Liebig J, Amsalem E 2025. The Evolution of Queen Pheromone Production and Detection in the Reproductive Division of Labor in Social Insect Colonies. Annual Review of Entomology 70. preprint

Moore D, Liebig J 2024. Innate and learned components of egg recognition in the ant Camponotus floridanus, Royal Society Open Science 11: 231837

Pyenson B, Albin-Brooks C, Burhyte C, Liebig J 2022. Worker-like behavioral and physiological phenotype in queens with removed wings in a ponerine ant, Journal of Experimental Biology 225: jeb243684

Buellesbach J, Holze H, Schrader L, Liebig J, Schmitt T, Gadau J, Niehuis O 2022. Genetic and genomic architecture of species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon variation in parasitoid wasps. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 289. 20220336 

Choi T, Pyenson B, Liebig J, Pavlic TP 2022. Beyond tracking: using deep learning to discover novel interactions in biological swarms. Artificial Life and Robotics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10015-022-00753-y 

Choi T, Pyenson B, Liebig J, Pavlic TP 2021. Identification of abnormal states in videos of ants undergoing social phase change. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 35: 15286-15292

Penick CA, Ghaninia M, Haight KL, Opachaloemphan C, Yan H, Reinberg D, Liebig J 2021. Reversible plasticity in brain size, behavior and physiology characterizes caste transitions in a socially flexible ant (Harpegnathos saltator). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 288: 20210141

Yan H, Liebig J 2021. Genetic basis of chemical communication in eusocial insects. Genes & Development 35: 470-482

Liebig J 2020. Chemical ecology: A new royal scent in a small insect society. Current Biology 30: R280-R282

Fronhofer EA, Liebig J, Mitesser O, Poethke HJ 2018. Eusociality outcompetes egalitarian and solitary strategies when resources are limited and reproduction is costly. Ecology and Evolution 8:12953-12964

Ghaninia M, Berger SL, Reinberg D, Zwiebel LJ, Ray A, Liebig J 2018 Antennal olfactory physiology and behavior of males of the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Chemical Ecology 44: 999-1007

Taerum SJ, De Martini F, Liebig J, Gile GH 2018 Incomplete co-cladogenesis between Zootermopsis termites and their associated protists. Environmental Entomology 47: 184-195

Yan H, Opachaloemphan C, Mancini G, Yang H, Gallitto M, Mlejnek J, Leibholz A, Haight K, Ghaninia M, Huo L, Perry M, Slone J, Zhou Z, Traficante M, Penick CA, Dolezal K, Gokhale K, Stevens K, Fetter-Pruneda I, Bonasio R, Zwiebel LJ, Berger SL, Liebig J, Reinberg D, Desplan C 2017 An engineered orco mutation produces aberrant social behavior and defective neural development in ants. Cell 170: 736-747

Gospocic J, Shields EJ, Glastad KM, Lin Y, Penick CA, Yan H, Mikheyev AS, Linksvayer TA, Garcia BA, Berger SL, Liebig J, Reinberg D, Bonasio R 2017 The neuropeptide corazonin controls social behavior and caste identity in ants. Cell 170: 748-759

Pask GM, Slone JS, Millar JG, Das P, Moreira JA, Zhou Z, Bello J, Berger SL, Bonasio R, Desplan C, Reinberg D, Liebig J, Zwiebel LJ, Ray A 2017 Specialized odorant receptors in social insects that detect cuticular hydrocarbon cues and candidate pheromones. Nature Communications 8: 297

Slone JD, Pask GM, Ferguson ST, Millar JG, Berger SL, Reinberg D, Liebig J, Ray A, Zwiebel LJ 2017 Functional characterization of odorant receptors in the ponerine ant, Harpegnathos saltator PNAS 114: 8586-8591

Smith AA, Liebig J 2017 The evolution of cuticular fertility signals in eusocial insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science 22: 79-84

Ghaninia M, Haight K, Berger SL, Reinberg D, Zwiebel LJ, Ray A, Liebig J 2017 Chemosensory sensitivity reflects reproductive status in the ant Harpegnathos saltator. Scientific Reports 7: 3732

Penick CA, Liebig J 2017 A larval 'princess pheromone' identifies future ant queens based on their juvenile hormone content. Animal Behaviour 128: 33-40

Neuvonen MM, Tamarit D, Naslund K, Liebig J, Feldhaar H, Moran NA, Guy L, Andersson SGE 2016 The genome of Rhizobiales bacteria in predatory ants reveals urease gene functions but no genes for nitrogen fixation. Scientific Reports 6: 39197

