{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]],"date-time":"2025-10-30T01:09:27Z","timestamp":1761786567435,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760486400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":14,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003825","name":"Magyar Tudom\u00e1nyos Akad\u00e9mia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["J\u00e1nos Bolyai Research Scholarship"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["J\u00e1nos Bolyai Research Scholarship"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003825","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011019","name":"Nemzeti Kutat\u00e1si Fejleszt\u00e9si \u00e9s Innov\u00e1ci\u00f3s Hivatal","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PD135611"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PD135611"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011019","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012550","name":"Nemzeti Kutat\u00e1si, Fejleszt\u00e9si \u00e9s Innovaci\u00f3s Alap","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["EK\u00d6P\u2010433\u2010SZTE","\u00daNKP\u201022\u20103\u2010SZTE\u2010421","\u00daNKP\u201022\u20105\u2010SZTE\u2010581"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EK\u00d6P\u2010433\u2010SZTE","\u00daNKP\u201022\u20103\u2010SZTE\u2010421","\u00daNKP\u201022\u20105\u2010SZTE\u2010581"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012550","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100015763","name":"Szegedi Tudom\u00e1nyegyetem","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Open Access Fund Grant ID: 7988"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Open Access Fund Grant ID: 7988"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100015763","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ecology and Evolution"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Adequate nitrogen sources are indispensable for the development and reproduction of most animals. Some observations suggest that eusocial insects, such as termites or ants, can cover the protein requirements of their growing larvae by consuming the corpses of their own nestmates, a behavior known as cannibalistic necrophagy. While termites commonly utilize this food source, its occurrence in ants remains controversial and has so far been supported only by indirect observations (e.g., substantial weight loss of corpses or the presence of gnawed\u2010out holes on the abdomen of the corpses). This behavior might be a crucial tool for survival under suboptimal conditions; however, long\u2010standing evidence supporting its presence in ants is limited. In this study, we assessed whether cannibalistic necrophagy indeed occurs in ants by offering fluorescently marked corpses to their nestmates and subsequently detecting the signal within the digestive tracts of the living ants. Our results provide direct evidence that some ant species can use corpses, a constantly available food source, to fulfill the nitrogen requirements of the colony. This food source can have a variable share in the diet of a colony, and we argue that it is mainly utilized when food availability is scarce. By enabling the recirculation of nitrogen from deceased colony members, necrophagy may contribute to the ecological and evolutionary success of ants.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/ece3.72253","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T19:34:10Z","timestamp":1760556850000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Direct Evidence for Cannibalistic Necrophagy as a Way of Nitrogen Recycling in Ants"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0212-8035","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00c1d\u00e1m","family":"L\u0151rincz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ecology University of Szeged  Szeged Hungary"},{"name":"Doctoral School of Biology University of Szeged  Szeged Hungary"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kata Anna","family":"B\u00e1n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ecology University of Szeged  Szeged Hungary"},{"name":"Doctoral School of Biology University of Szeged  Szeged Hungary"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tam\u00e1s","family":"Maruzs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"HUN\u2010REN Biological Research Centre  Szeged Hungary"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Istv\u00e1n Elek","family":"Ma\u00e1k","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ecology University of Szeged  Szeged Hungary"},{"name":"Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences  Warsaw Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-72110-1_3"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3897\/jhr.51.9096"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3161\/000345409X463994"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00379779"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-662-10306-7"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1201\/9781420075618-14"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jee\/64.6.1415"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-74870-8"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3161\/00034541ANZ2024.74.3.015"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1163\/002829679X00016"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1007766303588"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14411\/eje.2015.054"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3897\/jhr.72.38972"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/690840"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_16_1","first-page":"140","article-title":"Factors Affecting Brood Cannibalism in Laboratory Colonies of the Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)","volume":"56","author":"Sorensen A. A.","year":"1983","journal-title":"Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7150\/ijbs.5781"},{"volume-title":"The Insect Societies","year":"1971","author":"Wilson E. 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