AGE-DEPENDENT AND TASK-RELATED MORPHOLOGICAL-CHANGES IN THE BRAIN ANDTHE MUSHROOM BODIES OF THE ANT CAMPONOTUS-FLORIDANUS

Based on a brief description of the general brain morphology of Campon otus floridanus, development of the brain is examined in ants of diffe rent ages (pupa to 10 months), During this period, brain volume increa ses by approximately 20% while the antennal lobes and the mushroom bod y neuropile show a more substantial growth, almost doubling their volu me. In addition to the age-dependent changes, the volume of the mushro om body neuropile also increases as a consequence of behavioural activ ity associated with brood care and foraging, Foraging activity may lea d to a more than 50% additional increase in mushroom body neuropile vo lume. It is unlikely that the growth of mushroom body neuropile result s from cell proliferation because no neurogenesis could be observed in adult ant brains.