Glastad KM, Gokhale K, Liebig J, Goodisman MAD 2016 The caste- and sex-specific DNA methylome of the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Scientific Reports 6: 37110

Brent CS, Penick CA, Trobaugh B, Moore D, Liebig J 2016 Induction of a reproductive-specific hydrocarbon profile by a juvenile hormone analog in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Chemoecology 26: 195-203

Sasaki T, Penick CA, Shaffer Z, Haight KL, Pratt SC, Liebig J 2016 A simple behavioral model predicts the emergence of complex animal hierarchies. American Naturalist 187: 765-775

Simola DF, Graham RJ, Brady CM, Enzmann BL, Desplan C, Ray A, Zwiebel LJ, Bonasio R, Reinberg D, Liebig J, Berger SL 2016 Epigenetic (re)programming of caste-specific behavior in the ant Camponotus floridanus. Science 351:42-aac6633

Ebie JD, Hölldobler B, Liebig J, 2015. Larval regulation of worker reproduction in the polydomous ant Novomessor cockerelli. The Science of Nature 102: 72

Sharma KR, Enzmann BL, Schmidt Y, Moore D, Jones GR, Parker J, Berger SL, Reinberg D, Zwiebel LJ, Breit B, Liebig J, Ray A, 2015. Cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones for social behavior and their coding in the ant antenna. Cell Reports 12: 1261-1271.

Zhou X, Rokas A, Berger SL, Liebig J, Ray A, Zwiebel LJ, 2015. Chemoreceptor evolution in Hymenoptera and its implications for the evolution of eusociality. Genome Biology and Evolution 7: 2407-2416.

Korb J, Poulsen M, Hu H, Li C, Boomsma JJ, Zhang G, Liebig J, 2015. A genomic comparison of two termites with different social complexity. Frontiers in Genetics 6: 9.

Yan H, Bonasio R, Simola DF, Liebig J, Berger SL, Reinberg D, 2015. DNA methylation in social insects: How epigenetics can control behavior and longevity. Annual Review of Entomology 60: 435-452.

Yan H,  Simola DF, Bonasio R, Liebig J, Berger SL, Reinberg D, 2014. Eusocial insects as emerging models for behavioural epigenetics. Nature Reviews Genetics 15: 677-688.

Terrapon N, Li C, Robertson HM, Ji L, Meng X, Booth W, Chen Z, Childers CP, Glastad KM, Gokhale K, Gowin J, Gronenberg W, Hermansen RA, Hu H, Hunt BG, Huylmans A, Khalil SMS, Mitchell RD, Munoz-Torres MC, Mustard JA, Pan H, Reese JT, Scharf ME, Sun F, Vogel H, Xiao J, Yang W, Yang Z, Yang Z, Zhou J, Zhu J, Brent CS, Elsik CG, Goodisman MAD, Liberles DA, Roe RM, Vargo EL, Vilcinskas A, Wang J, Bornberg-Bauer E, Korb J, Zhang G, Liebig J, 2014. Molecular traces of alternative social organization in a termite genome. Nature Communications 5: 3636.

Penick CA, Brent CS, Dolezal K, Liebig J, 2014. Neurohormonal changes associated with ritualized combat and the formation of a reproductive hierarchy in the ant Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Experimental Biology 217: 1496-1503

Simola DF, Wissler L, Donahue G, Waterhouse RM, Helmkampf M, Roux J, Nygaard S, Glastad KM, Hagen DE, Viljakainen L, Reese JT, Hunt BG, Graur D, Elhaik E, Kriventseva EV, Wen JY, Parker BJ, Cash E, Privman E, Childers CP, Munoz-Torres MC, Boomsma JJ, Bornberg-Bauer E, Currie CR, Elsik CG, Suen G, Goodisman MAD, Keller L, Liebig J, Rawls A, Reinberg D, Smith CD, Smith CR, Tsutsui N, Wurm Y, Zdobnov EM, Berger SL, Gadau J, 2013. Social insect genomes exhibit dramatic evolution in gene composition and regulation while preserving regulatory features linked to sociality. Genome Research 23: 1235-1247

Moore D, Liebig J, 2013. Reproductive restraint without policing in early stages of a social insect colony. Animal Behaviour 85: 1323-1328.

Simola DF, Ye C, Mutti NS, Dolezal K, Bonasio R, Liebig J, Reinberg D, Berger SL, 2013. A chromatin basis for caste identity in the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. Genome Research 23: 486-496.

Penick CA, Trobaugh B, Brent CS, Liebig J, 2013. Head butting as an early indicator of reproductive disinhibition in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Journal of Insect Behavior 26: 23-34.

