Plant metabolites modulate animal social networks and lifespan

Social interactions influence disease spread, information flow, and resource allocation across species, yet heterogeneity in social interaction frequency and its fitness consequences remain poorly understood. Additionally, animals can utilize plant metabolites for purposes beyond nutrition, but whether that shapes social networks is unclear. Here, we investigated how non-nutritive plant metabolites impact social interactions and the lifespan of the turnip sawfly, Athalia rosae. Adult sawflies acquire neo-clerodane diterpenoids (clerodanoids) from non-food plants, showing intraspecific variation in natural populations and laboratory-reared individuals. Clerodanoids can also be transferred between conspecifics, leading to increased agonistic social interactions. Network analysis indicated increased social interactions in sawfly groups where some or all individuals had prior access to clerodanoids. Social interaction frequency varied with clerodanoid status, with fitness costs including reduced lifespan resulting from increased interactions. Our findings highlight the role of intraspecific variation in the acquisition of non-nutritional plant metabolites in shaping social networks, with fitness implications on individual social niches.