisms mediating behavioral plasticity underlying social organization.