Penick CA, Prager S, Liebig J, 2012. Juvenile hormone induces queen development in late-stage larvae of the ant Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Insect Physiology 58: 1643-1649.

Penick CA, Liebig J, 2012. Regulation of queen development through worker aggression in a predatory ant. Behavioral Ecology 23: 992-998

Bonasio R, Quiye L, Lian J, Mutti NS, Jin L, Zhao H, Zhang P, Wen P, Ziang H, Ding Y, Jin Z, Shen SS, Wang Z, Wang W, Wang J, Berger SL, Liebig J, Zhang GJ, Reinberg D, 2012. Genome-wide and caste-specific DNA methylomes of the ants Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator. Current Biology 22: 1755-1764

Zhou X, Slone JD, Rokas A, Berger SL, Liebig J, Ray A, Reinberg D, Zwiebel L. 2012. Phylogenetic and transcriptomic analysis of chemosensory receptors in a pair of divergent ant species reveals sex-specific signatures of odor coding. PLoS Genetics 8: e1002930

Korb J, Buschmann M, Schafberg S, Liebig J, Bagnères AG, 2012. Brood care and social evolution in termites. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 279: 2662-2671

Smith AA, Overson RP, Hölldobler B, Gadau, J, Liebig J, 2012. The potential for worker reproduction in the ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli and its absence in the field. Insectes Sociaux 59:411-416

Smith AA, Hölldobler B, Liebig J, 2012. Queen-specific signals and worker punishment in the ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli: the role of the Dufour’s gland. Animal Behaviour 83: 587-593

Haight KL, 2012. Patterns of venom production and temporal polyethism in workers of Jerdon's jumping ant, Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Insect Physiology 58: 1568-1574

Penick CA, Liebig J, Brent CS, 2011. Reproduction, dominance, and caste: endocrine profiles of queens and workers of the ant Harpegnathos saltator. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 197: 1063-1071

Eliyahu D, Ross K G, Haight K L, Keller L, Liebig J, 2011. Venom alkaloid and cuticular hydrocarbon profiles are associated with social organization, queen fertility status, and queen genotype in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Journal of Chemical Ecology 37: 1242-1254

Smith AA, Hölldobler B, Liebig J, 2011. Reclaiming the crown: queen to worker conflict over reproduction in Aphaenogaster cockerelli. Naturwissenschaften 98: 237-240

Schneider SA, Schrader C, Wagner AE, Boesch-Saadatmandi C, Liebig J, Rimbach G, Roeder T, 2011. Stress resistance and longevity are not directly linked to levels of enzymatic antioxidants in the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator. PLoS one 6: e14601

Moore D, Liebig J, 2010. Mechanisms of social regulation change across colony development in an ant. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2010, 10: 328

Bonasio R, Zhang G, Ye C, Mutti NS, Fang X, Qin N, Donahue G, Yang P, Li Q, Li C, Zhang P, Huang Z, Berger SL, Reinberg D, Wang J, Liebig J, 2010. Genomic comparison of the ants Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator. Science 329: 1068-1071

Moore D, Liebig J, 2010. Mixed messages: fertility signaling interferes with nestmate recognition in the monogynous ant Camponotus floridanus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 64:1011–1018

Liebig, J. 2010. Hydrocarbon profiles indicate fertility and dominance status in ant, bee, and wasp colonies, in: G. J. Blomquist and A. G. Bagnères (eds.). Insect Hydrocarbons: Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemical Ecology Cambridge University Press.

Liebig, J., Eliyahu, D., Brent, C. 2009. Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles indicate reproductive status in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63:1799-1807.

Smith, A. A., Hölldobler, B., Liebig, J. 2009. Cuticular hydrocarbons reliably identify cheaters and allow enforcement of altruism in a social insect. Current Biology 19:78-81.

Peeters, C. & Liebig, J. 2009. Fertility signaling as a general mechanism of regulating reproductive division of labor in ants. In Organization of Insect Societies: From Genome to Sociocomplexity (ed. J. Gadau & J. Fewell): Harvard University Press.

Smith, A. A., Hölldobler, B. and Liebig, J. 2008. Hydrocarbon signals explain the pattern of worker and egg policing in the ant Aphaenogaster cockerelli. Journal of Chemical Ecology 34: 1275-1282.

Monnin, T. & Liebig, J. 2008. Understanding eusociality requires both proximate and ultimate thinking and due consideration of individual and colony-level interests. Oikos 117:1441-1443.

Poethke, H. J. & Liebig, J. 2008. Risk-sensitive foraging and the evolution of cooperative breeding and reproductive skew. BMC Ecology 8, 2.

