Titre
Cuticular hydrocarbons mediate discrimination of reproductives and nonreproductives in the ant <i>Myrmecia gulosa</i>
Type
article
Institution
Externe
Auteur(s)
Dietemann, Vincent
Auteure/Auteur
Peeters, Christian
Auteure/Auteur
Liebig, Jürgen
Auteure/Auteur
Thivet, Virginie
Auteure/Auteur
Hölldobler, Bert
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
ISSN
0027-8424
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2003-09-02
Volume
100
Numéro
18
Première page
10341
Dernière page/numéro d’article
10346
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Langue
anglais
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Résumé
In many species of social insects, the cuticular hydrocarbons of adults vary with both colony identity and individual physiology (oogenesis). Such variations have been shown in some ants and social wasps to function in nestmate recognition, but as yet there is no demonstration of their use by workers to recognize egg layers. We report that in the ant Myrmecia gulosa, workers can discriminate queens and fertile workers from infertile individuals based on distinctive blends of long-chained hydrocarbons present both on the cuticle and in the postpharyngeal gland. The purified hydrocarbon fraction of cuticular extracts from queens elicited high interest in workers, unlike the nonhydrocarbon fraction. However, both fractions were necessary to trigger a response of maximal intensity. In contrast, extracts of mandibular and Dufour glands from queens or infertile workers were not treated differentially by workers. We suggest that cuticular hydrocarbons function as pheromones allowing for recognition of the queen as well as egg-laying workers.
Sujets
PID Serval
serval:BIB_D3F2456F6117
PMID
Date de création
2016-12-19T15:30:44.263Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T23:58:38Z