Strohm, E. & Liebig, J. 2008. Why are so Many Bees but so Few Digger Wasps Social? The Effect of Provisioning Mode and Helper Efficiency on the Distribution of Sociality Among the Apoidea. In Ecology of Social Evolution (ed. J. Korb & J. Heinze), pp. 109-128: Springer.

Endler, A., Hölldobler, B., Liebig, J. 2007. Lack of physical policing and fertility cues in egg-laying workers of the ant Camponotus floridanus. Anim. Beh. 74:1171-1180.

Weissel, N., Mitesser, O., Liebig, J., Poethke, H.-J., Strohm, E. 2006. The influence of soil temperature on the nesting cycle of the halictid bee Lasioglossum malachurum. Insect. Soc. 53: 390-398.

Endler, A., Liebig, J., Hölldobler, B. 2006. Queen fertility, egg marking and colony size in the ant Camponotus floridanus. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 59:490-499.

Hoyer, S. C., Liebig, J., Rossler, W. 2005. Biogenic amines in the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator: serotonin and dopamine immunoreactivity in the brain. Arthropod Structure & Development 34:429-440.

Dietemann, V., Liebig, J., Hölldobler, B., Peeters, C. 2005. Changes in the cuticular hydrocarbons of incipient reproductives correlate with triggering of worker policing in the bulldog ant Myrmecia gulosa. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 58:486-496.

Liebig, J., Monnin, T., Turillazzi, S. 2005. Direct assessment of queen quality and lack of worker suppression in a paper wasp. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 272:1339-1344.

Endler, A., Liebig, J., Schmitt, T., Parker, J. E., Jones, G. R., Schreier, P., Hölldobler, B. 2004. Surface hydrocarbons of queen eggs regulate worker reproduction in a social insect. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:2945-2950.

Hölldobler, B., Morgan, E. D., Oldham, N. J., Liebig, J., Liu, Y. 2004. Dufour gland secretion in the harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex. Chemoecology 14:101-106.

Jarvis, P. A., Liebig, J., Hölldobler, B., Oldham, N. J. 2004. Biosynthesis of the insect pheromone (S)-4-methyl-3-heptanone. Chem. Commun.:1196-1197.

Liebig, J. & Poethke, J. 2004. Queen lifespan and colony longevity in the ant Harpegnathos saltator (Jerdon). Ecol. Entomol. 29:203-207.

Dietemann, V., Peeters, C., Liebig, J., Thivet, V., Hölldobler, B. 2003. Cuticular hydrocarbons mediate recognition of queens and reproductive workers in the ant Myrmecia gulosa. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:10341-10346.

Helms Cahan S, Blumstein DT, Sundstrom L, Liebig J, Griffin A. 2002. Social trajectories and the evolution of social behavior. OIKOS 96:206-216.

Hölldobler, B., Liebig, J., Alpert, G. D. 2002. Gamergates in the myrmicine genus Metapone (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Naturwissenschaften 89:305-307.

Hölldobler, B., Oldham N. J., Alpert, G. D., Liebig, J. 2002. Predatory behavior and chemical communication in two Metapone species (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). Chemoecology 12:147-151.

Hölldobler, B., Morgan, E. D., Oldham, N. J., Liebig, J. 2001. Recruitment pheromone in the harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex. J. Ins. Physiol. 47:369-374.

Liebig, J., Peeters, C., Oldham, N. J., Markstadter, C., Hölldobler B. 2000. Are variations in cuticular hydrocarbons of queens and workers a reliable signal of fertility in the ant Harpegnathos saltator? Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:4124-4131.

Gronenberg, W., Liebig, J. 1999. Smaller brains and optic lobes in reproductive workers of the ant Harpegnathos. Naturwissenschaften 86:343-345.

Liebig, J., Peeters, C., Hölldobler, B. 1999. Worker policing limits the number of reproductives in a ponerine ant. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 266:1865-1870.

Wheeler, D. W., Liebig, J., Hölldobler, B. 1999. Atypical vitellins in ponerine ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera). J. Ins. Physiol. 45:287-293.

Liebig. J, Hölldobler, B., Peeters, C. 1998. Are ant workers capable of colony foundation? Naturwissenschaften 85:133-135.

Liebig, J., Heinze, J., Hölldobler, B. 1997. Trophallaxis and aggression in the ponerine ant Ponera coarctata: implications for the evolution of liquid food exchange in the Hymenoptera. Ethology 103:707-722.

Liebig, J., Heinze, J., Hölldobler, B. 1995. Queen size variation in the ponerine ant Ponera coarctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche 102:1-12.